Babies are born too early often have a challenging start, especially about how the brain grows. The special hospital unit that cares for these babies, called the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICUS), is a highly specialized area for neonatal care that is critical to survival, but can sometimes create a stressful environment that affects brain development. Experts understand the importance of attractions, sounds and touch to brain growth, seeking a way to support healthy development from the very beginning.
Lisa Sampson, Maureen Luther, Asaph Rolnitsky PhD and Eugene Ng PhD are Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center team of neonatal care experts and the University of Toronto to create a new guide called “Sensory Development Nursing Map.” Appears in the Medical Daily ChildrenThis colorful, easy-to-read guide helps parents and hospital caregivers understand how to help develop a baby’s senses based on the time of birth.
Caregivers can use maps to learn the best time to lightly introduce sounds, lights or touches, and when to avoid excessive irritation. Families who use it say they have a better understanding of how to support baby development. Both can be used as posters, both with QR codes and available in map links and online digital versions in hospital rooms, the tool is always easy to find and use.
Prior to this guide, hospitals have implemented a program to successfully reduce severe brain damage caused by bleeding in premature babies. However, the team realized that keeping the brain safe was not enough. “The positive sensory input has been proven to have a beneficial effect on premature babies and emotional integration with caregivers.” Their team began to promote tender, loving interactions called “cultural encounters,” a term used for comfortable moments such as skin embracing and calming on the skin, reassuring touch.
Surveys and observations by parents and staff at Sunnybrook NICU show that parents often receive mixed information about how to promote the feeling of their babies, leading to confusion in such a highly stressful environment. The nurses also shared that while they know how to ensure a baby’s safety, some people feel confident in how to teach parents how to help a baby’s brain move through sensory activities. Obviously, more consistent and clear advice is needed in this area.
Following a step-by-step quality improvement approach called planning for research, a way to test and improve new ideas, the team designed sensory development care charts using color sticks to show when different sensory movements should be initiated or avoided. The map was designed after reviewing many studies and considered common practices in its hospitals. Based on feedback, the team added large posters, smaller handouts and scannable codes that can be linked online to the map. “The sensory development nursing map enables families to set appropriate care goals for babies at birth for a specific age,” said Dr. Ng.
Since the introduction of the map, families and caregivers have spent more time each month fostering activities. This radius shows how the map supports and encourages positive action. Parents shared encouraging feedback, although some said they would like clearer color explanations and were introduced to the map earlier during the hospital experience.
Obviously, it feels like developing care charts is more than just a guide. It represents how hospitals can help infants develop their brains. Now parents are seen as important partners in caring and are supported by tools to help them feel confident and engaged. By learning together and sharing responsibilities, families and caregivers are creating better outcomes for the smallest and most vulnerable patients.
Although long-term results of using maps are still being studied, early signs are encouraging. In an environment full of machines and medical routines, this gentle and thoughtful tool is helping the cradle to protect and nurture young people during the most critical period of growth.
Journal Reference
Sampson L., Luther M., Rolnitsky A., NgE. Children, 2025; 12(2):192. doi:
About the Author
Dr. Eugene Ng is a newborn intensive care specialist at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center at the University of Toronto, Canada. He served as Medical Director in the 2013-23rd Year at Sunnybrook’s Third Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). He is an associate professor of pediatricians at the University of Toronto and an associate scientist at the Sunnybrook Institute. His research interests include neonatal respiratory physiology, premature nutrition, systematic review, standardization and quality improvement. He has provided medical leadership to Sunnybrook NICU’s cross-span quality improvement team to work with the International Vermont Oxford Network to develop expertise in caring for micropro babies, thereby significantly improving outcomes for this vulnerable patient population. He is co-chair of the Brain Health Group to improve the Quality of Newborn Networks in Canada (EPIQ) initiative, focusing on best practices for neuroprotection and neurostrengthening in premature babies. In addition to his academic achievements, Dr. NG also provides leadership on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Society of Pediatrics and on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Newborn Network to define pediatric care in Canada. He is recognized for coaching the next generation of neonatologists in one of Canada’s largest neonatal medicine training programs.
Dr. Asaph Rolnitsky He is the Director of Neonatal and Development Pediatrics at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center in Toronto, Canada and the Medical Director of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). He graduated from the Pediatrics at Schneider Children’s Hospital and the University of Toronto’s Newborn-Detention Medicine Subprofessional Program, and later the Virginia Quality Improvement Quality Scholars Scholarship (QI). He received his Master of Healthcare Quality from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario and is currently attending a PhD in Health Services Studies. Dr. Rolnitsky has been involved in many QI interventions, better outcomes for micro-infants, and the cost of health services at NICU CARE. He teaches quality improvement science at the University of Toronto, Queens University, Oxford Network, Vermont, and more. He is also the Director of Education at Sunnybrook NICU and participates in multicultural competency education to trainees. He has won several awards for his clinical, leadership and education excellence.
Maureen Luther She received her Bachelor of Physicians from the University of Toronto and her Master of Arts in Special Education. In addition, she has completed extensive training and certification for several baby motors and feeding assessment tools. She has been premature and internationally, and has been a professor of topics for the development of supporting care within NIUC, feeding and long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes in premature babies. Although Maureen has currently retired from the Sunnybook Health Sciences Center partially and worked in NICU and neonatal follow-up clinics from 1989 to 2020, she continues to participate in education and research projects involving premature babies.
Lisa Sampson He is a registered nurse in the Neonatal ICU at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center in Toronto, with 24 years of experience. She has been the Leader of the Quality Improvement (QI) Team at Sunnybrook for the past six years and has worked with the International Vermont Oxford Network and has led a number of QI programs focusing on the best care for our smallest and most vulnerable patients. Lisa is also the co-chair of stability and support during the Canadian Newborn Network Transition (Start) task force.
