Stimulating multiple senses—such as hearing, touch, and smell—in premature babies may slightly increase weight gain before hospital discharge, but current clinical evidence remains limited and uncertain regarding its impact on survival or long-term development, cochrane.org reported.
Premature infants face profound physiological challenges during their critical developmental window in the neonatal intensive care unit. According to a comprehensive review updated through late November 2025 by cochrane.org, investigators analyzed 19 separate studies involving 1,544 premature infants to determine the clinical utility of multisensory stimulation compared to standard care or single-sense interventions.
The core intervention involves a combination of auditory elements like a parent’s voice, tactile inputs such as massage, olfactory and gustatory cues like breast milk scent, vestibular stimulation through gentle rocking, and visual modifications including soft, cycled lighting. During the neonatal period, the brain grows very quickly. Providing positive sensory experiences during this period may help premature babies in several ways, such as supporting their memory, helping them regulate emotions, and improving early learning and development, although the evidence for longer-term benefits is limited and uncertain.
Researchers Test Multisensory Stimulation Benefits for Premature Infants
- What was studied: Researchers examined whether activating two or more senses simultaneously in premature infants improves survival, growth, and neurological development compared to standard care or touch alone.
- The weight gain finding: Multisensory stimulation may slightly increase total weight gain prior to hospital discharge, but the observed effect is small and its clinical significance is uncertain.
- The missing evidence: Available studies are currently too limited and uncertain to prove whether this practice reduces infant mortality or prevents long-term severe developmental disabilities such as cerebral palsy.
Out of the 19 evaluated studies, 18 compared multisensory stimulation directly with standard hospital care, while a single study isolated the comparison between multi-sensory care and touch alone. Ten of these trials focused specifically on brain and behavioral development markers, whereas the remaining nine investigated physical endpoints such as neonatal intensive care unit length of stay, days needing breathing support, and oral feeding milestones.
While preliminary data points toward modest gains in pre-discharge weight accumulation, no studies comparing multisensory stimulation to no intervention adequately reported on critical neurodevelopmental endpoints at 18 to 24 months of corrected age.
Thirteen ongoing trials and four unassessed studies continue to wind through clinical pipelines, meaning clearer guidance may emerge as larger, more complete datasets mature.
References
- Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews – Multisensory stimulation for premature infants.
