Small comforts. Meaningful connection.
Learn about a simple, thoughtful approach to NICU comfort.
Our Cause
NICU Hearts is a volunteer-run initiative focused on providing simple, handmade comfort items through NICU staff.
Who We Are - Nicu Hearts
Our Vision
We envision a NICU experience where families feel connected and supported, even during the most uncertain moments. Through simple, thoughtful gestures, NICU Hearts aims to bring comfort and reassurance when closeness matters most.
Our Approach
NICU Hearts creates handmade comfort items that are carefully made, cleaned, and shared through NICU staff. By keeping our process simple and intentional, we ensure our hearts fit naturally into clinical environments while honoring the families they reach.
Our Impact
Though small in size, each heart represents care, presence, and connection during a NICU stay. By offering these items through care teams, NICU Hearts supports moments of comfort that families often remember long after their hospital journey ends.
Support Nicu Hearts Today
Thoughtfully Hand-Crocheted
Each heart is carefully crocheted by hand using a simple, flat design. We use a consistent pattern and a single color to ensure every heart is uniform, soft, and comforting.
Carefully Inspected
Finished hearts are checked to ensure they are flat, secure, and free of loose ends or embellishments. Only hearts that meet our quality standards move forward.
Gently Cleaned
Hearts are washed using a mild, fragrance-free process to remove dust or debris from handling. This step ensures they are clean and ready to be shared.
Fully Air-Dried
After washing, hearts are air-dried completely on clean surfaces. Hearts are only packaged once they are fully dry.
Individually Sealed
Each heart is placed in its own clear bag and sealed. This helps keep the hearts clean until they are ready to be used.
Paired with Care
Two individually sealed hearts—one for the baby and one for the parent—are paired together with a simple card explaining their purpose.
Shared Through NICU Staff
Completed heart pairs are provided directly to NICU staff, who determine when and how they are shared with families.
The Science Behind Scent and Connection
The sense of smell is one of the earliest developing sensory systems in newborns.
Research has shown that even very young infants can recognize and respond to familiar caregiver scents, particularly the scent of their parents. In neonatal care settings, this recognition is often associated with comfort and calming responses, especially when direct physical contact is limited.
Because of this, many NICUs incorporate scent-based comfort practices as part of family-centered care. One common approach involves the use of scent cloths—small pieces of fabric that carry a parent’s natural scent and are placed near the infant under staff guidance. These practices are intended to support bonding and emotional connection during periods of separation.
NICU Hearts is inspired by these well-established approaches. The hearts are designed as simple, non-medical comfort items that can carry familiar scent between parent and baby when appropriate. They are not intended to replace clinical care or established NICU protocols, and they make no medical or therapeutic claims.
All use of NICU Hearts occurs at the discretion of NICU staff, who determine whether, when, and how the hearts are used based on the needs of each infant and family. The goal is not intervention, but reassurance—offering a small, familiar presence that reflects care, connection, and continuity during a challenging time.
Nicu Hearts in Action
One Heart for Baby
One Heart for Parent
One Heart for Parent
One heart stays with the baby, placed only as permitted by NICU staff and unit guidelines.
One Heart for Parent
One Heart for Parent
One Heart for Parent
The second heart stays with the parent, allowing it to carry familiar scent through normal handling.
Get Involved
One Heart for Parent
Get Involved
Join us in making a difference. Whether you want to donate, volunteer, or simply learn more, there are many ways to get involved and support our work.