Connecting Babies and Families in the NICU
Developed by a neonatologist with support from the National Institutes of Health, The smallTalk® NICU Egg™ speaker helps families stay connected with their babies during NICU stays. Families make recordings for their babies that are played by the care team when they can’t be there. Recordings are automatically played at a NICU-safe volume and duration.
The NICU is a Stressful Environment for babies and their families
Separation from caregivers, lack of physical contact, noise levels, and other factors contribute to an environment that hinders bonding and deprives infants of a key developmental element, their caregiver’s voice.
The Power of Voice
A stay in the NICU leads to a significant reduction in voice exposure. Caregiver voice exposure is one of the basic neural building blocks critical for communication and overall brain development.
The Benefits
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For Infants
For infants in the NICU, hearing their caregiver's voice helps in increasing cardiorespiratory stability and growth, improves deep sleep, and has even associated with shorter stays. And, it’s good for their brain. Caregiver voice exposure is essential to any NICU developmental care plan. smallTalk makes it easy and safe.
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For Caregivers
We empower NICU parents by providing them with a vital sense of connection to their babies. For many caregivers, the inability to be constantly by their baby's side is a deeply heart-wrenching reality. Our solution allows your families to leave a meaningful presence with their little ones, ensuring their voices bring comfort and connection. This connection can provide a sense of peace during a challenging time. Let smallTalk be an essential component of your family-centered care plan.
Designed for NICU Infection Control
The Egg is designed for the NICU environment. The speaker is completely sealed, and made with medical-grade plastics. Cleaning is done simply with your common cleaning products.
Tailored for NICU Infants
Our patented algorithms and hardware automatically control volume and duration of play for each infant based on postmenstrual age and if they are in an isolette or open crib.
How It Works
smallTalk provides your care team with evidence-based protocols, parent resources, and all the support they need to bring The NICU Egg System to your patients.
Parents create recordings for their baby using our NICU Parent Companion App
The Care team accesses parent recordings with permission, and uploads recordings to The Egg using our Hospital Companion App
The Egg works on the push of a single button making it easy to fit into the nursing workflow. The Care Team plays The Egg once or twice per shift during wakeful times.
