The Zaky - How and Why the Zaky works!

The Zaky(R) is all about empowering the parents in taking part in the nurturing of their NICU baby. It allows the baby to know that s/he is part of a family and that s/he is loved, nurtured, and care for 24/7 while empowers the parents by allowing them to take an active and important role in the emotional and developmental care of the child. It helps the baby develop a sense of security that allows good sleep patterns, and sound development. These are the main reasons why the Zaky is effective and why every premature and sick baby (and the family) is benefiting from it:

It is all about feeling safe, loved, and protected:  When moms are pregnant, babies get four basic needs met from the womb: oxygen (breathing), warmth, nutrition, and protection.  At birth, babies that cannot do the first three on their own, they will get assistance from a machine or they die: if the baby cannot breath he is hooked up to a ventilator, if he cannot get warm he is placed in an incubator, and if he cannot eat he would have an IV or a feeding tube. Lack of PROTECTION, however, is not life-threatening but it is extremely important for his development. Protection, when not given by the womb, comes best from the touch, voice, boundaries, warmth, and scent given best by the mother and father. No matter the size of the baby, he cannot comfort or position himself at birth, nor he is able to feel protected on his own – Contrary to popular believe, a newborn baby is unable to "manipulate" the parents or "get used to being held" - sometimes all the baby needs is a hug and a touch that means "you are not alone".

When the baby is not being held, The Zaky imitates the hands (or the womb) by weighing 500 grams, while providing boundaries, comfort, a soothing hand,allowing the baby to feel and a sense of protection 24/7. The weight of the Zaky to be on top of the baby can be selected simply by shifting the filling. Micro-preemies can be comforted by only the weight of the fabric, as they grow they can take more weight until they need all the weight of the Zaky.

The Zaky is used with patients that weigh as little as 450 grams. Rule of thumb: if a baby can touch a blanket, then s/he can use a Zaky.

Babies need a hand to sleep.   Babies are used to being cozy and had the boundaries of the womb. When they are born early parents and nurses help them get comfortable to help them sleep better by holding them or by placing a hand on top of them (without rubbing, patting, etc.); the problem is that if they are not in a deep sleep, most wake up when they are placed back down or when the hand is removed.  This is because there is no place more comfortable and safe than the womb, kangaroo with a parent, or someone’s hands/arms (sense of protection).  Babies like boundaries and the scent of a loved one, and the Zaky provides both in a beautiful and successful way.  They are particularly effective with babies that cannot be held, with NAS babies, or those that are not visited 24 hrs a day by the family.

With the Zaky, nurses can leave a soothing hand with each of the assigned patients. They have reported that is easier to calm a baby down, position, and soothe a baby (and the mothers) with the Zaky than with any other item in the NICU.

While awake, babies need to move without feeling stressed. In the third trimester of pregnancy the baby kicks,moves, and stretches and these develop the muscles and joints to prepare him/her to move in gravity.  When a baby is born (early or full-term), he still wants and needs to move – however,if he moves there is no womb to bring him back to the fetal position, so he feels unprotected and gets stressed (or even worse, some can associate movement with stress) – so he starts crying and won’t stop until he is repositioned, touched or held (so he feels protected) – The Zaky works by giving the baby boundaries, the scent and warmth of the parents, and a comfortable position creating the perfect environment for him while he is awake, and the perfect environment to fall and stay asleep.

Babies need your loving touch even when parents are not there - With the Zaky, we are successfully helping babies not to associate touch with pain. The inventor noticed how all monitors went off when her baby was touched, not when the needle was inserted (pain). With the Zaky, babies feel a soothing touch, that has a familiar scent (if possible), allowing the baby to know that there are different types of touch, and not all follow pain.

Have you noticed when toddlers feel scared or hurt,they run to their mothers/fathers? And, often her love and kiss will dissipate the pain and fear. Babies are no different. Your baby feels much better if he knows that you are there, or if he feels your presence. It is also important for his development and sense of security. When you are not there - leave a Zaky!

It is proven that babies sleep better with the Zaky. As an adult, you can’t sleep when you are stressed, worried, or feel unprotected - babies are no different - they rest better when they feel protected and comfortable,however, you cannot hold him or swaddle restraining his movement 24/7, so give your baby a pair of Zakys that feel and, if possible, smell like you, until is time to hold him again!

When you are busy or away, The Zaky simulates your presence and helps you bond with your
child.  Moreover, it has been successfully used as a bonding and a non-medicinal pain management aid since 2001 in Neonatal Intensive Care Units.  It is great for babies that share the care of the same nurse - each keeps a hand! We must assure our innocent and hurting babies that they are not alone.

Babies need help transitioning between environments – The Zaky provides a “security blanket” for babies when they are moved to different environments (from NICU 3, to NICU 2, to XRAY, to carseat, to home, to sitter....).  Again, it gives a sense of protection when everything else is changing:  the lighting, the noise, the scents, the temperature, etc. The Zaky is transportable and very versatile. It also helps the baby stay calm when it taken care by someone other than the parents. Mothers say they feel more comfortable at work if they leave the Zaky with the baby at the NICU.

Your baby needs his mother and father 24/7 -  Parents are not visitors. They are an important part of the care of the child, and the Zaky empowers parents to do something tangible. A baby learn his mother’s scent through the amniotic fluid when in the womb; he could hear your voice and your heartbeat. You provided warmth, breathing, nutrition,and protection. If each parent scents the Zaky by sleeping with it on the chest or placing it behind the neck for a couple of hours, the baby recognizes the scent of mom and starts learning the scent of dad facilitating early bonding and the comfort to fall asleep. If the baby is anxious, can’t sleep, or needs extra comfort, warm the Zakys by placing them in the towel warmer for a couple of minutes then place them on the baby. Some parents choose the Pink Zaky to be scented by mom, and the blue Zaky to be scented by dad.

Families need comfort when their baby dies: The Zaky is widely used in Palliative and End-of-Life Care. Sometimes the Zaky is the only item (other than monitor probes and diapers) that the baby touched and parents can keep. One mother used 2 Zakys with her baby that died, and she buried her daughter with one Zaky and kept the other. She said that it signified that a part of her left with her daughter, and she wanted to keep the scent of her daughter and the only item that connected them in the NICU.

Many hospitals don't allow the families to keep the Zakys at discharge (unless the family replaces them with new ones for the NICU), however, most of them make exceptions when the patient dies. The Zaky is a gift of love for those families that lost a baby.

All these without compromising safety - The Zaky was invented by a PhD in ergonomics and human factors engineering and the mother of a premature baby. It was researched by 3 years with the help of hundreds of healthcare professionals, families, etc. , and every element of the Zaky was very carefully chosen as they are used with babies that weigh as little as 450 grams. It is flexible and it is anti-allergenic, anti-pilling, anti-fungal, fully washable, it warms only to a safe temperature, and it is safe to use in incubators. The Zaky has a total of 3 reinforced seams, one for the outer layer, and two for the lining bag that holds the filling. 

Your baby is definitely in good hands with the Zaky!

New nurse positioning training tool: Numerous educational programs include the Zaky to teach new nurses on how to position the babies. It is easier to use the Zaky as it simulates their hands, so the concept of positioning is easier to grasp.

How does the Zaky compare with other products? Even though there is no product like The Zaky, some healthcare professionals and families have requested a comparison with the products below:

Bugdet Restraint Considerations: The Zaky was designed to be cost-effective given the limited budget of the NICUs

- One size fits all: from 450 gram babies to 3-4 years old, or even older (the size is of an adult woman's hand - perfect size!). Half of the Zakys in the market are sold for preemies/ill babies and special needs children of any age, and the other half for healthy children (baby shower gifts, child-care, homes, etc.) They all use the same size Zaky - no need for small/medium/large, or light/medium/heavy.

-All babies can benefit from it - no matter their size or medical condition. The sicker the baby, the more s/he needs the comfort of the Zaky.

- They may be recycled: The Zakys are very durable, and hospitals can follow the same safety guidelines as they do for other positioning items and clothing in the NICU. The Zaky can be washed up to 100 degrees, however, it is not necessary because it is antifungal and antimicrobial. After washing them, the Zakys can be re-assigned to babies in the NICU.

- The Zaky is durable: Hospitals that acquired the Zaky in 2004 still use them - they are very durable, transportable,

- They are available for individual purchase/retail: Some hospitals keep the Zakys in the NICU but parents want to keep the ones that their baby used to take home (and for safety in the car seat). Parents may purchase their own Zakys online or by visiting our Store Locator. Contact us for NICU family discounts

For quantity discounts (minimum of a case of 6 Zakys) go to our Quantity Discount Request Page.

And the Zaky is an extension of the parents - they need to be involved with the nurturing of the baby even when someone else is caring for him/her. The Zaky has been featured in Health and Medical Reports, magazines, and other important publications. Moreover, it has won over 10 awards for its unique design, purpose, and usefulness.

Your baby needs you - get your arms around him!!

“Being loved matters-- and, more, that it matters who loves us and whom we love in return. It’s not just a matter of the warm body holding the bottle.  It is not object love at all; we love specific people and we need them to love us back. And in the case of the child’s tie to the mother, it matters that the mother loves that baby and that the baby knows it” -- Deborah Blum on Attachment Theory