Zaky's FAQs

Yes.  Mothers that are too ill or cannot visit their babies may “swap” Zakys with the baby:  She scents the Zakys for the baby on her chest and she uses a Zaky that has been used by her baby for a couple of hours.  This helps both mother and baby feel closer to each other and get calmer.

As a matter of fact, the preferred use of the nurses and mothers is on top of the baby providing containment and a sense of security to the baby without interfering with medical devices.  The babies feel the boundaries and remain calm even when they move.  This allows the development of the muscles and joints and they do not associate movement with anxiety, since they do not have to wait for someone to re-position him/her if they move.

The nurse or health professional must determine how much weight to place on top considering the size and medical condition of each baby.  The weight of the Zaky can be selected by shifting the filling to the hand, and the arm serves as an anchor that provides stability to the hand.

Yes.  The Zaky was designed to help the baby by providing something constant, familiar, and comfortable when he/she changes environments.  For instance, the lighting, scent, noise, temperature, etc are different every time the baby is moved from Level 3 to Level 2, to different medical procedures such as X-rays, surgeries, during transport, to the car, to the house, to the baby sitter, to grandmother’s house, etc. 


Most hospitals send the Zakys home with the baby also to provide support in the car seat.  Those hospitals that do not supply the Zakys, inform the mothers about how to buy them

Some hospitals allow the mother to buy new Zakys and bring them to the unit to replace the ones her baby has been using.