Tenticular Gesticulation

Octopus Toys and Premature Babies

A growing number of hospitals in Europe are giving knitted toy octopodes to prematurely-born infants, as a comforting tool with which to cuddle. From the linked article: "The idea began at Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark, where medical staff reported that the toy octopi calmed babies, led to improved breathing and cardiac patterns and, as a result, increased levels of oxygen in their blood. They also reported that when the babies cuddled their octopus they were less likely to try to pull on the cables and tubes surrounding their incubators." How cool is that?

UPDATE (via reader Treebyleaf): Here is the Octopus For A Preemie website, which includes an actual crochet pattern if you want to make your own to donate to a hospital.