The premature infant's body is unable to maintain body heat. To prevent hypothermia, a potentially dangerous loss of body heat, the infant is kept warm on a heated bed, either inside a draft-free enclosure (isolette or incubator) or under a radiant heater.
As the infant's nervous system, skin, and metabolism mature, the infant becomes less vulnerable to hypothermia. At about 34 weeks' gestation, a premature infant usually can be moved into an open crib.
Credits
| By | Healthwise Staff |
| Primary Medical Reviewer | Sarah Marshall, MD - Family Medicine |
| Specialist Medical Reviewer | John Pope, MD - Pediatrics |
| Last Revised | April 14, 2011 |