A volunteer cuddles a baby at the Silver State Pediatric facility in the Medical District off West Charleston Boulevard on Friday, January 12, 2023. The baby snuggling team is looking for more people.
Sunday, Jan. 14, 2024 | 2 a.m.
Tawnya Farre’s face immediately brightens when she walks into Silver State Pediatric.
It’s a rare day off for the 55-year-old educator who decided to once again spend two hours of it cuddling babies at Silver State Pediatric, a skilled nursing facility for children with complex medical conditions, in the Medical District on Charleston Boulevard.
She’s a volunteer baby snuggler.
As a school psychologist by trade, Farre knows how much a lack of physical contact during youth can affect a child later in life. Cuddling babies can bring several health benefits to them, including positive emotional development and weight gain, said Dr. Ruchi Garg, medical director at Silver State Pediatric.
“The fact that I can go and make sure that these kiddos are getting what they need as far as that goes makes me feel good,” Farre said, adding that in the long term, her snuggles will definitely be a benefit to the children.
Silver State Pediatric, which opened in 2021, is looking for more people like Farre to join its “Cuddlers Club.”
Many of the babies being cared for at the facility are premature, meaning they were born before the 9-month mark of a pregnancy and are often away from their parents to receive care.
Jennifer Carmona, administrator at Silver State Pediatric, said this program began recently because the facility’s staff was having trouble providing that physical contact and care for their children.
Although the facility is filled with strollers and swings, Carmona said many of her staff even treat other children while holding onto these babies just to have that contact.
“To have the volunteers there, it just provides the extra hands to help us have those babies meet those (developmental) milestones that are required just to make sure they’re not left behind,” Carmona said. “Just because they’re (in an) institution, doesn’t mean they can’t get the love and attention like they would at home.”
Volunteers can come in and snuggle with premature babies for however long they want, but they can also sew sock monkeys, lead specialty classes and read books to older children.
A typical outing for Farre begins with her signing in, grabbing her badge and letting the staff know that she’s there to “hold some babies.” Then, she gets set up with whichever child the nurses believe needs cuddling the most that day and puts in about two hours of snuggling before returning her badge for the day.
When you cuddle with a baby, that child is also more likely to develop less attachment and psychological issues later in life — something that Garg said can be important for the baby’s later relationships as well as behavior.
“All babies do so much better developmentally with human touch,” Garg said. “Kids who are not as well-adjusted often have histories of not being held or come from homes or backgrounds where they didn’t get all the attention a baby needed, and it’s just a setup for bad outcomes, I think.”
With so many new children — especially premature ones — coming into care under Silver State Pediatric, Carmona said the need for volunteers has increased.
Nevada has seen an increase of premature births in recent years, according to data from the March of Dimes’ 2023 Report Card. Almost 11% of births in Nevada were premature in 2022, a jump from about 10% in 2018. The current national average is 10.4%. Black birthing people were 1.5 times more likely to have premature babies amongst all other babies, the data showed.
Carrying multiple babies, previous preterm births, diabetes, hypertension, smoking history and unhealthy weight are some of the many factors that could increase the likelihood of a pregnant person having a preterm birth.
Throughout her time as a baby snuggler, Farre has seen children go from not being able to crawl and hooked up to multiple medical machines to gleefully running around with other kids, she said.
“Sometimes there’s small progress, but it’s just amazing,” Farre said. “It’s just so important that these kiddos have that bonding and that being able to feel another human and just making those connections.”
Those interested in volunteering must fill out an online contact form and application, as well as get fingerprinted, undergo a background check and be upto date on their COVID-19 vaccines. They’ll also get training from a therapy department staff so volunteers feel safe around some of the medical devices that the child may have.
Snugglers are requried to wear a facemask while volunteering, for the children’s protection, Carmona said.
Anyone with a clear background can apply. People over the age of 18 years old are preferred, but minors can apply if they volunteer with a parent.
“It’s such a great experience and something so easy to do that has a really long-lasting impact for these kids,” Farre said. “Definitely give it a try, because once you go you’re hooked.”
Details can be found at: www.silverstatepediatricsnf.com/volunteer/
