Premature Infant's Inability to Maintain Body Heat

A premature infant's body is not able to maintain body heat. It's important to prevent hypothermia, which is a loss of body heat that can be dangerous. So the infant is kept warm on a heated bed. This may be 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 is less likely to get hypothermia. At about 34 weeks' gestation, or about 4 lb (2 kg), a premature infant usually can be moved into an open crib.