Neonatal intensive care unit incubators reduce language and noise levels more than the womb.

Sound reductions observed across NICU incubator walls are more severe than those reported for sound transmission into the intrauterine environment, particularly for midrange frequencies that are important for language. Although incubator walls may serve as a protection against noxious noise levels, these findings reveal a potentially detrimental effect on language exposure for infants inside a NICU incubator.