In this Journal Club, Daphna takes the reins with the MIND randomized controlled trial from Nathalie Maitre and colleagues in The Journal of Pediatrics. Can a multisensory bundle, combining infant-directed voice, a parent's scent, holding, and gentle containment, do more for a preterm baby's developing brain than recorded voice alone? Using event-related potentials to track how infants tell speech sounds apart, the team followed language outcomes all the way to age two. Daphna and Ben unpack the design, the Bayley and PLS-5 findings, and a takeaway every clinician can act on tomorrow. Talk to the baby, every single time.

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The MIND Randomized Controlled Trial: An Intervention to Improve Neural Speech Processing and 2-Year Language Outcomes of Infants Born Preterm. Maitre NL, Kjeldsen CP, Jeanvoine A, Lukemire J, Slaughter JL, Key AP.J Pediatr. 2026 Jun 5:115187. doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2026.115187. Online ahead of print.PMID: 42250747

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