Gift suggestions for a premie baby?

[AngeloMysterioso]

A friend of mine is having a baby that will be very premature and spending several weeks in NICU. I’m going to make them a pair of bonding squares and a matching premie hat, can anyone think of anything else I could give/make? Probably not a blanket as I’m still pretty slow and have yet to finish the one I’m making for my own baby, plus I don’t know if they use them in NICU cribs/incubators...

What about an octopus?

octopusforapreemie.com

You can find the pattern on their Facebook page.

I put together a box of things for friends when they had their very premature one.

It had-
2 identical newborn teddies for bonding,
Nice tiny handgels,
Grabable snacks,
Box of biscuits
Fancy hand cream
Nice notebook and pen

A Ewan dream sheep
I was bought one for my preemie
I popped it on top of the incubator
I'm convinced The womb sounds really helped
Now my baby is 13 months and still sleeps with Ewan
www.boots.com/sweetdreamers-ewan-the-dream-sheep-grey-10205089

A really good quality hand cream. Nicu requires constant hand washing and using hand sanitiser which is very hard on the skin.

Vouchers for a hair salon close to the hospital, with mine I looked and felt a mess and it dragged me down but I felt selfish spending the time and money.

A laundry bag (like a kid's drawstring PE bag) that can hook on the side of the incubator because if the nurses change the baby in the night or early morning, clothes get lost or stuffed into odd places if there's nowhere to put them.

Also think about bringing them a healthy meal that can be eaten cold or warmed quickly in a microwave.... I lived off hospital rubbish for two months and that doesn't make you feel good either!

It is a bit silly only having the octopus pattern on facebook, many older people who would knit these and donate may not be on social media!
I would make some but will not sign up to Facebook.

@redredrobins - pattern here for non facebook access spruttegruppen.dk/wp-content/uploads/opskrift/Crocheted-Octo-UK-version.pdf

I've had a couple of friends have preemies, and most baby stuff is provided by the hospital, clothes and such are problematic due to medical access.

The parents themselves have spent weeks/months in and out of hospital so I would focus on gifts to make their time easier.

Vouchers for in hospital coffee shop
Pay for a cleaner for their house to save them having to do that
Meals for the freezer
If they have other children, take them out for the day

Baby related

• photo frame/album
• journal/scrapbook
• nice memory box to collect first shoes etc in

If the Nicu baby will be in has a Costa then a gift card would be nice. Some snacks too as she will not want to leave to get something to eat. Our Nicu didn't allow the octopus but did allow homemade blankets. Please also get a congratulations card. We only got 3 when our little girl was born compared to the dozens for our first. Maybe offer some babysitting for any older siblings?

Someone on Facebook suggested an octopus, and then somebody else put this comment below-

Please don’t make an octopus if you haven’t done one before. Many hospitals will now only accept octos from Octopus for a Preemie, these are made with approved yarn and stuffing, checked for safety by a coordinator and then they delivered to the hospital and are given, free of charge, to babies in SCBU/NICU. You can find out more information on their Facebook page. If the hospital does not have a supply of them you can request a private donation from the charity.

I bought some special preemie baby grows with Velcro seams for all the wires/monitoring leads. I think they were from mothercare online

We spent several weeks in NICU earlier this year with our premature baby.

I loved the knitted bonding squares (our hospital gave us these) they made me feel closer to the baby and I hoped the baby would feel more comforted with my scent nearby. A matching hat is also a lovely idea; however, depending on how early they are, they may not be allowed to wear any clothes at all at first (if in critical care).

Other things that would have been appreciated are:

A personalised memory box (NICU allow you take everything home as keepsakes but only provided a small box).

A thoughtful card congratulating them on the birth of their child (we didn't get very many of these at first and it felt sad).

A chargeable mini fan. NICU is hot, hot, hot!

Nice water bottle for mum (she needs to remember to drink lots of water in the heat of NICU).

If there is a Costa at the hospital, a gift card would be lovely. Or some delicious snacks.

Voucher for take away.

Magazines/puzzle books - being on NICU is rather boring!! The days feel very long!

Hand cream

But most of all - lots of supportive messages, visits (if accepted) and practical help e.g. dropping other kids to school/ cleaning/ironing etc.

Oh yes, and children's books for them to read to baby - it gives you something to do when sitting there for hours. Most NICUs encourage parents to read to their baby - it helps with bonding and language development.

Second hand cream, coffee shop vouchers. But also, time!! When mine was in neonatal, so many friends said oh, when he's at home we'll pop and see you. Even though you can't see the baby, the mum would still like to see you - a taste of normality and an opportunity to talk about all the new mum stuff that gets forgotten because all the focus is on the baby. Maybe offer to meet her at the hospital coffee shop if you're able.

Perhaps also handprint or footprint kit, dependent on the health of the baby and whether the hospital will allow. Their feet are so incredibly tiny when prem, its amazing to capture it.

Yes please get a congratulations/welcome to the world card. We had people apologising for the cards they’d sent before they knew he was sick or not sending cards.

The coffee vouchers, hand cream and water bottle suggestions are all excellent as are the food suggestions. Maybe some graze boxes? The laundry bag is also a great shout for later in the stay when they are dressed in their own clothes.

Initially they are often undressed as they’re kept warm in the incubator and everyone can see everything to check then they start getting dressed when they’re a bit stronger. Maybe scratch mitts? Might have a line in one hand but they can do a bit of damage with the other one? Or if they gave a line in their leg then one leg can be left outside the babygro and that foot can get cold. Maybe get normal newborn size socks so they can fit over lines if needed. The NICU generally have tiny baby stuff to borrow to get you started.

There isn’t that much to do on NICU, especially if they’re on minimal handling so books are actually quite nice. Get ones with a bit of a story for adults to enjoy, not ABC, 123, Cat, Dog, Plane type stuff as you’re partly (mostly) reading to yourself or each other. Winnie the Pooh, Paddington, Fairy Tales, The Velveteen Rabbit, that kind of thing.

My baby was prem and I wish I had of had some more books. I couldn't hold him a lot so I told him stories, but in my exhausted state, I struggled to think of things. Stories would have been a great way to make it easier to talk to him.
We've got a Ewan the dream sheep. He still sleeps with it now at nearly 3. We also had these little things the SCBU gave us which I'm assuming is like the bonding squares? So I kept one, he had one, we slept with them then swapped them over every other day?
Definitely hand cream, and lots of it.

A footprint kit is a great idea. And definitely send a card, it is so hurtful when people don't congratulate you on the birth of your baby.
Apart from that, practical help is what preemie parents need most - especially warm meals. My mum cooked my lunch every day and I took it to the NICU in a Tupperware container - fantastic! I'd have survived on junk food every day otherwise.

We don’t live near them and I’ll be 35-40 weeks myself by the time their baby comes (depending on when it comes) so there’s not a great deal we can do practically speaking. Some fantastic suggestions here though, thank you!