Gift ideas for a premie?

sarahrusty

A friend just had her baby at 30 weeks. The little guy is doing well but has a long road ahead of him. I was hoping you ladies had some suggestions for some must have items for the little man (or mom) while they're still in the hospital.

SingleMom31

I had a coworker that had twin boys delivered around then.  Things that were helpful for them were: gas gift cards (they boys were at a hospital 45 minutes away, so they were spending a lot driving back and forth), gift cards for restaurants near the hospital (they didn't want to go far, but sometimes it was nice for them to leave the hospital for real food), shelf stable snacks that they could keep at the hospital with them, and some of the baby essentials for when they left the hospital (since they had 2+ months to go, they hadn't bought a lot of the essentials -- our group at work chipped in for one for the car seats).  I didn't personally, but I know some people from their church helped with stuff at home (like mowing the grass) so that they didn't have to worry about it (they basically lived at the hospital for a while).  Some of the mom's friends (I work with the dad) did a baby shower closer to when the boys were ready to come home too with cute outfits and normal baby stuff. 

I hope that the little man continues to do well.

raraavis28

Gift cards are excellent! Also, a nice gift for the mom could be a gift basket of snacks, water bottles, chapstick and hand lotion (dry hospital air and all). My twins weren't in the hospital for long, but having easy food and hydration was essential when trying to establish my milk supply by pumping. Also, if they have a lot of down-time at the hospital, a book of crossword puzzles or sudoku could come in handy.

P.S. I haven't posted here in awhile, and used to be marchesa28, but changed my sn just in case anyone was wondering

kjsmith9

I work in a NICU and we tell parents to read to their babies - what about some nice board books to keep in the room?

mylittleladies1229

someone recommended hand lotion and I second that! You have to wash your hands and arms as soon as you step into the NICU, so a lotion that is odorless such as Cetaphil is nice.

LittleFish1

Aside from tiny hats, & everyone else said the ideas I was going to suggest. Third the lotion. We were only in the hospital for 3 days and my hands were sooo dry. And that was with non-NICU stay. They'll be constantly washing/hand sanitizing their hands.