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December 2015 Moms
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Gift for visitors/nurses

kcas123kcas123 member
in December 2015 Moms
Hello Ladies!

I've been super, super bored lately. Although I know it's what's best, me and bed rest don't click too well! So today I had my SO go out and get 50 bottles of hand sanitizer from Bath and Body Works. (Great sale plus coupons, win!) I am going to make stickers that say "Thank you for visiting our little cutie, but first please clean your hands of any cooties!" For when people come visit at the hospital and the weeks to come after the baby is born. I was also thinking I would give them to the nurses too. Are you doing any cute visitors gifts/nurses gifts?!
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Re: Gift for visitors/nurses

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  • mbecca11mbecca11 member
    I think that's a cute idea! I plan on making thank you gifts for my L&D nurses. I've been getting ideas off Pinterest. It won't be anything too extravagant... I'm thinking I'm going to do little gift bags with a pack of gum, chapstick, and maybe a $5 or $10 Starbucks gift card, and then write a cute little note on the outside signed from LO & I :)
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  • Mizuiro007Mizuiro007 member
    While I agree with @BostonBaby1 on it maybe not being necessary in the hospital, I could see it for visitors once you're home and the stations aren't available. Have you considered lotion for the nurses instead? A lot of professions where frequent hand washing is required dry hands are common.

    I've seen ideas for putting together a gift with a travel mug. Tuck little things inside like tea bags or packets of hot chocolate or cider with chap stick and some little chocolates.
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  • sardavbaksardavbak member
    I was thinking of sending an Edible Arrangement to the hospital for the nurses station... Though I'm a bit worried about whether that is okay? Anyone know of rules regarding sending food as a thank you?
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  • amye02amye02 member
    @sardavbak the only issue with an Edible Arrangement is that the food is not wrapped. Two nurse friends said they have seen them go to waste. I'm ordering a gift box assortment of either Cheryl's cookies or Fairytale Brownies (individually wrapped).
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  • sardavbaksardavbak member
    Thank you @amye02 - that's what I was a little hesitant about was the "is this sanitary" issue! I'll look into individually wrapped things instead
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  • Jess0813Jess0813 member
    Ive have always done boxes of candy for the nurses but i think this time around im gonna make a basket for the nurses station. Im planning on putting candy, cookies, coffee, hand sanitizer, lotion and whatever else i see while browsing the aisles. Lol
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  • ammnam14ammnam14 member
    I have no input..just wanted to say Cheryl's Cookies are the BEST!!! Mmm.
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  • littlebitmomlittlebitmom member
    When thinking about gifts for the nurses, about how many would you plan for? I know every hospital is different but a rough guess? The hospital I will deliver at has 15 Labor and Delivery rooms and then the same number of postpartum rooms. Thank you!
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  • Bombmom3Bombmom3 member
    This is a cute idea for the nurses and I think if you spin it as light hearted when you give it to visitors/family it could work. I have to say, though, I would be prepared for folks to maybe mutter under their breath or to other friends/family that they thought is was weird to be handed a personal bottle of sanitizer when meeting your LO (especially if the visitor in question hasn't had a baby before or it's been over ten years since they've had one).

    I've always been cautious about gifting food in a medical setting. I know some folks don't care and are happy to scarf down open food items and I know others see things like Edible Arrangements as "colds in a basket" when it's sitting in a break room. When I worked in vet hospitals I loved seeing food baskets from clients ... until I observed coworkers demonstrate abysmal hand hygiene rifle through all the goodies (individually wrapped or not). Nothing makes you want a fudgy brownie less than when you see the gal who just helped you collect a fecal sample from an angry cat go pawing through the bakery box.

    Coffee, though (or a coffee gift card - small individual cards or a great big one the whole staff can use for a giant order or multiple runs) were ALWAYS appreciated and ALWAYS used. We are planning on doing this for the nurse staff when we check in.
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  • AlejandraN2AlejandraN2 member
    I've never thought about gifts for visitors. Plus if you're worried about hand sanitizing at the hospital itself most have them there and you can always say please wash your hands before entering the room.

    For nurses, last time I got mini cupcakes from a local store and gave one pack each for each of the floors that my baby was at (Labor and delivery, recovery and NICU). I gave it at the front desk with a thank you note. 

    This time i'm baking mini pumpkin loafs that i'm freezing and then I'm making a little wrapped basket for the 2 floors (hoping we avoid the NICU this time). I'm putting 2-3 mini loafs in there, some individually wrapped chocolates, a bag of chocolate almonds and chocolate pretzels, caramels and a pack of Starbucks instant Via coffee pouches. 
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  • BostonBaby1BostonBaby1 member
    sarahgn said:

    Nurses love personal hand sanitizers. Especially the Bath & Body Works kind because it doesn't dry out the hands so bad (the pumps are terrible about this). A lot of them keep little containers in their pockets and sometimes they put it in a sleeve and attach to their badge. They sanitize a lot outside of work, as well. If you opt for lotion I suggest a couple of large containers that can be kept in the break room or the nurses station for use when documenting/eating. Since they wash their hands so much most of them don't bother with lotion while on the floor, plus it takes up more room in their already full pockets.
    my guess is everybody will love them.

    I find the CalStat brand to be the best... It's what they use in my hospital and it is so different from Purell or the foams. MOF, I like it so much, I keep a few bottles around the house. It can be purchased off of amazon if anyone is interested in having a great sanitizer by the door for visitors at home.

    Different hospitals have varying policies on food. If outside food is allowed, I find pizza in the middle of the night or a busy shift to be a huge win.

    I love the idea of gifts for the nurses. When in doubt, a beautiful thank you card is always a nice token.
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  • TomekiaBTomekiaB member
    In the hospitals I worked in we actually were not technically supposed to use personal lotion at work because of the interaction with sanitizer and scents (it was rarely enforced but it was policy). Nurses will likely appreciate retail sanitizer for personal use but probably aren't supposed to use it at work. Many healthcare workers won't eat homemade foods from patients, unless they personally know you. Thank you cards are underrated.
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  • Magnolia+MamaMagnolia+Mama member
    We brought a box of Dunkin Donuts Munchkins for the nurses break room with DD. not sure how well it went over, but we wanted to do something to show our appreciation to the staff. We had an outstanding night nurse and I filled out a comment card before leaving the hospital because I wanted to make sure she got recognized.
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  • HFjeldHFjeld member
    I think you are going above and beyond, but if you are stuck on bed rest and looking for projects, go for it and have fun! It's cute and I bet the nurses would like taking them home even if they couldn't use them on their shifts. (I am no good at sitting still and I bet I would do all kinds of crafty things like this if I were on bed rest! The baby would probably wind up with hand-knit EVERYTHING just because I couldn't keep still!)

    We gave the doctors who helped us some homemade preserves at our two-week appointment. We are from a small town in a rural area and we wound up knowing the doctors very well by the end of things so it felt a little more natural to do this. It is also a pretty common gift for teachers, etc, in this area. We have some delicious homemade relish in our pantry right now from teacher appreciation week, as a matter of fact!

    I love the idea of ordering pizza (or maybe a pizza gift card?) that a previous poster had. I bet nurses would love to have that on hand for the next time they had a particularly tough or busy shift!
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  • MillyDallyMillyDally member
    I think it's a very cute idea, however I would just put something like, "Welcome Baby So-and-so!" with a cute design or something. I think people will understand the concept, and you won't be directly telling people they have cooties, or saying ' thanks for visiting but...'
    BabyFruit Ticker
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  • BellaM110BellaM110 member
    edited November 2015
    As a nurse myself, I always tell people gifts are not necessary, as we are just doing our jobs.
    However, food is always a nice thing to receive expecially during a busy shift. Things that quick and easy to eat are great ... Pizza, donuts, bagels, snacks, chocolate, coffee, food platters, etc are all great options. Also, If you do chose to purchase gifts/food for the nurses make sure you get things for both day and night shift. Many times the night shift is forgotten about and they work just as hard as day shift.

    ETA- also you can't go wrong with a lovely hand written thank you. It's always nice to read those and know how much you impacted someone's hospital stay.
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  • kristen2bkristen2b member
    While I completely understand the whole "Not forgetting the nightshift" thing it also doesn't always make sense. I'm going in in the morning for a csection and will be bringing donuts with me for the nurses on duty for my surgery and recovery afterwards. I'll be there for three days and I'm assuming I'll have a different set of nurses (give or take a few) each day and each night. I'm not sure it's reasonable to expect anyone to make sure no nurse is left out. I would assume that every nurse at some point has their turn being thanked in some way by a patient.
    I will of course keep my eye open for any "favorite" nurses who go above and beyond during my stay, but past the orginal ones that are there when I arrive we probably won't do anything. Maybe that's an UO.
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  • BellaM110BellaM110 member
    edited November 2015
    kristen2b said:

    While I completely understand the whole "Not forgetting the nightshift" thing it also doesn't always make sense. I'm going in in the morning for a csection and will be bringing donuts with me for the nurses on duty for my surgery and recovery afterwards. I'll be there for three days and I'm assuming I'll have a different set of nurses (give or take a few) each day and each night. I'm not sure it's reasonable to expect anyone to make sure no nurse is left out. I would assume that every nurse at some point has their turn being thanked in some way by a patient.
    I will of course keep my eye open for any "favorite" nurses who go above and beyond during my stay, but past the orginal ones that are there when I arrive we probably won't do anything. Maybe that's an UO.


    Opps sorry for the confusion and no I don't think it's UO. The fact that anyone is willing to gift anything is very generous. I prob should have clarified what I meant by each shift. Since it is obvious you will be in the hospital for a couple days after giving birth and you will have labor and delivery nurses as well as post partum nurses (and maybe even nursery/NICU nurses) care for you/baby it is not expected that food or gift be given every single day for both shifts. That would just be downright expensive and impossible to ensure every single nurse got something.


    *Edited for grammar
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  • kristen2bkristen2b member
    BellaM110 said:

    kristen2b said:

    While I completely understand the whole "Not forgetting the nightshift" thing it also doesn't always make sense. I'm going in in the morning for a csection and will be bringing donuts with me for the nurses on duty for my surgery and recovery afterwards. I'll be there for three days and I'm assuming I'll have a different set of nurses (give or take a few) each day and each night. I'm not sure it's reasonable to expect anyone to make sure no nurse is left out. I would assume that every nurse at some point has their turn being thanked in some way by a patient.
    I will of course keep my eye open for any "favorite" nurses who go above and beyond during my stay, but past the orginal ones that are there when I arrive we probably won't do anything. Maybe that's an UO.


    Opps sorry for the confusion and no I don't think it's UO. The fact that anyone is willing to gift anything is very generous. I prob should have clarified what I meant by each shift. Since it is obvious you will be in the hospital for a couple days after giving birth and you will have labor and delivery nurses as well as post partum nurses (and maybe even nursery/NICU nurses) care for you/baby it is not expected that food or gift be given every single day for both shifts. That would just be downright expensive and impossible to ensure every single nurse got something.


    *Edited for grammar
    You weren't the only one that mentioned not forgetting the night nurses. I just feel like eventually every nurse gets their chance to be spoiled or gifted.
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  • TomekiaBTomekiaB member
    Working in hospitals donuts seem to show up many mornings (so many people bring them pharm reps, doctors, patients etc) and often only half a box gets eaten and they start to look gross so someone tosses them. I do think that night shift may appreciate a box of fresh donuts a little more because pharm reps and doctors etc aren't typically bringing them in at night. To those asking how many donuts, I'd only bring a dozen per shift--only a handful of people are taking care of you, many nurses are somewhat health conscious and these types of foods show up frequently enough that many will skip it anyway.

    If you want to give your nurses something consider a $5 gift card for coffee or coffee for the nurses station coffee pot. Nurses are pretty much hostages for their shift so offering to buy and/or pick up some take out would be appreciated by many nurses (ask them around 10am and make sure to ask what time things will slow down enough for them to eat so they get to eat food while it is still hot (often about an hour or 2 after the patients eat).

    Also especially in December nurses might be having their own potlucks etc for the holidays so if you bring food, consider things that will be okay at room temp for a couple days.


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  • coolwhip1010789coolwhip1010789 member
    I work as a nurse in an icu and I can tell you food is ALWAYS welcome lol
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  • BspzBspz member
    Whatever you choose to do will be appreciated. A personal note is always appreciated as well. I also wrote a letter to the Chief Nursing Officer of the hospital acknowledging two of my nurses who went above & beyond. This way they get recognized from the higher ups as well.
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