Gifts for a Preemie

HI S.,
Preemie clothes are really nice to have. I have just had a preemie and they are really hard to find. It isn't real fun to have a baby girl that only has two outfits!!
C.

Hi there. I am presuming the parents will be in and out of the hospital daily and their normal routine is out the window. Gift cards to nearby resturants would be a great help to the new parents. One can pick up and take it to the other so atleast they can still eat a meal together.
I would think gist cards etc. to her favorite stores - wal-mart, Target, babiesRus etc... for later of course but still helpful. A few premie outfits, and the basics - blankets, burps clothes, socks, and caps etc...
Probably the most helpful would be prayers for quick release.

S.,
I had my son at 34 weeks and was very blessed that he waited until then to come. We almost had him at 28 weeks. I can relate to what your sister is going through right now. My advice to out of state relatives would be gift cards, gas cards, restaraunt cards. I would agree with one of the other posts. We don't know how long the baby will be in the NICU and right now they are providing diapers and necessities. What helped us with our back and forth to the hospital was meals, rides to visit (i couldn't drive for the first 2 weeks from the c-section), and lots of prayer. With the price of gas I would encourage gas cards to help relieve some of the financial stress of the many trips to the hospital. As far as supplies for home I would really play it by ear until the baby is closer to going home. I imagine it's going to be awhile and they do alot of growing and changing! Congratulations on the new baby! You'll all be in my prayers.

Give her some preemie clothes. The clothes you have given her will not fit for a very long time. She will want soemthing that comes close to fitting when the baby comes home. Also, she will be spending quite a lot of time coming and going to the hospital, so gift cards for food can really be handy. Most of all, let her talk about what's happening without adding advice about your kids. It is not the same!

Diapers are much smaller for premies, my friends daughter was so small we ended up buying every cabage patch doll diaper we could get our hands on (yes this was 23 years ago).

Hi S.!

Both of my sons were preemie's but my oldest was born at 26 weeks. My favorite gifts were monogrammed burp cloths, blankets. and gift cards. It's nice to have a few preemie outfits but the baby will more than likely out grow them by the time they are discharged from the hospital. I would definitley avoid buying diapers...the hospital NICU provides diapers and by the time the baby is ready to go home there is no telling what size he'll be in. With the gift cards your sister can get whatever she needs bottles, bigger clothes, etc.

Your sister is on an emotional roller coaster right now with all the tests, watching the baby grow, and then watching the baby learn how to eat (which doesn't begin until 35 ir 36 weeks). Once the baby is out of the hospital and home your sister will finally be able to evaluate what she needs for her new bundle of joy then go shopping. For right now the hospital supplies everything except clothes.

I wish your sister the best of luck.
Leslie

Both my kids were preemies. Preemie clothes are good because Newborn clothes DON'T fit for a LOOONG time. If she is nursing anything that will help her with pumping and storing her milk would be good. While he's in the hospital things to help HER would be better. Gift cards for food and gas would help a ton. I had a friend who gave me a $40 gift card to Wendy's and it was great. We also had people from 2 churches bringing us lunch and dinner. She probably doesn't want to think about anything but her baby right now.

I would search online for a preemie store. I found one when I needed a small size pacifier for my youngest (he had a small mouth). There were all kinds of helpful items for the preemie baby that you cannot find locally. I pray all is well with the baby.

I had a preemie and just a thoughtful card helped a lot. They do make preemie clothes and that will help. The baby probably won't be able to wear 0-3 for a while. A great help is also gift cards to Wal-Mart or Target to help out with diapers or formula or anything the mom may need. Make sure you talk to the mom often and see if she needs to talk.

My prayers are with your family!
A.

My son is a preemie. he's home now and the only thing I can think of that he needed differently was some of those swaddlers you can buy. At that age they love to swaddle and with the baby in the NICU he/she will be swaddled all the time. I continued this with my son for several weeks as it was comfort for him. I loved those swaddlers you can buy. He lived in them.

FYI, when we first came home with my son hated his bouncer & swing. Anything with movement he didn't like. I slowly introduced them to him. By putting him each of them daily for only about 5 minute or so. After a several weeks of doing that he now loves them. He spends a lot of day in the swing!

I hope everything goes smoothly for your Sister and new baby. Having a baby in the NICU isn't easy emotionally and physically. But God give us strength to work through it.

I buy all of my baby gifts at Cat in the Fiddle located in the Lakeside Shopping Center in Plano at Spring Creek and Preston.

They have a lot of unique items. I love the Swankie Blankies which are SO SO soft. I get the small security blanket and everyone I have given one to just loves them. They have other types of very soft blankets and cloths.

tf

Of course it'll depend how long he stays in the hospital. One of the best discoveries for our early one was the Gerber Premie bottles. It's a set of three bottles. They have smaller nipples for the smaller mouths.