Halloween in the NICU

October 9, 2015

Halloween is right around the corner, and having a preemie or a baby in the NICU can be a different experience for Halloween then you ever imagined.

Our girls were born at the end of May, but we had no idea if either of our girls were going to be home by October, or if we would even take them out on Halloween. With preemies there are more things to consider than taking your little one out to get some candy and show off their cute costume.

We went out and bought the girls cute little outfits.  One of them was a monkey, and the other one was a frog. We bought this honestly just to put them on and take some pictures of the girls.  We had no intention of going out trick-or-treating at all.

Kendall wound up getting transferred to a different hospital in the beginning of October, pretty much on her last whim. The doctors where she originally was placed were at a loss and told us this was our best option. So we transferred our daughter hoping things would turn around. We got Brooke all dressed on Halloween night and went out with a friend of ours who had a baby a few months older than the girls. We walked about one road and then took her to each of our parents’ houses so they could see her in her first Halloween costume.

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We then took Kendall’s costume up to her hospital room and asked if we could put her in it to get some pictures. When we arrived we put her costume on and saw that the nurses had brought her some little things for Halloween. It made our day. I was so appreciative for the hospital in which Kendall stayed. They made the holidays as special as possible while still being in the NICU.

The only thing I wish we could have done was get a picture of the girls together on their very first Halloween, but being flu/RSV season, no siblings were allowed in the NICU at the time.

Tips for Halloween in the NICU:

  • Don’t make it any more of a big deal.
  • Get them dressed up in costumes or fun Halloween apparel.
  • Take plenty of pictures!
  • Pretend you are just taking them out as you would if they were at home.
  • Show them pictures of friends and family dressed up.

The biggest thing I can say is to just make the experience like anything else. Don’t treat it any differently than you would if your child was at home. Make the most of every situation and time that you are given when your child is in the NICU.

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