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Holiday Giving: For Families in the NICU

Our holiday gift guides are created to suggest the most helpful things to give this holiday season. This gift guide considers the best gifts for families who will be spending the Holidays in the NICU. Each of these items has been suggested by a NICU nurse or by a NICU mom. Each is designed to offer concrete and meaningful support for families under stress. 

For families with a baby in the NICU, the holidays offer numerous challenges especially during COVID. While their eyes (and their energies) remain trained on a NICU incubator, the world continues to spin. If a family in question has older child/ren, the balancing act between a baby and older sibling(s) must be artfully negotiated. For these reasons, the gift of acknowledging an impossible/difficult situation is, in and of itself, an act of love. Still, practical items help a great deal too.

What To Express When Giving This Gift: I know that you all are totally taken up with the the baby/babies right now. I just wanted to say that no one has forgotten about you – we really want to help. I think about all the things I do every day and I know you have a hard time leaving the hospital. I would love to help you coordinate stuff for as long as you need – this gift is only a gesture of things to come. And a way to say that you are truly an incredible person and parent.  Can we talk? What works best for you?

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Merry Maids Cleaning Service Gift Card

Everyone loves a clean house. That’s about all there is to say about that. To learn whether Merry Maids operates where your recipient lives, click here.

Why We Love This Gift: This gift is a terrific one for anyone anywhere. Absolute convenience and versatility. (And such a gift). There are so many ways in which this gift works for everyone. If there are people living in your home as you live in the NICU, keeping stuff clean can be a sanity-saver.

What To Express in Your Card: I am thinking of you. How can I be most helpful?

 

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Lyft Gift Card

Give anyone you love a ride anywhere. To learn whether Lyft operates where your recipient resides, click here.

Why We Love This Gift: We love this gift because it affords people the opportunity to get around. Safely. We love that. For people who are tired. Those who need a ride. This gift empowers people.

What To Express In Your Card: I know that transport can be complicated. I wanted to make sure that you could get around easily with minimal exposure to germs. I wish I were there to do this myself – but in case you need this as a convenience on your terms. Sending love.

 

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Petco eGift Card

Petco is a leading pet specialty retailer carrying more than 10,000 different pet-related products. With more than 1,100 stores in all 50 states, Petco provides the products, services (grooming, boarding), and advice that make it easier for our customers to be great pet parents. For a Petco locator, click here. Gift cards are redeemable at any Petco. No returns or refunds on gift cards.

Why We Love This Gift: Pets can be so expensive. But so too are they adored. Help a loved one in a pinch by providing necessary food or other pet-related items. This includes grooming and boarding services in many areas – a major help to those in need.

What To Express In Your Card: I know how you have relied on [name of pet] over the course of the last few years. You may need some help for a spell, though. Thinking of you.

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The Preemie Parents' Companion: The Essential Guide to Caring for Your Premature Baby in the Hospital, at Home, and Through the First Years

In The Preemie Parents’ Companion, author Susan L. Madden takes the cherished role of an informed friend and guides you from your earliest meeting with your child in the NICU through the transition of your child’s first year at home. In this parent-to-parent book, the tone is reassuring, the text flows easily and unavoidable jargon is minimized and explained. While the enormity of the daunting task of giving birth to a premature child and the traumatic atmosphere of the NICU is acknowledged, the focus on issues central to parenting a preemie makes this book an very important supplement to more traditional baby care books. Parents new to the NICU and those preparing to come home will benefit tremendously from The Preemie Parents’ Companion. Also recommended highly as an introduction to prematurity for relatives and close friends. Important Note: This is an excellent guide for parents of preemies who are generally healthy, relatively far along in gestation and larger in size.

Why We Love This Book: We love this book because it explains – in a reassuring and been-there tone – what to expect in raising a premature NICU baby. Discharge can seem daunting, but this book breaks it down. The ultimate cheat-sheet to parenting a preemie so that the joys are less obscured by the fallout from understandable NICU stress.

What To Express In Your Card:I know you have been really busy. I hoped that this book might provide some information you may now need to know. I know you got this – so so got this. I just thought if you needed a quick reference maybe this would come in handy. You are truly a rock star mom. When can I come visit?


Give InKind does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. We have an affiliate relationship with many of the advertisers on our site, and may receive a commission from any products purchased from links in this article. See Terms & Conditions.

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