A NICU stay is something that a parent never expects to happen to them until it does.
This is my list of things to bring to the NICU, looking back as a NICU mom and is over 5 years past the NICU stay. Even though the NICU stay may happen immediately, I made this list to help out with what friends or family can bring for those parents experiencing a NICU stay. My daughter stayed in the NICU for 15 days, but I was a patient myself for 6 of those days. The days in the NICU are long. Depending on the condition the baby, the stay may last up to several months.
We were lucky.
Most of the day, when nurses would allow us to hold her, my husband and I would take turns on who held her and fed her. She was so small that we needed a pillow underneath our arms to ensure we weren’t accidentally cut off her ability to breathe.
Between participating in care, pumping/nursing (if that’s what mom chooses to do), going to work/school, or going home to take care of yourself or other children, there is so much to do and so little time. It can be hard to know what things to bring to the NICU.
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Here’s a list of the top 10 things to bring to the NICU during your baby’s stay.
- Feeding
You want to make sure you bring things to the NICU that you need to feed with. While my oldest was in the NICU I exclusively pumped and supplemented with high-calorie formula and her feedings were fortified. To do this I needed to bring my pump with me, all the pump parts, containers to fill with the milk, and labels. The NICU provided me with the containers they wanted to be filled with the pumped milk and labels that I wrote the date, time and my name.
- Clothes from Home
At the hospital my daughter was at, hats were made for the babies. Even if the baby can’t keep a stable temperature (which is a requirement to wear clothes) they can wear hats. It was such a sweet gesture to me and I still have the hats saved. I wanted my daughter to have something that I bought for her. I brought 2 hats in and I put them on her. It made me feel better and develop some sort of connection to her. The nurses LOVED them as well. Clothing is one of the things to bring to the NICU that can help facilitate a bond with the baby.
- Laptop
One of the things to bring to the NICU that you wouldn’t normally thing of is a laptop. While I was waiting to be discharged in the Mother-Baby Unit, my favorite day nurse told me that I needed to bring in my laptop so I could watch movies and TV shows. She said that preemies seem to grow slow and I needed something to entertain me while I waited for her to grow. The hospital had free internet that I could use and I had an outlet close to my chair that I would plug it in.
- Phone
A phone is one of the things to bring to the NICU that is important. You will use it to take all the pictures of every milestone. You’ll want to remember the first bottle your preemie had without an ng tube or the day they got off oxygen. You also want to make sure you take your “dollar bill” picture. This is a picture of your baby next to an object that is the same size as them.
Our dollar bill picture was of a Minnie Mouse stuffed animal because that is how big she was at birth. A nurse told us taking a picture like this was a good way for us to measure how she grew. I still try and take the dollar bill picture at least once a year now that she is a little kid to show her growth.
- Books
Books for you and baby are one of the things to bring to the NICU. Books are a good way to pass the time when watching a screen is getting old. Reading children’s books to your baby is another way to bond. I didn’t do this but I have heard of others doing this with their children. Looking back, I really wish I brought some books to read to help bond.
- Diaper bag/backpack
You need a place to store everything you need. Both my husband and I carried a diaper bag . Mine was full of baby stuff and his bag was full of our stuff (electronics, books, snacks). It was so easy to have everything in one place and easy to carry. Any larger bag will work to bring all the things to bring to the NICU.
- Video Camera
My husband’s father’s day/birthday gift the year our oldest was born was a video camera. The camera didn’t show up until a week after she was born (wasn’t expecting her that early). But once we got it, we used it. It was great to record the area we spent our first 2 weeks as a family in and someday, she will watch it and see where she was. A phone also works great for this.
- Notebook
You will have questions and tons of them. A notebook as one of the things to bring to the NICU is a good place to record them and to write down what nurses and doctors tell you. Our daughter had rotating nurses and they would also do the bedside report at shift change to tell you and new nurses about the baby’s progress. She also had her pediatrician and then a neonatologist who came once a week to check on her. You want a place to record questions you have for when a doctor or nurse comes by.
- Baby Book
This is a great way to record all the progress. There are some preemie-specific baby books that I wish I had, but I got a typical baby book. At the link below is a preemie-specific baby book that could have been helpful to record everything. (This would make a great gift to a NICU parent!). I also didn’t get a book until several months after she was born. I wish I was more prepared and got it ahead of time so I could record those moments.
- Food
Hospital food is going to get really gross old. Try and bring some food as one of the things to bring to the NICU. Food such as healthy snacks like fruit, packing a sandwich for lunch, comfort food like cookies or chips–just anything. In some NICUs you will be able to eat by your baby’s incubator and in others you can’t. Be sure to ask your NICU what their rules are.
I hope this list gave you more insight on how what to bring with you when you visit your baby in the NICU. Having a baby in the NICU is rough but the items in this list should help it not be so hard.
FAQs:
What can I bring my baby in the NICU?
You may be able to bring in decorations to decorate your baby’ space. Be sure to check in with your NICU to see what their rules are. Each NICU is different.
Can I bring food into the NICU?
This is completely dependent on the rules your NICU has. For us, our NICU allowed parents to bring in food to eat.
What should I put into a care package for a NICU parent?
Any of the ideas above would be great to put into a care package. Some other suggestions would be food or gas gift cards, a hand written note, a blanket, a coloring book, colored pencils, and something individualized (such as a favorite candy bar).
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