Tips for Buying & Making Preemie Clothes
How to Help Parents of Preemies
Anastasia's first year (2005)
Eating & Reflux (year 2, 2006)
Back to Sleep! (2007)
And Zane, Too (2008)
Allergies & Getting Big (2009)
Starting School (2010)
It's All Good (2011)
Search the Miracle Baby bebsite
Helping Parents of Preemies
When a friend or family member has a preemie, you may not know how to react. Here are a few tips:
- Send a card of congratulation, balloons, flowers...anything you would send if the baby was born full term
- Send emails, letters, or cards showing interest in the baby and support of his or her parents. Let the parents know you don’t expect them to reply if they’re not up to it. Even though you should ask about the baby, sometimes it’s helpful for parents to escape the stressful world of the NICU by talking about everyday things.
- Send gifts for the baby. See this page for tips on what’s practical clothing-wise, or send a small stuffed animal, quilt, or afghan.
- The new NICU mom probably doesn’t have any time or energy to take care of herself, so the following things will be helpful: small beauty items (like nail files and hand lotion), coffee (consider decaf if she’s using a breast pump or will be nursing), a travel mug, magazines (nothing preemie related!), a purely-for-entertainment book, a devotional, a CD of relaxing music, bubble bath, a small baby photo album, or a small Bible.
- Send the parents restaurant gift certificates. They won’t have any energy to cook. Or offer to cook some meals for your friends, clean their house, do their laundry, mow their lawn...whatever might need doing.