Must Have Items for Your ICU Baby
Maybe a NICU stay was a surprise, or maybe you had time to process that you would be in the NICU, but either way, you might be asking yourself, “What do I need for my baby in the NICU?”. It’s a great question because it seems like it might be pretty pointless to bring much for them.
That’s what I thought when our son was diagnosed with HLHS. I knew we would be in the CVICU for an extended period of time, and even though he was born full term unlike a NICU baby he would be hooked up to so many things that I wasn’t sure if I should even bother packing him his own stuff. It was a lot of learning as we went!
I am presenting this list to you as a heart mom. Heart babies are absolutely amazing, strong individuals, and they stay in the CVICU instead of the NICU. Even though I have not experienced a NICU, I would imagine some things here can overlap, but I’m also sure there are other things specifically for NICU babies that might work better than others. Either way, let’s dive in!
Related Posts:
What to Bring to the NICU – The Ultimate Packing List for Moms
A Guide for Pumping in the NICU or CVICU
Muslin Swaddles
Heart babies get very hot, very easily. The amount of work their broken hearts have to do is very taxing, and our son was always so sweaty! The back of his little head would be wet from sweat when I would pick him up. The fact that the hospital would swaddle him in their blankets and line his bed with those blankets didn’t help. They’ll use the typical flannel blankets, which can be very warm for a heart baby. I finally got smart and brought some thin muslin swaddles to the hospital for him and he did much better!
Side Snap Onesies
These were a game changer! Dressing babies that are hooked up to a bunch of lines can be tricky. The wonderful thing about the side snap onesies is that they don’t have to go over your baby’s head so they are much easier to wear and get on. I was surprised by how many of our nurses said they had never seen these before. Granted, I had never put our first child in any side snap onesies, but I had at least seen them. I definitely didn’t realize though how much easier these would be for a baby to wear that is hooked up to a bunch of lines. When your baby gets the go-ahead to wear clothes you will love these, and there is nothing like getting to dress your baby for the first time!
Knotted Gowns
Knotted gowns are a little trickier than the side snap onesies because they will be a lot easier to use once your baby isn’t hooked up to as much, but depending on your nurse these can be convenient as well. We had a super sweet nurse who even had these on our son before it was actually convenient by leaving one arm out of the gown as you can see in the picture below. Once he had a lot of lines off of him though, they were easy to put on and any cords could easily hang out of the bottom of the gown. All the nurses raved over these as well. My favorite knotted gowns are from Lou Lou and Company – so soft!
Socks
Even though I said heart babies get hot easily, their extremities can get cold since their hearts don’t pump efficiently. The socks the nurses put on him were so big and not the tight cotton like you would buy yourself, so they were constantly falling off. Even with the pulse ox on his foot, his own socks stayed on him way better than the hospital socks.
Mittens
I didn’t keep mittens on my son often, but they are useful when your baby is hooked up to a lot of stuff. There can be a lot of lines and the babies can grab onto them. Our son had an NG tube and with how often babies have their hands up by their faces he pulled it out a few times. It wouldn’t hurt to have a few pairs on hand – no pun intended.
Books
Reading books is a great way for you to talk to your baby and let them hear your voice. Even if your baby is intubated or heavily sedated like our son often was, we believed he could hear us and I wanted him to know we were there even when we couldn’t hold him. This is obviously a great way to stimulate them as well if they aren’t sedated or intubated and are more alert.
Toys with Texture
A lot of times babies in the NICU and CVICU will be behind developmentally. Physical therapy suggested toys with texture or toys that were easy to hold so he could develop the muscles in his hands and get that stimulation. We used plastic rings that had texture on them as a start, but teethers are actually a great option for this. High color contrast (like black and white) toys or books will also help them develop their vision.
If you’ve ever had a baby in the NICU or CVICU and have more suggestions I would love to hear them! Each baby’s journey will be unique and have its own set of restrictions, so I’d love to hear what different things you were able to do with your baby while they were in the hospital!