Gift for Preemie?

Slings! It has been shown that premies develop faster & better when in physical contact with the mom & dad...and a sling would help this happen :) Glad baby and mom are doing well

Hi P.,

My niece was a premie weighing only 2lb 10 oz and I found a store in Fountain Valley that specializes in little ones. It's called Premie Store & more. My sister-in-law said to me later that it was a huge deal to her to go in every morning and change her clothes, kind of a way of bonding. Although their were several health issues, the clothes gave her something to talk to her about; i.e. the flowers or shapes, the colors, how soft. Hope this helps.

I have had three preemies. The best gifts were preemie clothes and diapers. Plus a meal. Hope all goes well.

K.

Hi. I had a preemie 14 years ago, and he also weighed 3 lbs., 10 1/2 ounces. The gift that I found most useful was preemie diapers and preemie clothes. Best of luck to you and your friend.

God bless,

A.

Hi, I didn't have a preemie but I use a wrap/carrier for my 4 mo old that works for preemies through toddlers and would be great for a preemie because they need to be held so much and this wrap can be used for skin to skin carrying too. It's called a moby wrap, find it on www.mobywrap.com. I use mine every day, at home and out.
hope this helps,

I had twins that were born at 30 weeks and were both 3bls each. What I found useful was the Snuzzler Head & Body Support for the car seat. It will keep the baby in place and warm especially if the baby is still small by the time he leaves the hospital. I know that my twins had to take a car seat test before they left the hospital and I brought the Snuzzler in their car seat for the test. Babies "R" US have preemie cloths but once the baby is home he may just need them for about a month. My prayers are with her and just to let her know that my twins are now 6yrs old and are doing great.
Good Luck
J.

Hi- I had a "micropreemie" who weighed in at 1 lb. 8 oz. when he was born. I needed blankets and the baby wash cloths while he was in the hospital. When he came home, it was Dr. Brown's bottles that saved me. Also, a bouncie seat- I used that constantly. Plus, A high chair for when he got a few months older. I never really used the swing or the baby backpack, though.
Good luck to your friend! Preemies are God's Gift to Mommies.

A. C.

Hi, I am a little late in responding to your request, but wanted to share something that my neighbor and friend did for me, that was so AWESOME and helpful. When my daughter was born a month early she was unable to come home until 17 days later. Since, I was never home....I would wake up and go immediately to the hospital and stay beside my baby the whole time, my neighbor made me an easy to grab food basket that I kept on my kitchen counter. It had breakfast bars, fruit, snack packs, juices, waters etc. even a magazine to take and read, or a journal to write in. This was so great because I never wanted to stop and eat breakfast i just wanted to get up and get straight to the hospital to be with my struggling baby, but this way I was able to grab something quick to eat on the way there. I loved it and think your friend would greatly appreciate it too! Hope it helps!!!

I had a micro-preemie born at 24 weeks. She weighed 1 pound 04 ounces.Your friend might find it uncomfortable to tell you, or others that come to visit, so my advice to you is, please always wash your hands the minute you enter their home. If you or anyone in your family has a cold, or even the sniffles, please stay away. Preemies are very susceptable and their delicate immune systems make it very hard to fight infections. Wal-Mart has a great selection of Preemie clothing. I found at www.MyTinyHands.com these little tags that you put on strollers and carseats that remind people to please "wash their hands before touching the baby".You cannot imagine how many germs are spread through the hands and your friend will definitely benefit from this. Good luck !

I had a premiee, he was 3 mo early weighed 1 lb 15oz at birth. I took him home 60 days later weighing 3lb 14oz. The best thing was clothes and diapers. Onesies were helpful. And having friends who wanted to just sit and be available for moral and emotional support.

Hi P., It is so nice that you are so concerned about a gift for this sweet baby. I have a premature baby. She was 1 pound 4 ounces and now she is 7 pounds. What I really needed was premee clothes and diapers. Sometimes the diapers are hard to find, but the clothes are the hardest. I hope this helps. God bless you, the family and the beautiful baby.. Pam

I will have to agree with most of the other mom's - preemie diapers, depending on how preemie & if baby is at home yet. I liked to use the baggy style sleepers, so those came in handy as well. I also had a preemie and the other thing that was helpful was the offer to watch my other child so I make visits to the NICU.

Premie size diapers for when they come home. They are really more expensive, at least they were when I had premie twins. And a wipee warmer. Babies are so sensitive to the cold, but my twins were even more so because their skin is still so thin. I always tried to warm them in my hands first, but my husband often forgot. And a premie is so tiny, you might even want to cut the wipees for her, as the ones I've seen hold the regular oblong thick wipees and it is just too big for the little one and will help double their usage until he is bigger.

why not just do a gift for the parents for now - gift certificates for take out in the area close to the hospital - with their full menus etc. so that they can place an order over the phone and eat at the hospital if they need to.

I had a preemie and the biggest benefit I would have liked was help in the finances. I didn't live close to where my son was staying and it was hard to live comfortably near his hospital. If they don't have a Ronald McDonald house to stay at the hotel bills could add up - if they have to do that. So if that is something you could do to help if the situation is like that then they'd probably like that.

I know I sat next to him often waiting to be able to hold him so I was sometimes bored so I read a lot of magazines and took naps. I had a tote bag I took with me with all the stuff I had to carry with me to and from the NICU. So if the mom doesn't have tote or if you wanted to give her a special pillow or thin but warm blanket to take with her to cuddle in when waiting.

I also had to freeze my milk and bring it with me to him in the NICU. I had to buy a ton of bags for my particular pump - you'd have to ask which type she might be using. I used a small thermos tote type bag to bring the milk in to the NICU freezer.

Everyone in the NICU did things differently depending on their situations or circumstances. She might not need any of these or she might need them all. Good luck.

I had a preemie three months ago, if you leave close to her and the baby is going to be in the hospital offer to take care to visit him, cook some meals and clean. What really help me was the "the preemie baby book" by sears. A sling, preemie clothin and diapers are helpful. However, I found company and help around the house the most useful.
good luck
ceci

Hi! I always notice a TON of premie size clothing at Walmart. Check the clearance racks because there is always A LOT of premie size. Cute stuff too! They have a brand that is a sub company of Carters there. Good luck!

P., I have a couple of friends that had preemies and the problem they had when they got home from the hospital was that none of the baby shower clothing fit (traditional NB clothing starts at 7 pounds). I have purchased preemie clothing at Baby Gap and it has always been a big help, and maybe some preemie diapers. Also there is a store by the name of Janie & Jack that sells wonderful preemie clothing. Does the mommy have a baby sling? If not that may be a great gift idea since small babies do not fit well in the traditional carriers. Good luck with your gift!

hi,

my daughter was born 2 and a half months early weighing 2 and a half lbs. the most helpful thing i found was a sling or soft carrier. when we took her home i felt that both she and i needed the close contact and the sling was like a second "womb". i carried her around in it constantly, and she was very happy in it. i'd do my grocery shopping with her in it and she sleep and nurse and i'd just cover her with a receiving blanket. i'd also do housegold chores with her in it. ther are all sorts of great carriers online - one website i know of is attachedtobaby.com. they have links to great sites for different carriers. i found that the stores didn't carry a wide selection of good carriers and the best ones were online. the sling was the single most important gift i received. my daughter is almost 2 and it's still our preferred way to travel. the beco baby carriers are really nice by the way. also i found that mothering magazine was a great source of helpful info.

take care,

R.

This is hard because he is in the hospital with tubes connected to him. Anything you get needs to have lots of snaps. You can purchase preemie clothes and diapers on-line. More than likely he will still be using both when he arrives home. The basics are kind of boring but appreciated.

My twins were 7 weeks early (4.5 years old now) and were around 3.5 lbs and 4.5 lbs. They spent 7 weeks in the NICU and are doing fine.

Here's a link for preemie clothes:
http://www.preemie.com/index.html
Personally, we didn't care for onesies or anything that had to be put on over the head. Shirts with snaps down the front or side were the best. It made changing and diaper changing a lot easier.

Especially recommend "Happiest Baby on the Block" by Dr. Harvey Karp. It's actually good for any baby.

But there were two really big things that helped us in the early days. The first was all the advice we got from the nurses and lactation consultants at the NICU on how to care for our babies, especially since they were our first. These were rare gifts indeed.

On your end, you might try to figure out ways to help at home to allow the parents to spend more time at the NICU. Also, if the NICU does not have a lactation consultant and breast-feeding is part of the plan, then hiring a lactation consultant for your friend I'm sure would be a big hit.

Further, if breast-feeding is the plan, your friend should already be pumping. A nice hospital grade pump, like Medela, makes a world of difference.

Also, since the birth came earlier than expected, I'm certain there were preparations that have yet to be completed. In my case, I had planned to rearrange a lot of furniture between our two bedrooms before the twins arrived, but they beat me to it. Also, I never got a baby shower per se (tons of presents, mostly clothes, arrived randomly after their birth). So instead, a friend arranged a furniture moving party for me while the twins were still in the NICU so their room would be ready when they were.

Hope this helps!

My son was 3 lbs as well. The best things for me to get were preemie diapers and preemie clothes. I had a friend bring me a bunch of pjs and onesies from Babies R Us preemie section and that saved us. Otherwise newborn clothes are way too big. Preemie diapers were hard to find too. Good luck!

I had a four pounder... if she is bottle feeding Dr. Brown's are a good suggestion, preemies have a tough time with their digestion and these bottles are specially made for reducing air bubbles.

Also, they do make preemie clothes, she'll need Onesies and you can try Carter's brand. They are sometimes called "Just Born" or Preemie size.

The last suggestion is a Snuzzler Complete Head And Body Support by Kiddopotomus or something similar. My son was really small and needed this thing to help fill out the infant car seat for the trip home. She may have the same issue.

The best gift will be your love and support, but I hope the advice helps!
My son is now 22lbs/8mo. So remember they don't stay small for long!

My daughter was born 14 weeks early at 1 lb 12 ounce. She spent 91 days in the NICU. Now she is a very healthy 2 year old. The best gifts that I received was a Merry Maid service and a snugger bugger sling. I used the sling until my daughter was 2.

My Son was born about 2 months early he was so small and in the INCU for so long, the best gift is a hug and support to the parents it a tough road ahead and they could really use it. As for material things think small. Premie clothes premie pacifiers everything of that sort is wonderful.

Clothes are really hard to find in that size. If you are good with a sewing machine you might want to make a little bunting -it looks to be very easy. Take a look at it on this blog:
http://jetsetbaby.blogspot.com/2008/01/if-i-were-crafty-w...

something as simple as clothes. it was great for us. hard to find. stretchy cottony things were great.

Definitely include some of the Preemie diapers. I have only seen them in the small packages so most people don't buy enough of them.

I myself had a preemie as well and I really needed preemie diapers and sleepers which are sometimes not so easy to find. I suggest trying wal mart or babies r us, for I know they carry preemie clothes which can be difficult to find.