Last month alone, I had three friends with babies in the NICU.  None of them are local to me, either, so I can’t do much to be a practical help. This got me to wondering how to bless a mom with a child in the hospital.  When a baby’s in the NICU, what does Mom need during her time there?  I asked.  Most of these suggestions were gathered with NICU mamas in mind, but most of them also apply to moms accompanying their children at the hospital for extended periods for other reasons, and even to caregivers of adults who are stuck there for a while.

What Moms/Caregivers Appreciate Receiving at the Hospital

Remember to think about context!  Some of these are fairly universal, but others depend a little on the circumstances — like how far from home someone is, whether she had a chance to prepare before heading to the hospital, why her child is in the hospital, etc.

• snacks (This might have been the #1 answer.) 
• soft socks (This might have been the #2 answer; nobody loves those hospital socks.) 
• -OR- slippers
• gift cards for food places that deliver or the in-hospital restaurants/coffee shop
• soft blanket (Mamas want these for sleeping, but nursing/pumping moms might also want to use them as cover-ups, which may call for a different type of blanket.) 
• pillow
• travel shampoo/conditioner that’s nicer than the hospital’s and smells good
• antibacterial soap that smells good*
• lip balm
• lotion
• hair ties/clips
• nice journal or notebook & good pen (Some people appreciated being able to journal; most wished they’d been able to write down the doctors’ reports so they could remember/process them.) 

The items above all popped up over and over and/or appeared in almost everyone’s lists,.

• soft, modest pajamas for sleeping on hospital couches/chairs
• -OR- soft camisole or t-shirt to sleep in
• small, soft fabric hearts for mom to sleep with then leave with baby
• humidifier
• magazines, cookbooks, or other very-incremented reading (Hospitals are full of interruptions.) 
• earplugs or noise-canceling headphones
• streaming subscriptions (e.g. Hulu, Netflix)
• blank notecards
• phone charger
• small Norwex body cloth or Envirocloth
• breath mints
• decent toothbrush (The hospital-provided ones can drop bristles.) 
• neutral lip gloss
• favorite essential oils (Remember to think about the context here!  The NICU is probably not a good place to be introducing extraneous scents, but they might be welcome in other parts of the hospital.  I recommend also avoiding anything that’s contra-indicated for, e.g. epileptics, since you don’t know who else might be around.)

*Whatever you may think about antibacterials in general, consider that this may be necessary in the hospital circumstances.

Snack Mates by The New Primal, Chicken and Maple Mini Meat Snack SticksSnack Mates The New Primal, Classic Turkey Mini Meat Snack SticksWhole 30 Approved Foods Snacks Box- No Added Sugar, Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Savory SnacksSunflower Food Co Honey Roasted Sunflower Kernels 1.2 oz Bags 10 PackPlanters Dry Roasted Sunflower Kernels (Pack of 4)Jackson’s Sweet Potato Kettle Chips Variety PackRoute 11 Potato Chips, Road Trip Combo packRuvi Natural Energy Smoothies Variety 8-Pack – Fruit and Vegetable Drink MixSmoothie-N-Go Blender-Free Smoothie Mix Powder, 12 Single-Serve PacketsUltima Replenisher Electrolyte Hydration Powder, Variety Pac

Build a Small Care Package

If you’re like me and your loved ones are not local, you can have snacks shipped (see some ideas above) or assemble a small care package with the following items, which should fit in a small flat-rate USPS box.  Most of these items, if you order them, come in multi-packs you can split up.  You can, obviously, buy locally instead.  And you don’t need three notebooks!  I included a few different options because at this size, nothing is perfect.  If you’re locating your own, the maximum size that can just fit into the box is 5-1/4 x 8-1/2 inches.

You should also be able to slip in a note and/or gift card, and I think you can probably fit a pair of fabric hearts for a NICU baby if you want to send those.

Snack Mates The New Primal, Classic Turkey Mini Meat Snack SticksSunflower Food Co Honey Roasted Sunflower Kernels 1.2 oz Bags 10 PackUltima Replenisher Electrolyte Hydration Powder, Variety PacNon Slip Socks Hospital Socks with Grips for Women Grip Socks- 5 pairsPILOT G2 Refillable & Retractable Pens, Fine Point, Black Ink, 12 CountFive Star Personal Spiral Notebook, 1-Subject, College Ruled Paper, SmPAPERAGE Lined Pocket Journal Notebook, 2 Pack, Small3 Pack Pocket Notebook Journals with 3 Black Pens, Feela A6 Small JournalQuality Reusable Earplugs 100 Pair – Corded Calmer Silicone Ear Plugs for Noise Reduction

If you want to go bigger, you can size up to a medium or large flat-rate box and swap out for a larger notebook, as well as, of course, including more snacks or additional items.  If you include any liquids, I recommend sealing them inside of zipper-seal plastic bags in case of leakage (and anything that can melt — like lip balm — should be treated like liquid).

Other small items that might make good additions to care packages include small honey packets (or honey sticks) and/or packets or tiny shakers of sea salt.  It can be difficult to find these “real” versions of things when you’re stuck someplace, so having honey and sea salt instead of refined sugar and salt can be a blessing.