5 thoughtful gift ideas for new NICU parents

Having a baby in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) can be disorienting to new parents, especially during the first few weeks as they come to grips with their new reality.  Their baby’s situation can change drastically in a matter of minutes, so they may feel compelled to stay by their baby’s bedside as much as possible. The more you can take off their plate, the more they can focus on being with their baby and engaging in self-care. Here are 5 ways you can help.

Prepare healthy meals

NICU parents may not have time to give much thought to the planning or preparation of meals. One thoughtful way to show you care is to bring NICU parents healthy ready-made meals that can be easily transported and heated (so that they can bring the food along with them to the hospital if they wish). If you’re not the cooking type, you can sign them up for a prepackaged-meal-delivery service, such as Freshly or Munchery, to deliver them healthy lunches or dinners nightly during the first few months.

Offer to clean the house or hire a house cleaner

Assembling a team of volunteers or hiring a house cleaner once a week to help do laundry, clean dishes, and keep the home tidy is a great gift for NICU parents. This can let them focus on their new baby and give them a calm and clean sanctuary to retreat to after returning home from the stressful NICU environment.

Pay for gas

Unfortunately, not all babies are able to stay in NICUs close to home.  It’s not uncommon for parents to travel between 2 and 4 hours round-trip to visit their baby. Imagine doing this 3, 4, or even 7 days a week for up to 2 or 3 months. Aside from being exhausting, these frequent and very necessary trips can add up to a lot of money (and let’s not forget about hospital parking fees!). Giving a gas card can be a great way to help NICU parents and alleviate some of the financial stresses that may result from added costs and missed work days.

Run errands

If you can’t afford to help NICU parents out monetarily, there’s always the gift of service! Offer specific help such as picking up groceries, driving their other children to and from soccer practice, or transporting toiletries or other needed items to the NICU.

Reach out

Finally, simply being present for NICU parents can be the greatest gift of all. Lend your ear to them and acknowledge how scary their situation is.  It might be tempting to say things like “don’t worry – your baby will be fine,” but downplaying their experience can make NICU parents feel more alone. If you are far away, send a card or a text telling them that you’re thinking of them, and don’t feel rebuffed if they don’t get back to you right away – they’ve got their hands full!  Even if they don’t respond, continue to send them messages of support and love and let them know they have someone to lean on.