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Cedars Sinai Medical Center

10/30/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/30/2024 18:26

Cedars Sinai’s Littlest Patients Enjoy a Boo tiful Halloween

Cedars-Sinai Guerin Children'spatients, parents and staff members recently were treated to another enchanting Halloween celebration in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), a longstanding tradition. Parents were invited to select their child's Halloween outfit from an array of adorable costumes hand-sewn by volunteers and made especially to fit the smallest babies and their medical tubes.

The charming costumes, inspired by children's books, included pumpkins, Supergirl, Bumblebee, Dr. Suess characters, Bluey and Winnie the Pooh. For more than 20 years, Cedars-Sinai volunteershave been crafting the costumes, bringing joy to parents as they bond with their infants during their time in the NICU.

Melissa Burke's daughter, Billie, has been in the NICU for about a month. The mother of three chose a Supergirl costume to match her family's superhero theme this Halloween. Billie's two big brothers are dressing up as Batman and Robin.

"I love being able to celebrate here in the NICU," Burke said while rocking Billie. "Halloween is one of our family's favorite holidays. So, for us to be able to dress her up is incredible."

The colorful outfits are lined with Velcro to easily fit around the infants without tugging at the tubing or causing any irritation.

Halloween is always a special time in the NICU, said Bevin Merideth, RN, associate director of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. "Parents really love dressing their kids for Halloween," Merideth said. "It allows them to celebrate their child's first Halloween, and even if they are in the NICU, it helps to have that little bit of normality. And then they take the costumes home as a keepsake to show their babies how much they've grown."

Read more on the Cedars-Sinai Blog: Making Strides in Treating the Smallest Heart Patients