Gift for first time parents and of a preemie?

[LilMamiBella]

I'm sure this post doesn't go here but didn't know where else to put it. Anyway a friend of mine had her baby a week ago. The baby was born at 25 weeks and weighs 1 pound 4 ozs. The baby is doing great so far. My friend's baby was delivered at a hospital that is an hour away from where she lives. I want to get something that will help her in some way. Maybe something practical and something fun? What do you suggest?

[mags]

I'm sorry about your friend. What a tough situation. Would getting her a gasoline gift card help, since she is driving back and forth so much, she must be spending a lot of $ on gasoline.

[amydiane]

Originally Posted by mags

I'm sorry about your friend. What a tough situation. Would getting her a gasoline gift card help, since she is driving back and forth so much, she must be spending a lot of $ on gasoline.

This is what DH's coworkers did when we were in the exact same situation, and it was very, very helpful. (Also, not a gift idea, but they should look into if there's a Ronald McDonald house or something similar in the area so they can stay closer.)

For fun, you could get some cute preemie clothes, though the baby probably won't be able to wear them for a while (I think DS was about 2 months old and 3-3 1/2 lbs). You may need to find out their NICU's policy, but ours encouraged us to bring in receiving blankets for the isolette to make it more homey (they have some at the hospital, but they were very plain and sterile looking). Another really good gift we got was a large blanket (bigger than a typical baby blanket) to go on top of the isolette to block out the light. It was also cuter and more homey than the hospital covers.

[tracymom1]

I would hold off on a baby gift right now and just concentrate on getting something for the parents - maybe a really nice cooler with ice packs if she is pumping and bringing milk to the hospital? Or a really nice travel organizer for her car so that her trips to and from are easier. Maybe even some meditation CD's to listen to on the ride... of course, food is always a good choice - frozen meals or gift cards to restaurants near the hospital might be helpful. HTH!

[Knitgeek]

Take her some freezer food. Gift cards for food/gas. Give her some of your time. Even insist on cleaning her house (or part of it).

[GoodNamesGone]

You can start a food-chain if you have other friends who want to help too and bring the parents meals. Dividing the work makes it possible to keep it up longer.