Hospital Baby Blankets

Specialties Ob/Gyn

Published

I was watching a documentary on ESPN and the wife of an NBA player was at home holding her new child wrapped in what is clearly one of those hospital baby blankets. You know the ones that every baby is wrapped in: white with pink and blue block stripes. My question: are those supposed to be taken or do people just steal from the hospital? I know my neighbors just had their second baby and they would take diapers and wipes every time a new nurse or CNA walked in the room. They kept saying they were out and needed more. Seems like a lot of money may be lost in this way for the hospital.

Specializes in Hospital nursing.

Well in Canada, where I practice, the patients do not pay out of pocket for anything at the hospital (unless they want wi-fi, tv, etc). By stealing blankets, they are taking funds from the hospital that could be used to hire more staff. It may seem like overkill to make that statement, but if everyone steals blankets, it adds up quick!

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I don't know where eBay gets them from but there are plenty of reputable medical supply companies where you can buy them.

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I don't know where eBay gets them from but there are plenty of reputable medical supply companies where you can buy them.

If I insulted you, that was not my intention at all...:crying2:

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If I insulted you, that was not my intention at all...:crying2:

I am not insulted at all. I just think that it's important to realize that not everyone stole them.

The opinions on this thread are the reasons that I tie-dyed 1/2 of mine. I actually got rude comments from someone a couple of years ago when they assumed that they I had stolen a whole bunch (I had 5 or 6 on FD's Kid Kart to add extra support). Now the dyed ones are the only ones that leave the house.

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It is frustrating when people steal blankets, etc. At our hospital, staff nurses & volunteers buy sleepers, socks, mittens, etc at yard sales & thrift stores & donate them to the nursery (they are laundered by the hospital before being put to use). Even though we label them, the outfits have a tendency of "walking away". It aggravates me when I am out yard-saling and find outfits clearly marked as belonging to the hospital (small community!). In fact, every time I see that I refuse to buy anything at that person's yard sale. I have been tempted to ask for them back, but so far have never had the guts to do it.

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Where I work we actually added signs to the wheelable cribs that say, "Baby linens are hospital property." Surprisingly, this has helped cut down some on having things walk off. Also, the diaper bags are not given out until just minutes before discharge. Less time to fill them with stuff and say they ran out.

If we suspect people are fibbing about using up all the diapers, formula, pads for the mom, etc., we bring in only a few things at a time. This is a must on weekends when we could be tight for supplies anyway.

It's a shame that there seems to be less and less regard for rules and simple decency, but I guess we just have to do our best to be preemptive and not subject folks to extra temptation.

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I have let the parents take home the blankets. Not everyone, just the ones who ask or already have the baby swaddled at discharge. I think it would make the hospital look cheap and petty if I were to ask them for the blanket back at discharge. I know that would be the only thing the patient would remember from their hospital experience is how cheap the hospital was.. really it is only a few dollars for the blanket and it is not worth the bad press .

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It is frustrating when people steal blankets, etc. At our hospital, staff nurses & volunteers buy sleepers, socks, mittens, etc at yard sales & thrift stores & donate them to the nursery (they are laundered by the hospital before being put to use). Even though we label them, the outfits have a tendency of "walking away". It aggravates me when I am out yard-saling and find outfits clearly marked as belonging to the hospital (small community!). In fact, every time I see that I refuse to buy anything at that person's yard sale. I have been tempted to ask for them back, but so far have never had the guts to do it.

Agreed...we used to have a small supply of "hand me downs" for our boarder babies"...they would disappear, too...

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Its funny. Back when I had my daughter, she got shipped off to a NICU. The hospital I had her at gave me the supplies in the room (diapers and stuff that would have been thrown out). I never would have thought of taking them actually. When we left the NICU they did the same but also gave us a blanket. Thank goodness because I swaddled her in that thing for months!!! It was the softest one I could find and she loved it. I finally packed it away a couple of months ago with some of her favorite infant things.

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When I had money son, the nurse discharging me came in with this super cute diaper bag full of goodies, the first blanket he'd used with all the nurses signatures and his feet prints on it, and a gift bag a local Church had made. Now that is how I'd like to remember my son's first few days not stealing blankets and unopened supplies lol Do they not notice that they have been washed??

Btw my son went to the hospital days later and they did have different blankets but yes they all pretty much look the same :)

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When I had my baby, my nurse told me to take a blanket and to clear out the bassinet since all of that stuff would be thrown out other wise. I'm glad as I cherish that little baby blanket :-)

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