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Discussion

Kiddos

As a non-NICU nurse who has worked in the NICU (in a research role), I found it an odd, yet endearing thing, that the nurses always referred to the babies as "kiddos". It seemed universal in the NICUs in which I worked (three). Now I'm reading threads here and seeing nurses here also using that term (makes me smile).

Do all NICU nurses call their patients "kiddo"?

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    • Featured Replies

    Kiddo, sweet pickles, carrier monkey for pediatric kiddies. And for geriatric I call women Miss Ladybugs and men Mr.Man.

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    • Expert

    I've also heard "kidlets" and "micro-chips" for micropremies.

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    • Expert

    I remember a nurse who was originally from Germany, and she would give report, saying, "This little crrrabapple" rolling the "r" in her German accent. She always told you whether or not the baby needed to "shtool".

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    Little Bit

    Sweet Pea

    Muffin

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    This whole thread made me smile. Just today (the day after stretch of 4 night shifts in a row) I was telling my own kids (11 & 13), whom I call my "beans", a reference to a favorite children's book we love by Rold Dahl where all people are called "human beans", how strange it is to come home and then also miss my primary "work kiddos". We laughed together at that!

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    For a particularly demanding child, 'Her Ladyship/His Lordship"

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    If I've met the parents, and know they're kind of country (not unusual around these parts), I might call the boys "bubba" and the girls "sissy".

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    I call mine "little lady" and "sir". Or if they are LGA/GDM, "Chunky Monkey".

    but yes, everyone else calls them "kiddo" or "peanut".

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    every NICU nurse I've known use kiddos when talking about their patients...."my little kiddo" or "your kiddos" We also call them peanuts, pocket pal, squishy (for those little, cute, chubby ones!). I've also used chunky monkey. all terms of endearment :)

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    • Guides

    I noticed the kiddos thing too and thought nobody else noticed it! I've heard it for -- well a really long time now. It extends to young children up to 2 years old I suppose. Kidlet is another, but less common than kiddo. It's always fun when a nurse invents a baby-specific name. I remember one "Squiggy". I had never heard of Squiggy at the time, but once I looked at Squiggy and the baby's hair I could see what she was talking about.

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    • Expert

    Kid, kiddo, little friend, punkin, little man/ladybug, sir/ma'am, and cheeky boy/girl for those kids who carry all but 1lb of their weight in their face.

    It's wonderful to make up all kinds of cutesy names for your patients and not get in trouble for it. :)

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