NICU crafts/scrapbooking

Published

Hi guys,

I was wondering, as a NICU nurse, do either of you guys do crafty things for the babies/parents? If so what things do y'all do? I'd love the idea of a scrapbook for them.

Thanks!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in School Nursing.

We take the foot prints of all of our babies and make a LOVE sign for the parents where the babies feet form the V in LOVE.

For holidays we do other crafts but it's very hit or miss. Some nurses love doing them and others hate it. Our unit has gone back and forth with banning the practice or encouraging it just because not all babies receive the same treatment and it just all depends on whether or not their nurse wants to or has the time to do it. Babies who have primary nurses tend to get more of these cute crafts made by their nurses versus the babies who don't. I think that's why they started the LOVE sign with the foot prints so at least each baby gets something.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ICU.

Uh oh, you've hit one of my pet peeves.

Okay, hear me out. Crafts are nice. Crafts are something parents cherish. The little footprint signs are cute. Sometimes the only tangible thing a family gets to take home is a set of footprints and not a baby. HOWEVER. If you're going to be one of those crafter people, please please please ensure your PATIENTS are being taken care of first. I can't tell you how angry it made me to walk into a room that had about forty stupid signs from every different holiday (Baby's first Arbor day! Baby's first full moon!) but the actual patient is laying on dirty linen and six caps from IV tubing, breathing like a freight train, with labs that haven't been followed up on because the nurse spent three hours of their shift in the craft room. It's also pretty sad when one kid has a full wall of crafts and the baby across the hall (usually a cranky chronic kid, or someone with difficult parents) has nothing. If this was a one person issue, I wouldn't be up on my soapbox, but it was a pervasive issue in my unit. A personal fave was when we were cannulating for ECMO in a room and looked up to see that a nurse in the pod had wandered off to go make a cutesy name sign for the patient. You couldn't have spent that ten minutes doing something useful?

Anyway. Craft away. But make sure you're doing the job you're actually getting paid for first.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in NICU, Infection Control.

Make turkeys out of baby's handprint. Butterflies: Right and Left footprints, outsides of feet together. Be sure the ink pad has washable ink. One Christmas, I made sundresses and playsuits w/Christmas print calico, fairly simple, and the parents loved them. (I did this @ home, no babies were neglected!!) The little stockings people often hang of their trees? Put a small candy cane in it and hang it on the crib.

And, I agree w/Lucky--pt care comes first. Night shift may (or may not) have a bit more time.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in NICU.

There is a nurse on our unit who is super devoted to her job and will make a craft for all 65 beds in our NICU on her days off for special occasions so that every baby gets something for that holiday.

Otherwise it depends on whether the baby has a primary nurse or if the nurse likes doing crafts. It unfortunately is a bit one sided for some babies based on which nurses they get. I will make something if I get attached to a particular baby but this only happens once every few months.

1
Up Vote Up Vote ×

We do something for our parents at birth and then every holiday that they are with us. Is there a way to upload photos onto this site. I can send a small collection of some of the things we have done. They typically all involve hand or foot prints, but all are different. We add names and dates so parents can keep them for a keepsake and see the change in the infants feet or hands as they grow. Our parents tell us that they are treasured items and they love being able to see the growth of their infant. Especially those who are with us a long period of time!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Obstetrics.

The unit I will begin my first position with, practices primary nursing and everyone is expected to scrapbook for the parents. I'm a little nervous about this myself honestly, since I am not a super crafty person. When I was there shadowing I saw beads, foot and hand prints, different things monthly - but the majority of the scrapbooking is done by the PARENTS. The unit social worker holds weekly parent groups and they do scrapbooking as part of it. I think this probably takes a lion share of the scrapbooking off of the nurses. I will let you know once I actually start!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Pediatric Critical Care.
The unit I will begin my first position with, practices primary nursing and everyone is expected to scrapbook for the parents. I'm a little nervous about this myself honestly, since I am not a super crafty person. When I was there shadowing I saw beads, foot and hand prints, different things monthly - but the majority of the scrapbooking is done by the PARENTS. The unit social worker holds weekly parent groups and they do scrapbooking as part of it. I think this probably takes a lion share of the scrapbooking off of the nurses. I will let you know once I actually start!

I don't know how I feel about that being an official nursing duty.

1
Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion