What would be a cool gift for two twin preemie boys?

[lsdesign]

This is for the sons of a co-worker and I'd like to keep the cost low. Any suggestions?

[SDMomChef]

How preemie are they? My twin boys were premature, and I had no preemie clothes for them and they swam in the newborn clothes. So, I appreciated a gift of a couple of preemie size sleepers.

[erin elizabeth]

Maybe matching hats to keep their temps normal. Seems to me the preemies are always wearing knitted caps.

[southjerseymom]

My oldest DD was a preemie. I appreciated preemie outfits ( Little Me is a brand that makes preemie clothes) and those sleeper bags. I think that's what they're called. They're sleepers but don't have legs. Looks like a nightgown with an elasticized bottom. Makes preemies feel more snug and secure when they can huddle in a fetal position and feel their skin. Which brings me to another idea: a swaddling blanket. They now make special swaddling blankets that stay put. My sister had one and her baby loved it. Preemies also are soothed by the sound of a beating heart. There are stuffed animals ( forget the name and I had one but that was 12 yrs ago!) that make a heartbeat sound. And of course I LOVED a cooked meal. Adjusting to a newborn is demanding in itself, but twin preemies and the issues they may have, leave no time to even think about cooking. I'm sure others can offer great ideas. I'm having a block right now. It's been awhile since I've been a mommy to a newborn!

[Hammster]

Father of preemie twins here. :D
Speaking from personal experience:
We didn't care what size or color of clothes we had as they burned through clothes at an alarming rate. So, anything is nice as long as there are a lot of them. 2 of my sisters gave us all of the baby clothes from their kids. Hand-me-downs were very appreciated to save everyone money.
Diapers: The more the merrier. You can order preemie sized diapers through Pampers and they ship direct to the house.
Babysitting services. 2 babies are so incredibly demanding. A bit of time off (TO SLEEP) is most appreciated.
Receving blankets. See clothing comment above. We would wrap them "burrito" style to keep them warm as preemies get cold very easily. (Low body mass)
Knit caps are a great idea as well. As well as socks. Don't worry about booties or shoes yet.
Bottles and liners. Keep em coming.

Expensive stuff:
2 cribs.
1 changing table with lots of storage
A tall chest of drawers

[jabelt]

long-sleeved onesies - they work great with the sleep bags which typically are sleeveless

They can be kind of hard to find, but Babies R Us usually has them.

[testkitchen45]

How about those little wire-framed bouncy seats, which hold the baby securely (with a U-shaped headrest for the preemies; buy the headrests separately) and let them kick their little arms & legs? Having the babies happy but secured may be the only way Mom gets a shower or a meal; those seats are great!

[erinl]

How preemie are they? and are they home from the hospital?

If they are still in the hospital, they are likely still attached to a lot of equipment, so no over-the-head outfits. They need to button up the front so tubes and leads can stick out. My standard baby gift for preemies is a preemie baby book. I'll look for the website if you are interested. It includes a lot of milestones that typical baby books do not. My college roommate recommended it, and the two people that have since received them LOVED them.

[Kerri]

What about bring over dinner for the parents?

[Hammster]

How preemie are they? and are they home from the hospital?

If they are still in the hospital, they are likely still attached to a lot of equipment, so no over-the-head outfits. They need to button up the front so tubes and leads can stick out. My standard baby gift for preemies is a preemie baby book. I'll look for the website if you are interested. It includes a lot of milestones that typical baby books do not. My college roommate recommended it, and the two people that have since received them LOVED them.


Our boys were 3lbs 3oz and 3lbs 13oz at birth and they were kept in an incubator the first week. So, they didn't wear any clothes and just sort of had a diaper covering the "messy" areas. And pretty miminal equipment attached to them. I believe they had a tube attached to their belly button where everything could be done.
Once out of the incubator, they were generally kept wrapped "burrito" style in blankets to stay warm, so again no clothes were really needed except for knit caps to hold the heat in their head. Again, minimal tubes, maybe one I think.

They were 7 weeks premature and came home after about 3 weeks in the hospital. All they had to be doing was gaining weight and able to suck a nipple.

[SDMomChef]

Our boys were 3lbs 3oz and 3lbs 13oz at birth and they were kept in an incubator the first week. So, they didn't wear any clothes and just sort of had a diaper covering the "messy" areas. And pretty miminal equipment attached to them. I believe they had a tube attached to their belly button where everything could be done.
Once out of the incubator, they were generally kept wrapped "burrito" style in blankets to stay warm, so again no clothes were really needed except for knit caps to hold the heat in their head. Again, minimal tubes, maybe one I think.

They were 7 weeks premature and came home after about 3 weeks in the hospital. All they had to be doing was gaining weight and able to suck a nipple.

Our boys were 6 weeks premature, and came home after a week. Hammster is right that while in the hospital, they pretty much just wore the diapers and were wrapped burrito style (thanks for reminding me about that - had forgotten about it!). The book on premature babies would be helpful because I remember trying to adjust things in my head for my boys from the normal books, although those books made me neurotic enough. The preemie diapers is another good idea - had forgotten about those, but they didn't stay in them for very long, so depending upon their weight, I wouldn't order many of those and it also depends on how premature they are.

[erinl]

My experience with preemies stems from a nephew and two close friends' babies born around 26-27 weeks. Initially all my nephew wore was a diaper, but after a couple of weeks they were allowed to dress him. A lot of cute clothes were never worn because they couldn't pull clothes over his head--too many tubes and wires in the way.

[eks]

These onesies are so cute for twins:

http://www.spoonsisters.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=44204&Category_Code=1001000&Product_Count=28

[Shechef]

Whan DD was born, my favorite gifts were definately diapers and meals! And it may not be a "cool" gift, but batteries! We sould not believe how much of our new baby stuff needed batteries, all sizes.