LOS ANGELES (Oct. 29, 2024) — B-roll and photos are available from one of Cedars-Sinai’s happiest celebrations of the year: Halloween in the Cedars-Sinai Guerin Children’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, where the smallest babies and their families are treated to handmade costumes, courtesy of a cadre of volunteers.
Popular this year: A bumblebee, Supergirl, Dr. Seuss characters, Winnie the Pooh, a tiger and even a gymnast a la Simone Biles.
“I’m trying not to cry, honestly,” said Merry Doerning, mother of triplets, with one at home, one close to hospital discharge and one still in the NICU. “Having the holidays be made just as special being in the NICU is unforgettable. This is something we’ll cherish forever.”
Halloween is always a special time in the NICU, said Bevin Merideth, RN, associate director of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. “Parents really love dressing their kids for Halloween,” Merideth said. “It allows them to celebrate their child’s first Halloween, and even if they are in the NICU, it helps to have that little bit of normality. And then they take the costumes home as a keepsake to show their babies how much they’ve grown.”
The baby costumes are all based on children’s books, including pumpkins, ballerinas, a zebra, an eagle, a bat and the popular dog Bluey. The costumes are made with Velcro, so they are easy to fit around the tiny infants without disturbing their tubing.
Contact Soshea Leibler with any questions.
213-215-8000 | soshea.leibler@cshs.org
