Cedars-Sinai’s Smallest Babies Celebrate Halloween

LOS ANGELES (Oct. 27, 2023) — It was another boo-tiful Halloween celebration at the Cedars-Sinai Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) on Thursday. Hand-sewn costumes had been specially made for the smallest babies by Cedars-Sinai volunteers and were laid out in the NICU for parents to select. 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.

Cedars-Sinai volunteers have been creating the costumes for more than 20 years, and parents just love them. Oren Stevens is a new dad, and he and his husband picked out an owl costume for their baby.

“Having him in the NICU can be really scary so getting this full moment of joy is just a delight,” said Stevens. Plus, he said, “our son looks adorable.”

Sonya Young brought her mother with her to pick a costume for Sonya’s baby girl. The two were deciding between Angelina Ballerina and a little piglet, but ultimately went with a zebra because they fell in love with the ears and the tail.

“It’s bittersweet,” said Young. “It’s so fun to have her in her first costume, and I’m glad she’s here getting the best care.”

“Parents really love dressing their kids for Halloween,” said Bevin Merideth, RN, associate director of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. “It allows them to celebrate their child’s first Halloween, even if they are in the NICU, and then they take the costumes home as a keepsake to show their babies how much they’ve grown.”

Read more on the Cedars-Sinai Blog: Zombie Cells, Aging and Health