It’s taken me forever to try to figure out how to post this simple little pattern. Once I scanned it in I had to try to trace it in Photoshop, and that proved to max out my meager computer skills. But I think I’ve finally managed to get it done. I think. Click the links below to find out if I accomplished it.

Large Vest

Small Vest

These vests are used for NICU babies who are attached to too many wires to wear regular baby clothes. If a baby has an IV, they can’t get their little arms into sleeves. If they have a shunt or other head issues, they can’t get their little bean through a neck. And if anything starts to go wrong, you can’t get a baby out of those clothes fast enough to save them.

Experts agree that babies should wear a little something. These vests won’t keep them warm on their own, but every little bit helps. It’s much more for the comfort of the parents and a reminder for the staff. This covers up a lot of the wires and scary parts and makes the baby look more like a little baby. Books I read said that these helped his caregivers to treat the babies like little humans instead of a series of tasks to be performed, and encourage the parents to bond with their babies which can be difficult to do when looking at a red wrinkly thing covered in wires and encased in a plastic box.

Construction is incredibly simple. Cut two of the pattern pieces, on a fold. Unfold both pieces and line them up right sides together. Stitch the pieces together with a 1/4″ seam allowance, leaving a small gap at the bottom and turn right side out. Iron the piece flat, and then topstitch the piece as close the the edge as you can. Finish by stitching squares of velcro where indicated on the pattern so that you create an arm and a vest closure.

Notice how the velcro is attached? One side of it is attached to the front fabric, and the other side is attached to the back fabric. You don’t want to figure that one out the hard way.

I’ve already been getting so much great stuff sent my way. I’m so touched by what you all continue to do. I’ve been taking pictures and I’ll show them off once I finally finish putting up the patterns in the first place.

So now that we’ve covered the outside of the isolette, let’s address what these little guys need on the inside.

For starters, there’s their bedding.

Babies, as I’m sure you’re aware, are both snuggly little things as well as spontaneous poop factories. This bedding serves dual purposes of giving the babies a nice soft little place to lay down, while also being incredibly easy to remove so the isolette can remain sterile even after the poop starts to fly.

They couldn’t be simpler to make. Fleece fabric works best for this since it’s snuggly and a little spongy, so it’s like a blanket and mattress in one. Then it should be cut so that it will measure 24″ x 20″ after a simple hem.

Underneath their little bedding is usually what they call a “snake.”

This is basically just a stuffed tube that they place in a U shape to make a nice cozy little nest for the babies. During their time in the NICU, it’s all about making the babies feel as close to the womb as humanly possible. This little snake shrinks the big plastic box down to whatever size that particular baby needs, and forces the baby to squish up instead of sprawl out. This is better for their joints, their future development, but especially for their stress level. It’s scary for a baby who is used to the fetal position to suddenly be forced into a starfish position because they’re too little to fight against gravity.

The snake can be made out of any easy care fabric. Flannel and cotton work best. To make them you need a piece of fabric measuring 6 1/2″ by either 30″ or 36″. Sew this fabric into a tube, and then close the ends. I cut a circle that roughly measured the diameter of the tube and sewed that on, but you could easily just sew them shut without adding the extra work.

Then stuff them with polyfil. The right consistency is important in the stuffing. You don’t want them so squishy they don’t offer the support babies need, but you don’t want them overstuffed so they can’t hold their U shape. Somewhere in the middle is just right.

Next up: baby clothes!

My cousin Karen took this photo for me and I just couldn’t be more crazy about it.

Like all things in my life, I start out with the very best of intentions and get completely sidetracked by reality. A month and a half ago I found out that my NICU had a need and I knew I could count on the mighty forces of the internet to save the day. And then my life crashed down around me and I went into my cozy little cave and ignored all the rest of the world. I’m starting to get back on my feet now, so I have to follow through on this.

Babies in the NICU (or Special Care Nursery as they call it in my hospital – probably because it sounds nicer. They’re not in need of “intensive” care….oh no, just special care. That’s much less scary.) have a lot of special needs. And because most babies are born when they’re supposed to be, there isn’t a huge marketplace out there providing all the special things these tiny babies need. Preemie clothes are rare out there, and they don’t take into account the fact that a lot of these babies have tubes and wires and have to be incredibly easy to remove should an emergency arise. The environment of the NICU is harsh and loud and the polar opposite of the nice dark cozy womb the babies are still supposed to be in, so the babies need things to try to recreate that environment as closely as possible.

Almost all NICU’s rely on donations for these items. Medical costs are high enough, particularly on top of the high costs of everything else a baby needs, so if donations aren’t forthcoming, the babies have to do without. The hospital won’t buy these things, even if they’re available. They just make do. At my hospital this means that the angel nurses, who all have their own families they’re caring for on top of my boy, go home and with their own money and time, make all the items the babies need.

Meanwhile, us poor moms are frantic nervous wrecks feeling frustrated and impotent and completely alone in the world. Suddenly there are healthy, happy babies everywhere you look and all you can focus on are how empty your arms feel. Any support you receive is so treasured you just want to kiss everyone who so much as pats you on the shoulder. When you see a little tag on a blanket that reads, “Donated with love from the sisters at the Church of the Living Christ” you feel buoyed up by the loving hands that made the blanket that cradles your baby, especially when you can’t.

Over the next little while I’ll be sharing items that the NICU needs. It may take me a while before I get all the items up because I have to draft a few patterns, and while it couldn’t be simpler in the flesh, turning them into a digital format is a little complicated for my weak photoshop skills.

The first item is what the NICU needs the absolute most. Miniature quilts.

These little quilts are good for everything in the NICU. They serve first and foremost as isolette covers. As I mentioned, the NICU is a very hard environment. There are bright florescent lights on all day and all night, so not only is there no regular day/night cycle, but these poor babies go from a place of total darkness where they are safe and protected, to a lifesaving but still harsh plastic box that – by necessity – leaves them vulnerable to all the stimulus in the chaotic room.

The blankets are also used to keep the babies warm in the moments when they are allowed to be held, a cozy cover when the mothers get to work on breastfeeding, and they go home with the baby as a memento of what they accomplished there.

Studies have shown that preemies are at much higher risk for learning disabilities, ADD and ADHD, and the commonly accepted reason for this is due to all the stimulation they can receive in the NICU. A baby who spends a great deal of time there experiences so much more stimulation through all the lights and sounds and interaction with the nurses, that many doctors feel their brains retain more pathways for communication, which can lead to trouble processing information later on. These simple little blankets help to shield the babies from all the activity around them, keeping their little isolette as dark and quiet as possible while still allowing the nurses to keep a watchful eye on them.

These blankets can be any style you dream up. They should be thick enough to dim the light, so handknits are not a great option here. It is helpful to have one side that is a solid color because some babies – such as babies born addicted to drugs – are extremely sensitive even to the visual stimulation in a bright bold pattern. They should measure roughly two feet by three feet, but that is not an exact measurement by any means. They can easily be bigger since blankets do fold easily, but they shouldn’t be very much smaller. Since they will be going home with the babies, snuggly fabrics are a plus, but not a necessity. They can be an elaborate hand pieced quilt, or a simple little blanket. The blanket Atti received was a snuggly microfiber on one side, a bright Care Bear themed cotton on the other, sewn together like a pillow with a simple topstitching around the outside. No batting, no further quilting. And it works great.

If you are interested in donating to our cause, you can mail any completed blankets to:

Removed until I get a new P.O. Box.
Email me for info! tresa at reesedixon dot com

(this address may be subject to change, but I’ll be sure and warn you)

If you don’t have time to make a blanket but still want to contribute, I’ll happily take any stash you have off your hands and put my teenage girls from church to work. Fabric, batting, thread, anything you want to get rid of that could work for baby blankets.

Oh, and if anyone can come up with a clever name for this, I’d love to hear it. Right now my brain can’t come up with much more than, “Is my baby coming home? When is my baby coming home? Can my baby come home today? How about tomorrow?” And that isn’t very good at describing what we’re trying to do here.

Here’s me when I got my first good snuggle while they changed out his tubes. Apparently, pure unabashed joy makes me turn into an anime character.