The Retail Royalty Charity Challenge

We were recently invited to take part in the Money Supermarket ‘Retail Royalty’ Charity Challenge.
We were given £30 to spend on items for a local charity of our choice. These items had to be beneficial to the charity – something that would really come in useful.
There was no doubt in my mind which charity we would support. Having had all 3 of my children in Exeter special care baby unit following their births, this was definitely the place I wanted to help out.
I thought long and hard about what would benefit the special care baby unit – both the staff that work there and the patients that come through the doors day in, day out. And I kept coming back to specialist premature baby clothing.
When babies are in incubators and wired up to different machines, finding clothes that can be put on and taken off easily without getting caught up in essential equipment is really tough. The standard baby clothes are no good, as they are not designed to pop over the heads of babies who may be on ventilators or CPAP machines. The narrow sleepsuit sleeves do not accommodate IV drips, and the covered feet do not allow for the cuff monitors.

So, after looking long and hard I came across a website called Babyprem that specialises in clothing for this very purpose. After a little bit of negotiation with the customer service team I managed to come up with a little clothing pack that will be ideal for those precious bundles of joy who need the support of special care teams. Clothing may seem an odd choice to some, as you assume it is something all parents will have ready for their baby – but when babies arrive unexpectedly early, this is often not the case. Even if the parents did have clothes ready for their newborns, they would not be suitable for these babies for the reasons explained above – as well as the fact they would be far too big for tiny premature babies!
So how do these clothes differ from normal baby clothes? They do not pull on over the head, as this is often not possible with ventilators. Instead, they are a ‘wrap’ style, securing with velcro. They are footless to allow for monitoring equipment, and they are suitable for babies from 1.5 to 3.5lbs.

Now I have explained, do you want a peek? 😉

2 little girl suits, 2 little boy suits and 2 pairs of mittens

The suits unwrap to allow them to be slipped on easily

I really hope that these will be of some help to the staff and patients in the SCBU at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, even if it is just one less thing for parents to worry about. Because I have been there. It’s tough. And I have every sympathy with them.