In my What’s In My Hospital Bag For Baby #2 post, I mentioned that one of the items I packed was ‘Thank you gifts for nurses.’ I thought I’d elaborate on what exactly I meant by that!
One thing I wished I had done before I gave birth the first time was make little goodie bags for my labor and delivery nurses. I’ve seen people do this and think it’s a great way to show your appreciation for all of their hard work taking care of you and baby.
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I want to preface that doing something like this is of course not necessary or expected. Is it their job? Absolutely. Does it make you unappreciative if you don’t give gifts? Of course not! A heartfelt “Thank you” to your nurses means just as much!
If you would like to bring gifts, I recommend checking with your doctor or hospital beforehand especially now since there may be special protocols due to COVID-19. At one of my last OB appointments I asked my doctor if it was allowed. She confirmed that it was and thought the nurses would really appreciate it.
I made 10 bags, which luckily ended up being just right. It was fun for T and I to give them to each nurse I had and they all seemed to be excited about their contents. My plan if I ran out was to have T get $5 Starbucks gift cards. (If we had any bags leftover we’d give them to friends or family and if we had any gift cards leftover, we’d just use them ourselves). I used all pre-packaged items which made the bags super easy to assemble.
MY GOODIE BAG SUPPLIES/CONTENTS:
- Cello bags
- Ribbon
- Printable tags
- Hand cream
- Hand sanitizer
- Lip balm
- English Breakfast tea (similar)
- Mixed nuts
- Fruit snacks
- Chocolate candy
- Hard candy – I did Jolly Ranchers and Life Savers
- Mints – *I kept the mints separate so they didn’t make the other edible items smell/taste like peppermint
OTHER GIFT IDEAS:
- Handwritten thank you card/note – Last time I sent a thank you card to two nurses who were especially wonderful (Amanda & Charlana!)
- Gift baskets – Similar to goodie bags but more of a grab ‘n go kind of thing. Fill a basket or two full of snacks, beverages, etc. and nurses can take what they want.
- Bring or order in food such as a fruit basket, cookies, bagels, doughnuts or pizza.
- Gift cards
Have you given any sort of gift to your labor and delivery nurses, or do you plan to in the future? Leave a comment below letting me know!
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