Parents dress up NICU babies in adorable Halloween costumes to celebrate the big and small moments

One hospital is making the spooky season memorable for the families of babies in its neonatal intensive care unit. To encourage new parents to celebrate all the special moments, both big and small, Advocate Aurora Health is urging them to get into the Halloween spirit and dress up their little ones in the NICU in their very first Halloween costume. According to PEOPLE, this adorable tradition goes back several years although it has seen some minor changes in recent years due to safety regulations surrounding the pandemic.

Whereas earlier, the hospital staff used to dress up their tiniest patients in creative costumes for their parents, this duty has now been handed over to the parents, giving them yet another opportunity to make happy memories during what is sure to be a difficult time emotionally. Advocate Children's Hospital took to Facebook this week to share photos of some of their cute-as-a-button costumed patients, writing: "TOO CUTE TO SPOOK! Parents with babies in our neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) across Chicagoland are getting into the Halloween spirit! They've dressed our tiniest patients in creative costumes for their first spooky season."

The initiative also comes with a social media contest—known as the annual Advocate Children's Hospital NICU Halloween Costume Bash—where the public can vote for their favorite costumed infant by liking the photos on their Facebook page. "It's time to VOTE for your favorite in our annual Advocate Children's Hospital NICU Halloween Costume Bash. To submit your vote(s), simply 'LIKE' your favorite photo (you can vote for more than one). The top two photos with the most votes by October 28th at 12 p.m. noon CST will receive a prize.
GOOD LUCK! We think they are ALL winners," the hospital wrote.

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