Hospitals Host NICU Costume Contests, The Photos Will Melt Your Heart

It’s that time of year again—when hospitals across the country get in the Halloween holiday spirit by dressing up some of the cutest patients around: babies in the NICU! Many hospitals even host NICU Halloween costume contests on Facebook, where people can vote for their favorites. Although honestly: how could you ever choose a favorite amongst these cuties??

Here are some of the hospitals getting in on the Halloween spirit so far this year! (And don’t forget to send us your Halloween cuties if your NICU is participating this year—we would love to feature them!)

Aurora HealthCare

Aurora Health Care, with two centers in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Downers Grove, Illinois posted its annual NICU Halloween Costume contest on its Facebook page earlier last week. Nothing that clearly, all the littlest patients are winners, nonetheless, fans and followers can vote for their favorite Halloween costume through October 29th at 12 PM CST. Voters can cast their vote by “liking” their photo—and yes, you can vote for more than one. The photo with the most likes will win a prize! Here are some of the adorable contestants and their even cleverer captions. 

”A fun fact about Ryuki is that his name actually means dragon!” the hospital noted. 

“We literally CRAYON’T even believe how cute Anastasia and Euvis are! It’s safe to say they are the cutest crayons in the pack!” (Side note, these two adorable crayon twins are currently leading the contest with over 1K votes!)

“It's clear to SPOT that Saint and Isiah are the cutest cows of the herd!”

“Niko dressed up as the tin man will make your heart melt!”

“HAY NOW! There’s no need to fear Grayson the scarecrow!”

“The ‘no wake zone’ is Alivia the mermaid's favorite place in the sea to get her beauty sleep!”

“No need for binoculars, Leilany the giraffe could be easily SPOTTED from a mile away!”

Advocate Children’s Hospital

Advocate Children’s Hospital in Illinois is also hosting its annual Halloween costume contest, with contestants competing on Facebook for the most likes. There are so many creative and cute costumes and babies that this will definitely be a tough choice!

“Plug your ears! Someone woke up little Lennon, a screaming mandrake. Her parents handmade her magical plant costume!”

“Identical twins Keeley and Hannah can’t wait to grow up and become Irish dancers like their family!”

“Give me two of everything – one for me and one for my twin!” Twins Joseph Richard and Annemarie Charlotte are ready for the ball game! They can’t wait to meet their older brother Anthony, who is waiting for them at home.”

“In the light of the moon, a little egg lay on a leaf...” Baby Benny is The Very Hungry Caterpillar!” (P.S. look at that smile!!)

“Identical twins and deep-sea scuba divers Dalen and Trey are making a splash in the NICU!”

“Go big or gnome home! Baby Patrick is ready for spooky season.”

Henry Ford Hospital

Henry Ford Hospital in SE Michigan tells Nurse.org that their NICU opted out of the contest portion of the costume celebration— “It would be impossible to choose a favorite!” says Dana Jay, manager of Public and Media Relations.

That’s certainly true, but that didn’t stop the babies in the NICU from joining in on the fun. Henry Ford had their babies dress up as heroes from children’s storybooks—and every single costume was handmade by one of the nurse’s mothers! And once you see them, you’ll be amazed that one person handmade these—I think we need a celebration just for this woman, honestly. Plus, each baby gets to take the book and their costume home with them.

“The team says the annual Halloween photo shoot is a special treat for families whose babies aren’t yet ready to go home to celebrate,” the hospital said in a press release. “Henry Ford team members encourage families and visitors to read to the babies during their stay in the NICU, so this year’s costumes are inspired by books such as The Cat in the Hat, Corduroy, Madeline and The Very Hungry Caterpillar.”

Other beloved characters include Horton from Dr. Seuss’s Horton Hears a Who, Waldo from Where’s Waldo, and pile of spaghetti and meatballs inspired by Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett. Check out all of the babies dressed up on Facebook. 

We can only imagine how much this little one is loved!