NICU nurses at the Cleaveland Clinic are celebrating the historic and rare total solar eclipse in the most precious way—by dressing the babies up in special shirts and sunglasses.
The Ohio-based hospital marked the special occasion on Friday, April 5, with an adorable social media announcement that shared a video reel of sweet newborn pictures.
“Our babies in the NICU are prepping for the solar eclipse!” the hospital wrote. “Get this, these newborns will be 75 years old the next time we see another total solar eclipse in Ohio!🤯 Safe viewing come April 8, everyone!”
The reel shows the adorable babies donning black onesies that read “Total Solar Eclipse 4.8.2024.” A few of the babies also wear the signature paper-rimmed eclipse glasses. However, the nursing staff admitted that they were just props.
“Their eye covers aren’t the official glasses for viewing the solar eclipse, but they do protect their eyes from light used during certain therapy treatments in the NICU,” the Cleveland Clinic wrote in its statement.
NICU Nurses Celebrate All Special Occasions
While the NICU babies are obviously too young to enjoy the eclipse, their nurses wanted to immortalize the special occasion for their parents. They also know the babies will cherish the memories when they are adults.
“It’s such an exciting time here in Cleveland,” said Dana Traci, BSN, RN, Cleveland Clinic Children’s NICU Clinical Nurse, per PEOPLE. “Since our babies in the NICU won’t be going outside to see the total solar eclipse on Monday, we all really wanted to do something special to mark this day in history.”
The nurses also noted how important it is for the babies’ parents and families to celebrate everything in life.
“We celebrate all sorts of things in the NICU: milestones, holidays and now the solar eclipse!” Katrina Wiedenfeld MSN, RN, added. “It’s so sweet to involve the babies by dressing them up for the occasion.”
The solar eclipse will grace the skies on April 8. While only a portion of the United States will be in the total eclipse path, the rest of the country will be able to watch a partial eclipse. Check here for more information on viewing times.
You can find the source of this story’s featured image here.
Want to be happier in just 5 minutes a day? Sign up for Morning Smile and join over 455,000+ people who start each day with good news.