Knitting up a wealth of comfort for tiny patients

Southern District Health Board healthcare assistant Jacquie Williams is surrounded by knitted baby clothing, after staff at Queen Mary Maternity Unit at Dunedin Hospital asked the community to help restock their supply for newborn babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

A SDHB spokeswoman said the response had been “overwhelming”. Knitted booties, beanies and singlets had been received from across the country.

If avid knitters were keen for more knitting projects, the SDHB was also short of knitted “Twiddle Muffs”, she said.

Twiddle Muffs are knitted muffs with items attached to help keep patients’ hands active and busy.

They are especially good for people with dementia or delirium, who often have restless hands, and they provide a great source of visual, tactile, and sensory stimulation while keeping hands snug and warm.