Some people are great gift-givers, infusing each card and present with a sense of true thoughtfulness and personality. Others stuff a wad of cash in an envelope and call it a day.

In all likelihood, you fall somewhere in the middle. 

Unfortunately, meaningful gift-giving becomes even harder when your loved one has to spend some time in the hospital. These life-saving facilities have many different rules and restrictions regulating which gifts are allowed and which aren’t, adding extra stress to an already challenging period.

Lucky for you, we’ve compiled nine nifty gift suggestions to keep your loved one calm and comfy during their hospital stay. 

 

Hold Onto Your Fruit and Flower Baskets

While these colorful gifts can certainly infuse vibrance into any hospital room, unfortunately, they can bring some unintended consequences.

Many hospitals have strict diets planned for their patients so the fruit might end up in the trash rather than your friend’s stomach. Flowers are an aromatic delight and can light up a room but also bring pollen and other allergen issues that can prove especially harmful for those with existing respiratory issues.

For now, keep these gifts on the shelf ready to greet your friend when they’re discharged from the hospital.

Effortless Entertainment

Books or an E-Reader

There’s nothing like the written word to get us through challenging times.

Stuffed with all the wisdom, thrills, and laughs of humanity’s greatest minds, books present endless entertainment no matter your age or interests, and also make a great gift for hospital staff. 

If your loved one has a penchant for extended, late-night reading sessions, consider surprising them with an e-reader. 

Rather than propping up 600 pages of text with shaking arms, an e-reader provides constant, distributed weight as light as a mass-market paperback and can store thousands of books at a time.

Coloring Book

Our phones, tablets, and computers can now replicate much of the joy we find in sudoku, crosswords, and other word games.

However, one area that hasn’t quite translated to our digital devices is the joy of infusing color into the black-and-white page.

By giving your loved one an adult coloring book, we can capture the calm and creativity we all experienced in childhood. Sketch inside the lines, stray outside the lines; it doesn’t matter.

There’s something inherently soothing in slowly whittling down your crayons or colored pencils on the page and seeing their lives transformed.

Noise-Canceling Headphones

Beeping EKGs. Nurses chatting at three in the morning. The pitter-patter of an IV drip.

Hospitals might not be as loud as a heavy metal concert though they can certainly provide a constant stream of noise. It can be difficult to find a moment for yourself in these facilities that are inherently (and thankfully) always concerned about the next crisis.

One of the best gifts to block out the world is a pair of noise-canceling headphones. This handy technology pumps a low-frequency hum into your ears to drown out many of the intrusive sounds of the outside world. 

Whether your loved one is catching up on a new season of TV, listening to their favorite album, or simply wants a bit of quiet time, noise-canceling headphones will ensure they’re able to enter their own tiny world while the hospital outside rages on.

Cozy Clothes

Bathrobe

With thin fabric and floral patterns, hospital gowns aren’t likely to become the most flattering item in your loved one’s wardrobe. Many people don’t appreciate the drafts and excess skin on display.

If they’re able to wear something over their hospital gown, your loved one will definitely appreciate a cozy new bathrobe. Velvety to the touch and soft on the skin, a bathrobe can be the difference between feeling like a stranger in a cold facility and comfortably at home.

Soft Socks and Slippers

Have you ever tried walking barefoot in the snow? Not too pleasant. Walking on cold tile in thin socks? Not much better.

Thick, comfy socks are a necessity in any hospital stay and key to growing comfortable in a new environment. 

Gone are the days when socks made lackluster gifts. With modern designs and high thread counts, a pair of colorful socks can be a game-changing gift to improve your loved one’s hospital stay.

Not only will their feet be warm and cozy, but they’ll become the star of their wing with vibrant graphics and playful pictures printed on their toes.

For an extra layer of warmth and comfort, your loved one will really appreciate a new pair of slippers. With padded insoles and fuzzy interiors, the only problem that slippers pose is making all other footwear pale in comparison.

If you’re interested in in a new pair of socks or slippers, talk with your physical therapist to see which option they feel is right for you.

Sleep Soundly

Sleep Mask

Medical problems don’t sleep. Neither do hospitals. 

With staff bustling around the clock and constant bright lights and humming monitors, it can be difficult to catch a wink of sleep while in the hospital.

Fortunately, a simple sleep mask works wonders in blocking out light and allowing your loved one’s mind to drift off into slumber.

While you can find a sleep mask in the gift shop, hospital models might not have the quality you’re looking for. 

Instead, see if you can find a softer sleep mask made of silk or memory foam. These materials effortlessly mold to the face without applying undue eye pressure, allowing your loved one to sleep soundly and fully enabling their body to recover.

Ear Plugs

While noise-canceling headphones can certainly work wonders during the daytime, the plastic frames and bulky earpads don’t make for comfortable sleepwear.

That’s where a simple pair of foam earplugs come in. To attain easy peace and quiet, simply squish the earplugs into tiny balls and pop them in the ear. Once you release your grip, the foam stretches out to cover the space blocking out sound and enabling a quiet night’s sleep.

Weighted Blanket

While many hospitals have certainly improved their bedding in recent years, nothing quite matches up to the comfort and security afforded by a weighted blanket.

If you’ve never tried a weighted blanket, it might seem paradoxical that feeling squished and compressed would somehow make you calmer. However, these blankets mimic the sensation of being hugged and squeezed, which encourages our bodies to release oxytocin, a key hormone in the onset of sleep.

This gift won’t just help during your loved one’s hospital stay. Many swear by weighted blankets in helping them achieve truly restful sleep night after night. 

They come especially handy in colder environments where the added weight keeps body heat tight and compressed, keeping them warm and cozy all through the night.

A Scrumptious EATBar

Hospital food isn’t quite known for its mouthwatering quality.

If your loved one is able to eat outside food, bring in a delicious EATBar. Offering a satisfying crunch before melting in your mouth with rich meringue flavor, theEATBar is the perfect gift for those with eating troubles.

With a crisp outside and an inside that melts to a paste, each bite offers an opportunity for you and your loved one to reconnect over a shared love of food. 

If your loved one is on a specific hospital diet, no problem. Just stock up on our four scrumptious flavors and prepare to surprise them with a feast on their return.

You’re A Pretty Great Gift, Too

Choosing the perfect present for your loved one was already difficult. Finding great gifts for someone in the hospital only makes the task harder.

Any of the nine gifts above would make a great gift and is sure to get a lot of use during their hospital stay rather than sitting on their dresser.

Of course, the best hospital gift you can bring is yourself. Remember to keep your loved one company during this time. Remind them how much you care and that you’re rooting for them.

A friendly visit can mean the world, and a delicious snack can transform any visit into a long-lasting memory. Surprise your loved one with an EATBar in any one of our four mouthwatering flavors for a burst of flavor and an infusion of joy.

To make your next gift-giving even easier, use our discount code BLOG15 for an extra 15% off at checkout!