How 1 Group of Nurses Made Halloween Extra Special For 35 NICU Babies and Their Families

Just because these newborns are celebrating their first Halloween in the neonatal intensive care unit doesn't mean that they have to miss out on any of the fun.

Instead of letting the holiday pass by, a group of nurses and March of Dimes volunteers at St. Luke Hospital in Kansas City, MO, decided to get crafty. They brought the holiday spirit to these precious tots and their parents by designing tiny costumes fitting for these little superheroes and fighters.

"Families in our NICU may spend weeks or months here, and it can be an emotional time," hospital spokeswoman Michelle Manuel told POPSUGAR. "Providing an opportunity for them to celebrate Halloween with their little ones allows them a sense of normalcy and to celebrate their baby's first milestones, which is what every family wants to do."

From Batman to a butterfly, parents picked costumes to match their little ones' personalities and the volunteers handmade 35 miniature ensembles. Along with professional photos of their newborn's first Halloween costume, parents were also given a "Trick or Treat, smell my feet card" complete with their infant's footprints and a Halloween book to read together as well as a handmade crocheted pumpkin.

Emmalee Schaumburg, one of the three photographers who all happen to be moms of former NICU babies and who volunteered their services to capture these special costumes, understands the importance of photographing these moments even when they occur during a hospital stay. "Now that [my daughter is] 2 and a half, I am so glad I can go back and look at those pictures and see how far she's come," Emmalee told CNN. "It's so important to remember how far these babies have come."