NICU Nurses Create Children's Book to Help Siblings Stay Connected to Hospitalized Babies

June 11, 2026

A team of NICU nurses in Connecticut has turned compassion into something children can hold in their hands: a coloring book designed to help brothers and sisters stay connected to newborns receiving intensive hospital care.

Credit: WTNH

The project, called A Message to My Sibling, was created by four nurses at Connecticut Children's Hospital who wanted to support an often overlooked group during a baby's NICU stay: the siblings waiting at home.

When a baby is born prematurely or critically ill, families can spend weeks or even months traveling back and forth to the hospital. For young children, it can be difficult to understand why mom and dad are suddenly spending so much time away or why their new baby sibling cannot come home.

The idea for the book grew out of the experiences nurses witnessed firsthand, including one family that traveled long distances to visit their daughter Anna, who was born at just 31 weeks and weighed only 2 pounds, 13 ounces.

Wanting to help families stay connected during these challenging moments, the nurses spent years developing the book alongside illustrator Cheri Lenhow.

The finished coloring book introduces children to the NICU environment in a gentle, age appropriate way. It features coloring pages, explanations of medical equipment, and spaces where older siblings can write messages or draw pictures for their baby brother or sister.

"It was really about introducing these things without scaring them, because it can be scary to see this equipment," Lenhow said.

One of the most touching features allows children to create artwork and notes that can be displayed in their sibling's hospital room. The pages serve as colorful reminders that a loving family is waiting for them at home.

"We included pages where they can draw pics of themselves, or things that they enjoy, and they can hang them up on the walls of the NICU," Lenhow explained.

For the nurses behind the project, the book is about much more than coloring pages. It's about helping families stay emotionally connected during a difficult chapter of their lives.

"NICU admission doesn't just affect the baby; it affects the entire family: siblings, parents, grandparents, everyone feels that," said nurse Kelsey MarcAurele.

Thanks to the dedication of these nurses, families now have a simple but meaningful tool to help brothers and sisters feel included, understood, and connected while their newest family member fights to grow stronger each day.