Creative hats for newborns bring extra tender loving care to qathet families

An initiative that began as a personal project by a maternity nurse in qathet is building community and keeping babies’ heads cozy, one crocheted hat at a time.

Registered Nurse Sarah Klauzer estimates she crocheted more than 1,000 tiny caps for newborn babies during her seven years at qathet General Hospital. 

Her hats, with designs including Yoda, Christmas trees, orcas, owls and many more, elicit joy for their looks, but they also serve a practical purpose: babies lose a significant amount of heat through their heads, and unless it’s winter, new parents may not think of putting a baby hat into their going home bag.  

Sarah had initially only intended to give the hats to babies whose births she was present at as a thank-you, but the scope of the project expanded quickly. Her nursing colleagues soon began asking if they could give her hats to other babies born at the hospital, and she agreed. 

Since then, the creatively designed hats have become the talk of the town.

“Families really appreciate that it’s something special,” said Sarah. 

“I’ve had a lot of families that have had subsequent children, and they get excited to come pick their next one – they say they’ve still got their hats from previous children.”

Looking through the bins of baby hats stored on the maternity unit can also help take some of the stress out of hospital visits for families by distracting them from the medical aspects of the appointment. 

“Because we’re such a small town, it’s nice that we can personalize and have a more special journey for people,” said Sarah. “People really appreciate that extra tender loving care.”