No kid wants to be in the hospital, and especially not on a holiday. And if that holiday is Halloween—arguably the most kid-friendly of days, given that it involves playing dress up and collecting free candy—then you especially don’t want to miss out. Thankfully, the folks at Children’s National Health System bring Halloween to their patients with an annual party.
This year’s bash included a dog show with costumed pups provided by the Greenbelt Dog therapy program. The kiddos also got to paint 800 donated pumpkins, get their own faces painted in superhero themes, and watch the hospital staff compete in a costume contest.
Some of the patients wore their own costumes as well, and even the wee little neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) babies got into character. With costumes made by the NICU social workers and the patient’s parents, the babies look pretty adorable for their first Halloween (though of course the NICU doesn’t recommend trying this at home, as parents should follow the American Academy of Pediatrics safe sleep guidelines with their little ones).
To see the cuteness for yourself, check out the photos below, provided by Children’s National Health System with NICU photos by Elizabeth Ottaway.
Caroline Cunningham joined Washingtonian in 2014 after moving to the DC area from Cincinnati, where she interned and freelanced for Cincinnati Magazine and worked in content marketing. She currently resides in College Park.
