Fun NG Tube Tape: Making Tube Feeding a Little Brighter
When awaiting your baby’s arrival, you might think of bows, hats, and tiny clothes to dress and accessorize your baby, not patterned medical tape. Life doesn’t always happen how we plan it though. Sometimes unexpected things happen.
I did not anticipate and plan for my daughter to tube feed. You don’t plan for tube feeding like bottle feeding or nursing. While I knew she would be medically complex, the NG feeding tube was a surprise speed bump.
If you’re reading this, I’m going to bet you didn’t plan for your baby to have an NG feeding tube. But I hope you understand that it’s temporary. And you are allowed some joy and fun to lighten up a difficult situation.
My daughter had an extremely challenging first year filled with major surgeries and 8 months of tube feeding. During this time, I adjusted my vision and found new ways to have fun with our reality. One way I did this was by embracing her need for medical tape on her cheeks. In this post, I’ll share my favorite NG tube tape looks and where to buy all the cute tapes that hopefully bring you a little light.
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Our Quick Tube Story
After an emergency open heart surgery, a paralyzed vocal cord, failed swallow studies, and a huge hole still unrepaired in her heart, it was obvious we had no other choice but to tube feed.
It was difficult to accept at first, but then I did so we could move forward. Once I accepted her NG tube, I dove in and tried to get comfortable with it all quickly. I learned a lot. I figured out the tube supplies, how to tape an NG, and discovered special accessories to help. I adjusted our routine and found what worked best for us.
Honoring Your Contradictory Feelings
I’ve seen several NG tubie parents despair the difficulties and challenges of NG tube feeding their baby, and wanting to be rid of it as soon as possible. In their despair, they seem to reject and resist everything NG.
I understand this perspective. And I can sympathize it’s even harder when your baby does not have a confirmed diagnosis yet still needs the tube. My daughter had a very solid and clear need, so this made it somewhat easy for me to accept.
Nevertheless, please know doctors should not offer or suggest an NG tube unless it is medically necessary for the baby. If you do not feel confident or comfortable with your child’s medical providers, it is okay to get a second and even third opinion from other hospitals.
If you get additional opinions that support your current provider’s suggestion, this can help you accept the journey. Or, if they contradict your main team’s thoughts, then you can work to adjust the plan or pursue care with another provider.
All of this is to say, that when you accept your baby’s need for an NG, it’s okay to embrace it. It’s okay to have a little fun with it. NGs cannot be used long-term, a patient either has to wean and consume by mouth if possible or graduate to a G-tube or another type of feeding tube. Hopefully, you find some comfort in knowing an NG is a temporary solution.
You are allowed to be disappointed this is your baby’s feeding journey and be excited about cute tube tape. You are allowed to be worried that your baby requires a feeding tube and feel joy that their cute feeding tube tape matches their outfit. Yes, I unashamedly did this many times.
Arguments for Cute Tape
Being a medical mom is challenging, to put it lightly. If some small accessory, like swapping your plain white medical tape for a fun patterned tape brings you joy, then I say go for it. Luckily, tape, even cute tube feeding tape, is relatively cheap.
Caregiver burnout is real. Caregiver mental health is important. You may not be able to take time off or get the break you need. So in this season try to at least embrace the tiny things that brighten your day. Life is short. Medical motherhood days can be long.
I broke down more than once in the hospital when discussing and planning for my daughter’s tube needs. By the end of her hospital stay, however, I had moved on to acceptance. And I was having fun scrolling through all the cute tapes and planning what to purchase.
You can look at it like another accessory. There are all different patterns, styles, and colors of NG tape, character and holiday prints, and beyond. If your tubie cutie has siblings, this could be an easy way to make them feel included. Let them select a tape design or two.
Furthermore, having a cute tape can feel more approachable to family, friends, and others who are uneducated about feeding tubes. It’s not your responsibility to make others feel comfortable, but I like the added benefit. The fun tape can help break down barriers and start a conversation. These little conversations help increase feeding tube awareness.
Where to Find NG Tube Tape
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Today there are far more shops selling cute NG tape in a wider variety of prints than before. Honestly, I’m a bit jealous!
Your DME will provide you with tape because it is a necessary medical supply. They may offer you, or you can request, different brands and types of tape. However, they will not give you specialty fun tape. This you need to purchase yourself.
Most, if not all, of the printed tapes, are printed on Hypafix. Hypafix is known to be a great NG tube tape for sensitive skin. If your little ones’ cheeks are extra sensitive or having a tough time with all the taping, I recommend you clarify with the shop what tape they use.
Here are some awesome shops where you can buy every style of tube tape you could dream of.
NGbuddies
Bestselling NG tape on Etsy, my favorite go-to tube tape shop based in the UK. They have an incredible range of styles and options at affordable prices. Most of their tapes are designed on a rectangle sheet with a few different designs within one sheet. You simply cut the rectangular strip off the sheet and then cut it to your preferred shape before applying. They also offer over 100 full sheets of a single design.
Threads of Kindness
Another bestselling shop, based in Florida, prints its tape as a single pattern on one rectangular sheet. Check out all their adorable, happy, modern tape designs, and other awareness stickers and sweatshirts.
Joy by J&J
Here you will also find a single design printed on each sheet. They have beautiful bold and modern designs, as well as a bunch of seasonal, light and joyful patterns.
Sweet Cheeks Tapes
I love the name of this shop out of Wisconsin! Here you will find numerous kid-preferred designs – Minnie & Mickey, Bluey, Hello Kitty, Disney princesses, trucks, kitties, holiday prints and so many more. I also appreciate their awareness (i.e. CHD, cancer, rare disease) stickers. Some of their tapes are printed as full sheets, some strips, and others squares meant to accommodate a variety of tube needs (NG, NJ, oxygen, and CGM).
Tubie Cheeks
Another UK-based shop selling a huge array of tube stickers for cheap. You can probably find anything you’re looking for here both for kids and adults.
Totally Tubular
This cute shop based in Virginia sells some fun bright patterns and cute prints for all different types of tubes.
Letty Tape
A Canadian shop offering a bunch of classic graphic prints with various animals and shapes. They are printed as full sheet designs.
Lulu and Crafts
This shop offers a bunch of bright and modern tape designs. They are sold as single design sheets.
My Favorite Cute Feeding Tube Tape Looks
For some inspiration, see the following for some of my favorite tape looks from my daughter’s NG journey.
Cute patterned tapes
My absolute favorite tape looks for my daughter’s NG was using cute patterned tape. For all the reasons listed earlier in this post, it gave me a little joy and I needed that.
Now there are tons more cute tapes than during our tube journey. After checking out the shops listed above, I think there’s something for everyone’s style and interests.
I had fun going down memory lane and looking at some of my daughter’s cute tape cheeks!
Large white heart
I did this with a basic roll of Hypafix tape which is often recommended as the best NG tube tape for sensitive skin.
When my daughter first got her NG tube, most of the nurses cut the tape in a heart shape. I loved that heart. I added it into my taping style rotation on occasion. This worked fine when she was younger, but I found it didn’t hold as well, as long as, my favorite way to tape her NG as she got older.
Transparent tape
Tegaderm can provide a more simple and clean look. However, I struggled to work with this tape. I found it bunched so easily and was difficult to lay flat. The nurses, however, were pros and made it look awesome.
I appreciated Tegaderm for its transparency and how I could see more of my daughter’s face. For most of her first 8 months, we could sadly only see 1 of her cheeks. During some of her hospital stays or appointments they would use this tape.
Closing
Don’t be afraid to embrace your tubie and add a little style to their feeding accessory. Even if this was not the plan. Their NG (or ND/NJ) is just another part of their story, and it’s temporary. You’re allowed to have a little fun with it, even if it’s with mixed or contradictory feelings.
There are a bunch of great small shops selling adorable, modern, eccentric, neutral, fun, boho styles, and more of NG tube tape. Check out their shops to buy your favorite cute tube tapes to brighten up your medical mom life.
