It’s hard to buy for some people, so I’ve compiled a list of items those nurses in your life might appreciate, whether they are male or female.
Number 1: A Foot Bath!
Oh yes. Us nurses are on our feet for hours straight with no breaks and no time to sit down. Even with the best of shoes, this can make our feet ache so bad that it feels like our bones are disconnecting from each other.
You visit one of those superstores or warehouse stores and see all of the foot baths. They’re pretty cheap and they claim to warm the water, but the truth is… They suck. They suck so hard. I’ve used at least 5 foot baths bought in-stores. Even in speciality health stores and they all just suck. The water gets cold fast and the “pedicure” portion doesn’t move, though on some unites it vibrates which is a great way to accomplish nothing.
The God of Gods. Best Foot Bath Ever.
May I present to you the Helen of Troy foot baths? Warming the water until it’s almost too hot. Vibration and bubbles for the ultimate relaxation of your feet. The pedicure centre of the foot bath even spins around so you can give yourself a pedicure without having to reach down and use your hands.
The controls are also water-proof so you can use them with your feet. Foot baths can’t get any better than this. Unless your significant other has placed the warm water into the bath for you and empties it as well. That makes everything ten times more awesome.
Since this is a professional product, you can use products inside of it, such as special salts and fragrances. There may be other foot baths out there like this one, but I have yet to find it. This is the best one I have found, by far! Do not buy a Conair. Those ones are terrible.
Number 2: Hand Lotion
No, seriously. Do you understand how much we wash our hands? It’s terrible… Especially when the budget calls for cheaper hand soap. Oh man. I know my hands break out in some pretty gnarly rashes from cheap soap, and when you’re washing your hands literally hundreds of times over an 8-12 hour shift… That hurts. A nurse needs a good hand lotion that will hydrate as well as protect their skin.
My first recommendation is BeautiControl’s Extreme Hand Repair Cream, which sells for $15.00 per 3.4 oz tube. You can easily get one from a local BeautiControl consultant (visit the BeautiControl website and use the “Find a Consultant” link. Consultants generally are more than happy to help you fill a single order. BeautiControl is a “Home Party” company.
That’s just my recommendation. Hand creams are awesome in general.
Number 3: SleepTracker Watch (For Shift Workers)
Wake up refreshed
A little pricey, but so worth it. The SleepTracker Watch monitors your sleep and will wake you up within a half hour of your set time. So if you are waking up at 6:00 am, it will monitor your sleeping patterns and then wake you up anywhere between 5:30 and 6:00 am, depending on when you are most awake.
As you may know, we sleep in cycles. These cycles are easily monitored by this watch as it monitors your heart rate, movement, and so forth in order to determine when you are in a deep sleep and when you are in a very light sleep. It wakes you during your light sleep moments, which allows you to wake up bright eyed and bushy tailed!
This particular watch (which is a newer version of the one I own) tracks all of the sleep data and allows you to download it onto your computer so that you can recognize trends in your sleep.
Number 4: A Basket Tailored to Night Shift Workers
Sometimes it’s less about the price and more about the thought that goes behind the gift. Being a night shift worker, no matter how long you do it, can be a total drag. The quality of sleep is generally poor, you sleep your social life away, and at times the shifts can truly drag on. Then again, for every quiet shift you are gifted in life, there are two or more busy-as-all-heck shifts 🙂
Some things that you can include in a tailored basket:
- A Sleeping Mask
- Reusable Ear Plugs
- E-Reader if they Don’t Have One
- Melatonin… Don’t Judge
- A gift card in any amount for a local book store… Or Amazon
- Spill and “Hands-Free” Water Bottle
- Travel Mug for Coffee or Tea
