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What We Know About Cleveland Clinic's NICU Halloween Costumes

A video published by ABC News on Oct. 29, 2026, shows infants in the neonatal intensive care unit at Cleveland Clinic Children's Hospital wearing Halloween costumes, according to the network's video description.
What does the video actually show?
The clip, hosted on ABC News' video platform, depicts what the network describes as "the tiniest patients" of the hospital's NICU dressed for the holiday. ABC News' caption states: "The tiniest patients of the Cleveland Clinic Children's Hospital wear their first-ever Halloween costumes." Beyond that caption and the visuals in the clip itself, ABC News did not publish an accompanying written article detailing the segment.
Where and when was this recorded?
ABC News dated the video Oct. 29, 2026, and identified the location as Cleveland Clinic Children's Hospital. The network did not specify how many infants appear in the footage, their ages, gestational status, or medical conditions, and HTT News found no additional reporting from Cleveland Clinic confirming further details as of publication.
Why dress NICU infants in costumes?
The video description frames the costumes as a first for these particular patients, calling it their "first-ever" Halloween in costume. ABC News did not include commentary from hospital staff, a neonatologist, or family members explaining the clinical or developmental rationale behind the practice, so any broader claim about NICU costume traditions — their frequency, origin, or purpose — falls outside what the source material supports.
"The tiniest patients of the Cleveland Clinic Children's Hospital wear their first-ever Halloween costumes."
That line, drawn directly from ABC News' video caption, is the only on-record description of the segment's content currently available.
What hasn't been confirmed?
Several questions a reader might have go unanswered in the available source. ABC News did not report the number of infants shown, whether Cleveland Clinic staff, nurses, or parents selected and made the costumes, or whether the hospital runs this as an annual event. No hospital spokesperson is quoted in the clip's description, and Cleveland Clinic has not published its own statement alongside the video that HTT News could locate. Readers should treat any additional detail — such as a running tradition at the hospital — as unconfirmed until the hospital or a separate outlet provides sourcing.
Where can the video be watched?
The segment is available on ABC News' video platform, filed under the network's local news and lifestyle coverage. The clip ran alongside the network's broader Halloween weekend coverage, including forecast updates and other holiday-timed features, according to the same page's video listings.
HTT News will update this article if Cleveland Clinic or additional outlets publish further detail on the infants, the costumes, or the unit's broader holiday practices.
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Questions
Which hospital is featured in the NICU Halloween video?
Cleveland Clinic Children's Hospital, according to ABC News' video description.
When was the video published?
ABC News published the clip on Oct. 29, 2026.