`` What do you want to be when you grow up ? '' It 's both a daunting and a promising question that children field from the time they can comprehend the concept of a future . For newborns in the neonatal intensive care unit of Children 's Healthcare of Atlanta , that tiny query is even more poignant . A new photo series imagines bright futures in store for the hospital 's monitor-strapped preemies . Whimsical doodles are superimposed on pictures of the babies , depicting them in professions such as astronauts , Olympians , ballerinas and chefs . `` From the NICU to the Moon '' is part of the organization 's Safe Sleep Campaign , which hopes to connect parents and caregivers with safe sleeping tips in order for their babies ' sweet dreams -- amid the steady beep-beep of NICU monitors -- to become a reality . The photographs were taken by an employee of Children 's Healthcare of Atlanta , and designers at Matchstic , a branding agency in Atlanta , handled the imaginative doodles . All of the little dreamers were born between 25 and 37 weeks of gestation , according to Jessica Wright , a nurse educator . `` We wanted the photos to help educate parents about the need for babies to sleep alone , on their backs and in a crib , '' Wright said , adding that babies can be unintentionally harmed by blankets and stuffed animals in the crib , sharing an adult bed or sleeping on his or her stomach . According to the CDC , approximately 4,000 infants between 1 month and 1 year of age die suddenly and unexpectedly each year -- and the leading cause of those deaths is accidental suffocation or strangulation in bed . More than that , the campaign is about looking to the next chapter after the NICU , Wright says , and a safe sleeping environment is a big part of it . `` We also wanted the photo series to show that our NICU babies are poised to make a big impact on the world , '' Wright said .
`` From the NICU to the Moon '' envisions prenatal babies in future professions . The photos are part of a larger campaign to encourage `` safe sleeping '' at home . Accidental suffocation or strangulation in bed is leading cause of sudden infant deaths . This article was first published on Newser: