Spending any holiday in hospital with a loved one can be a devastating experience.

But for the parents of more than 30 premature babies in the NICU at one Illinois hospital, this Independence Day offered a bit of light relief after they were invited to give their beloved newborns a patriotic makeover in order to bring a bit of festive fun to the intensive care ward.

Images shared by the Advocate Children’s Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in Downers Grove, Illinois, show dozens of tiny babies dressed in adorable red, white, and blue outfits against a very patriotic July 4th background.

Festive: Premature babies currently staying in the NICU at the Advocate Children’s Hospital in Downers Grove, Illinois, were dressed up by their parents for an early July 4th celebration

Getting in the mood: Some of the babies were dressed up in themed onesies, with this young guy wearing a very special ensemble for his first Independence Day

Tiny: This little baby, Bryce, is still attached to several monitors and breathing apparatus, but that didn't stop his parents from dressing him up, and giving him a patriotic blanket

Adorable: Little Riley was dressed up in a very suitable stars-and-stripes frock, complete with a pair of lacy socks

Best friends: These tiny babies, who are thought to be twins, wore matching outfits for the day, and were pictured with two small flags

According to GMA, nurses and child life specialists also helped to being some festive spirit into the hospital by decorating the ward with a host of flags and and signs.

The babies themselves were also posed up alongside some of the funky decor, with a few tiny tots pictured holding American flags, while others were seen sleeping alongside posters that read 'My First 4th of July'.

In the majority of the pictures, the adorable babies are seen in their incubators or cribs, with some of the youngest babies still connected to several monitors with big wires running out of the shot.

Other babies have tiny oxygen tubes on their faces, while some are pictured being held up by a parent, or even a nurse who was on-hand to assist with an impromptu photo shoot in honor of the occasion.

According to the hospital's official Facebook page, the celebration took place two days before Independence Day itself, with images from the fun-filled day first being posted on July 2.

Once shared, the images quickly began racking up likes and comments, with more than 900 people giving them the thumbs up, while more than 50 people commented with words of support and well wishes.

Going all out: This baby girl is thought to be the daughter of a fallen US Army serviceman, and was pictured lying on a uniform while wearing a red, white, and blue tutu

Shut eye: Many of the babies didn't seem overly excited by their outfits, and preferred to get some sleep instead of posing

Hero! One baby wore a Superman outfit (left) instead of the more traditional stars and stripes that his companions wore

Hanging out: The mother of triplets was pictured holding her three babies while wearing her own patriotic red shirt

'Beautiful babies!! They are so all very precious!!' one former hospital staffer wrote, before adding: 'I wish they did that when I was a resident there, it would have been very cute!'

Another person chimed in: 'Awww these little cuties just brightened up my whole day!'

Many other people offered Happy July 4th wishes to the preemies and their parents - none of whom have actually been able to take their children home, and have had to watch them spend their first days, weeks, and months in the NICU.

The Illinois hospital is certainly not the first to help its preemie babies celebrate a holiday with a dress-up party.

In December, infants at Texas Children's Hospital in Houston were given some much-needed Christmas cheer when they were dressed up for the holidays by their parents, with the adorable tots wearing everything from Santa Claus costumes to festive snow-printed blankets.

And, in October 2016, a group of nurses and March of Dimes volunteers at St. Luke Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri, helped their preemie patients to celebrate their first Halloween by hand-making them a range of costumes so their parents could dress them up in the NICU.

The costumes featured everything from Wonder Woman to a butterfly, and delighted the parents of the premature babies.

Couldn't wait! According to the hospital's official Facebook page, the celebration took place two days before Independence Day itself

Popular: Once shared, the images quickly began racking up likes and comments, with more than 900 people giving them the thumbs up, while more than 50 people commented

Getting into the spirit! A few of the parents also chose to dress up for the occasion

Supportive: Images of the tiny tots that were posted on Facebook quickly racked up sweet comments of support from dozens of people

Heartwarming: 'Beautiful babies!! They are so all very precious!!' one former hospital staffer wrote on the Facbeook post

So tiny: Even the smallest newborns in the hospital were given the chance to join in the fun

Kindness: One person chimed in on Facebook to write, 'Awww these little cuties just brightened up my whole day!'

Marking the occasion: The ward was decorated by nurses and specialists

Special occasion: It appears as though some of the parents added to the decor of the NICU with their own sweet signs

Making the most of it: All of the preemie babies in the NICU have yet to made it home with their parents as they are not yet healthy enough