Please Vote for The Smallest Things in Our April 2026 Charity Poll

Every month, when I sit down to write about the charities taking part in our poll, I try to ask myself: does this charity's work actually reach the people who need it most? With the premature baby charity The Smallest Things, the answer is so clearly yes that I feel genuinely excited to share their story with you.

Throughout April 2026 — from the 1st right through to the 30th — you can vote for one of four nominated charities in our monthly poll. The charity with the most votes will receive 20% of our profits for the month. And the part I love most about how we run this? It's completely free to vote. No sign-up, no email address, no personal details whatsoever. Just a couple of clicks, and your voice counts.

That simplicity matters to me. It means anyone can be part of this, regardless of whether they have money to spare.

Who are The Smallest Things?

The Smallest Things is a UK charity dedicated to creating a better world for premature babies and their families after neonatal care. Their mission covers promoting the good health of premature babies and their families, raising awareness of premature birth and the needs of families after intensive care, and supporting parents affected by postnatal depression, anxiety and symptoms of PTSD associated with premature birth.

What really struck me when I first read about them is that this charity is led entirely by volunteers who have had premature babies themselves. That's not a small thing. It means the people behind the organisation understand — in a deeply personal way — what life behind NICU doors actually feels like. On their website, they describe the reality of walking those corridors, hearing the alarms, scrubbing your hands, living with the fear. They say, very simply: "we've been there too."

You can feel that in everything they do. There's real heart in it. Real experience. Real urgency.

What does The Smallest Things actually do?

When we choose charities for our monthly poll, I always want our community to understand not just who a charity is, but what they're actually doing out in the world. With The Smallest Things, their work centres around three things: support, awareness and change.

They raise awareness of premature birth and the challenges families face long after leaving hospital. Their website explains that every year, 37,000 babies in the UK are born early — and for many parents, that means being thrown into the frightening world of neonatal care with very little warning. They're also clear that the journey doesn't simply end when a baby comes home. In a survey they reference, three quarters of respondents said their experience of neonatal care lasted long after discharge.

They also campaign hard for better parental support, and one area of their work that I find particularly powerful is their campaigning to change parental leave laws. Their argument is a very human one: maternity leave begins on the day a baby is born, not the day that baby comes home — meaning some parents are expected to return to work before they or their baby are ready. The Smallest Things has spent years pushing the government and employers to change that. In 2025, they successfully changed the law to bring in Neonatal Leave and Pay legislation after 10 years of parent-led campaigning

Beyond campaigning, they've created practical initiatives too. The Preemie Proud Red Book Stickers act as a visual reminder to health professionals that a baby was born early, that parents may need additional support after NICU, and that a child's corrected age should be remembered. They launched the Employer with Heart charter to encourage businesses to extend leave for staff whose babies are born premature. And they created the Prem Aware Award, supporting schools to better meet the educational needs of children born prematurely.

So when I talk about The Smallest Things, I'm not talking about a charity with one narrow project. We're talking about an organisation working across family wellbeing, public awareness, employer support, education and policy change — touching families at several different stages of life.

Why this poll matters to us

At My Favourite Voucher Codes, we run this monthly poll because we want our community to be the ones who decide where a portion of our profits go. We can talk about giving back all we like, but this is where you get to shape that giving directly. I love that about what we do here. It feels more honest than us just deciding on your behalf.

If The Smallest Things wins our April 2026 poll, the donation they receive could help support their ongoing work across awareness-raising, campaigning, and improving outcomes for families affected by premature birth. I don't want to overstate exactly where every pound would go, but what I can say with confidence is that a donation to The Smallest Things would back a charity already working hard in the areas they publicly stand for: health, awareness, parental mental health, and long-term change for families after neonatal care.

How to vote — it really is this simple

Step 1: Visit our My Favourite Voucher Codes homepage.

Step 2: Read through the four charities taking part this month.

Step 3: Select The Smallest Things as the charity you want to support.

Step 4: Submit your vote!

That's genuinely all there is to it. No sign-up, no details, no cost. The poll is open from 1st April 2026 until 30th April 2026, and the more votes The Smallest Things receive, the better their chances of winning this month's donation.

Why I'm asking you to vote

Their work is thoughtful, grounded in lived experience, and focused on making life better for families who have already been through something frightening and exhausting. They're not guessing what those families need. They know, because they've lived it themselves.

So please, if you have a moment, cast your vote before 30th April 2026. It won't cost you anything, it won't take long, and you won't need to enter any details. But it could help direct 20% of our April profits to a charity working hard for premature babies and their families — raising awareness, pushing for change, and making sure those families are never left to feel like they're facing it all alone.

And if you can, share the poll too. With your family, your friends, your colleagues, whoever. The more people who hear about The Smallest Things and the work they do, the better.

Because sometimes a quick vote really can help something much bigger happen.