Getting ready to go home from the NICU

When can you take your baby home from the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU)?

You want to know the exact day when you can take your baby home, but your baby’s medical provider may not be able to give you a specific date. It all depends on how your baby is doing. The healthcare team wants to make sure your baby will do well at home before they discharge them from the hospital. Some babies may be moved to a step-down unit or to a hospital closer to home as they get better. Other babies may go directly home from the NICU.

How can you get ready to take your baby home from the NICU?

You’ve got a lot to do and learn as your baby’s discharge from the NICU gets closer. Discharge means your baby is released from hospital care and you can take them home.

To get ready for discharge, talk to your partner, your baby’s healthcare provider, and the NICU staff about caring for your baby at home. Here are some things to talk about:

• Do you have everything you need at home to take care of your baby? Do you have the medicine and equipment your baby needs? Do you know how to give your baby medicine and use the equipment?
• What do you want the discharge day to be like? Who do you want to be there when you get home?
• Are there any videos, classes, booklets, or apps that may help you learn how to take care of your baby at home?

Many hospitals let parents "room in" with their baby for a night or two before discharge. This can be a good way to practice taking care of your baby on your own while the NICU staff is still right there to help.

What can you do at the hospital to get ready to bring your baby home?

• Take care of your baby. Feed, bathe, dress, and put a diaper on your baby.
• Know how to best feed your baby so you are comfortable doing it on your own. Get help, if you need it, from the nurse or lactation consultant. They can also help you create a feeding schedule.
• Ask who to call if you have questions about caring for your baby once they’re home.
• Learn how to give your baby their medicine or other treatments. Ask your baby’s nurse or NICU pharmacist to help you make a chart of your baby’s medicines.
• Take an infant CPR class and go to a discharge class, if your hospital has one. This class can give you helpful information about car seat safety, basic baby care, safe sleep, and medicines.

What can you do at home to get ready to discharge from the NICU?

• Buy a car seat for your baby and install it in your vehicle. Find a certified Child Passenger Safety Technician in your area to check the installation of your car seat. Go to cert.safekids.org to find a technician near you.
• Get your baby’s things ready, like a crib, clothes, diapers, and bottles.
• Make a list of important telephone numbers, like your baby’s healthcare provider, medical specialists, and emergency contacts. Keep this list with you and put a copy in a safe place at home.

What do you need to do if your baby’s going home from the NICU on medical equipment?

Before your baby’s discharged from the NICU, talk to their providers about the medical equipment your baby needs when they get home. Your case manager can help order equipment and schedule training sessions for you to learn how to use it. Your case manager also can help you arrange for in-home nursing care if your baby needs it. This is when a nurse comes to your home to care for your baby.  

Here’s what you can do to help you feel ready to use your baby’s medical equipment:

• Learn how to use the equipment when your baby’s still in the NICU. For example, if your baby has a tracheostomy tube or a gastrostomy tube, clean and care for your baby’s skin and the tube so you feel comfortable doing it on your own. Also, you can ask them to help you make a schedule for when to give your baby medicine and for certain kinds of care, like cleaning their feeding tube. Rooming in with your baby gives you good practice at using your baby’s medical equipment.
• Get your home organized. For example, you may want to move your baby’s bedroom to the main floor to make caring for them easier. Put all your baby’s medical supplies in a cabinet or drawer in the kitchen and label it so everyone knows where the supplies are. Use things like shower caddies, shoe organizers that hook on a door, and plastic bins to organize medical equipment.
• Make sure the electricity in your home is compatible with your baby’s equipment. If you have an older home or your baby needs more than one kind of equipment, you may need to update your electric system. An electrician or someone from the equipment company can come to your home to check your system. If you rent your home or apartment, talk with your landlord about what you need.

What can you expect on discharge day?

Your baby’s provider meets with you before you take your baby home from the NICU. At this meeting, ask any questions you have about your baby’s care. Before you leave the hospital, get a copy of your baby’s discharge summary from one of your baby’s providers. This is a report about your baby’s treatment in the NICU. It also tells you what follow-up care they need. You can share the report with other providers your baby sees after the NICU.

Does your baby need follow-up care after discharge from the NICU?

Yes. You may have chosen a healthcare provider for your baby before they were born. If your baby was born early, you may not have had a chance to find a provider. It’s important that you find a healthcare provider who’s a good fit for you and your baby.

Many kinds of providers take care of babies and children. You can choose a:

• Pediatrician. This is a doctor who has special training to take care of babies and children. To find a pediatrician for your baby, go to aap.org/referral.
• Family practice doctor (also called a family physician). This is a doctor who provides care for every member of a family. A family practice doctor can be your healthcare provider before, during and after pregnancy, and can be your baby's doctor, too. To find a family practice doctor for your baby, go to familydoctor.org.
• Nurse practitioner (NP). This is a registered nurse with advanced medical education and training. Family nurse practitioners and pediatric nurse practitioners can take care of babies and children. To find an NP to care for your baby, go to npfinder.com.

Last reviewed: April 2025