Home after the NICU

What kind of feelings can you expect after your baby comes home from the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU)?

It can be hard to get used to being at home with your baby after a NICU stay. If you have questions, you can always call your baby’s provider. And you can ask family members, friends, and neighbors for help. You also may find it helpful to get support from other families who have had a baby in the NICU. Visit our Facebook community to connect with other families who have made the move from the NICU to home. Common thoughts and feelings of NICU parents after leaving the hospital include:

• I'm scared that my baby will get sick again.
• I’m nervous to go out in public with my baby.
• I’m lonely now that we’re at home.
• I’m nervous about other people taking care of my baby.
• No one seems to understand how hard this has been for us.
• I'm a different person after our NICU stay, and I miss my old life.
• I feel guilty and sad because my baby was in the NICU.

It’s OK to have these thoughts and feelings. Many NICU parents do. Keep in mind that each day you learn more about your baby. It’s a journey for your whole family.

What are some things you can do to help adjust to life at home with your baby?

• When you have questions about your baby or your baby’s care, call your baby’s provider. It’s OK to call and ask questions.
• Take your baby to all their well-baby visits. These are medical checkups that let your baby’s provider check your baby’s health and development to make sure things are going well outside the NICU. Knowing that your baby is healthy can help you feel comfortable and confident about caring for your baby at home. Take your baby to all their well-baby checkups, even if you think they're fine. If your baby needs special care for a health condition, don’t skip these visits.
• Ask family members, friends, and neighbors to help you at home. Tell them exactly what you need them to do. For example, tell them if you need help with the laundry, running errands, or taking care of your other children. Check out our postpartum wellness guide to help with planning your needs.

What can you do to keep your baby healthy at home?

It’s OK to invite people to your home and take your baby outside your home after the NICU. But babies who have stayed in the NICU have a greater chance of getting infections than other babies. So you want to take extra steps to keep your baby healthy while they're building up their immune system, especially during cold and flu season. Your baby’s immune system helps protect them from infections.

Here’s what you can do to help keep your baby healthy:

• Limit the number of people who come to your home.
• Ask visitors to wash their hands before touching your baby.
• Don’t let visitors smoke in your home or near your baby.
• Don’t let adults or children who are sick, have a fever, or who may have been exposed to an illness near your baby.
• Ask adults who may have contact with your baby to get a Tdap vaccination. This vaccination helps protect against tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (whooping cough). These infections can be dangerous for a baby. If you didn't receive your Tdap vaccine during pregnancy, you can get it after you've given birth.
• Try not to take your baby to crowded places, like the shopping mall and grocery stores.

What can you do to make sure your baby is safe while they sleep?

Safe sleep means putting your baby to sleep in ways that can help protect them from dangers, like choking and suffocation (not being able to breathe) and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Even if your baby slept on their tummy in the NICU, at home they need to sleep on their back. Just remember “back to sleep.” Sleeping on their back lowers your baby’s chances of dying from SIDS. The safest place for your baby to sleep is by themselves in a bassinet or crib. If you have multiples (twins, triplets, or more), put each baby in their own bassinet or crib.

Once your baby’s home from the NICU, follow the same guidelines that make sleep safe for any baby. These include:

• Putting your baby to sleep on their back
• Putting your baby to sleep in their own crib or bassinet
• Not keeping loose bedding, toys, or other soft objects in your baby’s crib or bassinet
• Not sharing a bed with your baby

How do you find a child care provider for your baby?

Heading home from the NICU may mean heading back to work for some families. Some parents may decide that the plan they had before their baby was born isn’t going to work now. Deciding who will care for your baby when you go back to work can be stressful. You may be worried about your baby’s health and if they will get the care and attention they need.

There are many child care options, and some may be better for your family than others. Some child care providers are unable to care for a baby with medical needs. To help you decide about child care, ask your baby’s provider what kinds of care are best for your baby. You may want to:

• Ask NICU staff for suggestions for child care providers.
• Search the internet for day care centers that take children who have special medical needs.
• Find out if your health insurance covers the cost of in-home nursing care for your baby when you’re at work.

Because NICU babies are more likely to get sick when near other babies, children, or adults, you want to choose a child care provider that has the following rules:

• Caregivers must wash their hands before touching the babies or children.
• Caregivers must wash their hands after changing diapers, touching used tissues, and going to the bathroom.
• Sick babies and children are not allowed to attend child care.

Caring for a baby born preterm or with a medical condition may be a new experience for some caregivers. If the person is coming to your home, let them spend a few days with you and your baby before you go back to work. This gives them time to learn how to best take care of your baby and for your baby to adjust to their new caregiver.

Does your baby need vaccinations or other treatments before starting child care? 

Yes, make sure your baby is current on vaccinations before they start child care. Vaccinations help protect your baby from certain diseases. Call your baby’s healthcare provider to find out if your baby needs vaccinations.

Ask your baby’s healthcare provider about treatment to protect them from respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). RSV is a common virus. It affects almost all children before they reach age 2. Most of the time, it causes a slight cold. But for babies who were born early, this virus can be more serious. Babies born preterm or who have heart or lung problems may benefit from an RSV immunization that helps prevent severe RSV infection. It’s given to babies under 8 months old during their first RSV season, which lasts from Fall to Spring. It’s also available for babies between 8 and 19 months old who are at higher risk and entering their second RSV season. Talk to you baby’s healthcare provider for more information and guidance.

Learn more about RSV here: 

March of Dimes’ RSV Guide for Parents

 Last reviewed April 2025