Preparing for your baby’s discharge from the NICU

A discharge manager or nurse may guide you through the main tasks during the first period at home. After a stay of several weeks in the neonatal unit, planning for the transition to home can start when your baby is stable, which may be a few weeks before the likely discharge date.

Key preparations and considerations

Before leaving the hospital, usually you will attend a meeting with the NICU care team to discuss the expected discharge date and the necessary preparations. In many neonatal units structured discharge management programmes support parents and caregivers with information and training on key aspects of their baby's care. You get prepared for a safe discharge through special training, in depth conversations, and organisational support. Among other topics, you will learn to recognise how your baby behaves when they are uncomfortable. To make sure that you feel confident in providing the necessary care for your baby, always discuss important concerns and questions with the NICU care team.

Important topics to discuss before discharge

To make sure the family is ready to go home, parents and healthcare professionals discuss several topics before discharge. Points often considered are:

Self-confidence in holding and handling the baby
Instructions on positions supporting the baby’s development
Baby’s nutrition
- Feeding the baby, including how much and how often
- Breastfeeding support and information
- How to use and sterilise breast expression sets and bottles if expressing milk
- Preparing feeds and sterilising bottles if bottle-feeding
- Type of milk
- Learning to prepare fortified milk if necessary
- Baby-led feeding
Vitamins
Hygiene
- How to bathe the baby
- Instructions on nappy (diaper) changing, skin care, and general newborn care
- Appropriate home hygiene measures, such as cleaning and hand washing techniques
Sleeping
- Comfortable and safe sleeping positions for the baby
- Information about sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)⍰ and prevention
- Rooming-in
Monitoring and controlling the baby's body temperature
Understanding typical developmental milestones
Information about follow-up plans and the first follow-up visit
Contacting a professional for home visits, getting to know them and scheduling the first visit
How to give medication, including dosage, frequency, side effects, and missed doses
How to use special equipment, such as an apnoea⍰ monitor or oxygen, if needed
Knowing who to contact with any health problems, irregularities, or concerns
Important emergency telephone numbers
Resuscitation or basic life support training
Parental leave
Individualised care of the baby
- Soothing/comforting
- Interaction
- When to take the baby outside
- Safe baby carrying
- Activities with the baby
- Reading to the baby
Family pets

You can download a printout version of Important Topics to Discuss Before Discharge under Downloads on Neopedia.

There are several ways to prepare for your baby leaving the hospital. Ask your hospital about available options:

Feeling confident with main care tasks such as nappy (diaper) change or feeding your baby. Step by step taking over more and more care tasks such as bathing or dressing to build confidence.
“Rooming in”, where you stay in a room with your baby for a few days and nights, caring for them with the support of nurses or midwives nearby.
In consultation with the NICU care team, you may be allowed to bring in your own equipment, such as feeding bottles or clothes, before discharge. This can help you and the baby to get used to them, and health professionals can advise you on their suitability.

To make the transition home easier, think about what tasks you need to do before leaving hospital. Doing tasks in advance helps reduce the last-minute stress.

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