NICU discharge checklist: getting ready to bring baby home

From the 89 Days Strong family · Updated October 11, 2026

When your baby’s team starts talking about going home, it can feel exciting and overwhelming at the same time. It did for us. This checklist breaks the run-up to discharge into small, doable pieces, with questions to bring to your baby’s team along the way.

Ready to go home? Ask your team

Every NICU has its own discharge criteria, and every baby's path is different. The question that helped us most: "What does my baby need to be able to do before going home?" Ask it early, and ask again every week or so, since the answer can change.

A few weeks before discharge

• Choose a pediatrician and give their name to the unit. Ask whether the office has experience with NICU ALUM babies.
• Call your insurance about coverage for your baby, any home equipment, and follow-up visits. Add your baby to your plan if you haven't yet.
• Ask about an infant CPR class: whether your hospital offers one, and whether your team recommends it before discharge.
• Ask about rooming in. Some hospitals let parents stay overnight and do all of the baby's care, with nurses nearby, before discharge.
• Ask which parts of your baby's care you can start practicing while nurses are there to help.

The car seat

Ask your team what your baby needs for the ride home. A few things to ask about and plan for:

• Ask your team whether the seat you have fits your baby, and bring the label details and manual so they can check.
• Install it ahead of time, not in the parking lot on discharge day.
• Consider having it checked by a certified child passenger safety technician. Many fire departments, hospitals, and community programs offer free checks.
• Ask your team whether your baby needs a car seat test (sometimes called a car seat challenge) before discharge, and what it involves.
• Ask your team about the ride itself, especially if you have a long drive.

What to learn before you go

Ask your nurses to show you, then to watch you do it. Doing it yourself once or twice with support builds confidence quickly.

• Feeding: ask your team to walk you through your baby’s feeding plan, and get any instructions in writing.
• Medicines: if your baby has any, ask your team to go over each one with you and write it down.
• Equipment: if your baby goes home with any equipment, ask your team to teach you how to use it and who to call with questions or problems.
• Everyday care: ask your nurses to show you the everyday care your baby will need at home.
• Infant CPR: ask your team whether they recommend a class.

Paperwork to get before you leave

Keep it all in one folder. Your pediatrician will want to see it.

• A discharge summary (or ask when it will be sent to your pediatrician)
• A complete list of medicines, doses, and times
• Feeding instructions
• A list of follow-up appointments, with dates, places, and phone numbers
• Vaccination record
• Results of newborn screenings, including the hearing screen
• Phone numbers for the NICU, your pediatrician, and any specialists or equipment companies

Follow-up appointments

Our NICU ALUM had more appointments than we expected. Before discharge, ask:

• When should my baby first see the pediatrician after going home?
• Does my baby need any specialist visits, eye exams, hearing follow-ups, or other check-ups?
• Is there a NICU follow-up clinic at this hospital?
• Should my baby be referred to an early intervention program? (Your team can explain what these programs are and whether one fits your baby.)

Put every appointment in your phone calendar before you leave the unit.

Medicines and supplies

• Fill prescriptions before discharge day, and ask if the pharmacy needs to special-order anything
• Any supplies your team says you’ll need for medicines
• The feeding supplies your team recommends for your baby
• Home equipment delivered and set up, if your team has arranged it
• Preemie or newborn diapers in the right size

Getting home ready

Your baby may have slept differently in the NICU while on monitors. Before you leave, ask your team exactly how and where your baby should sleep at home, and write it down.

• A sleep space set up the way your team told you
• A place for medicines and supplies that's easy to reach but out of reach of other kids
• A printed list of medicine times on the fridge
• Hand soap or sanitizer by the door

Visitors, germs, and cold and flu season

We were nervous about germs once we got home. Ask your team what they recommend for your baby, including:

• Visitors, and what to do if someone is sick
• Hand washing for everyone who holds the baby
• Whether they recommend vaccines for the people around your baby
• Anything they suggest for cold and flu season

It's okay to tell family, "We're keeping visits small for now." People who love you will understand.

Who to call, and when

This is one of the most important questions to ask before you leave. Ask the team to tell you, specifically for your baby:

• Which signs mean "call the pediatrician"
• Which signs mean "call 911 or go to the emergency room"
• Who to call after hours, and on weekends

Write the answers down and keep them somewhere everyone in the house can see.

Discharge day

• Car seat installed, and ask your nurse how to keep your baby warm in it if it's cold
• A going-home outfit with snaps, in preemie or newborn size
• Your folder of paperwork and the medicine list
• Bags to carry home everything that's collected at the bedside
• A card or small thank-you for the nurses, if you'd like
• Your phone charged, for the photo you'll want to take

The first week home

Many parents find the first nights home harder than they expected. The monitors are gone and it's just you. That's a common feeling. Keep your list of who to call close, sleep when you can, and say yes to the people who offer meals and errands. You learned your baby in the NICU. You'll learn them at home, too.

If you're earlier in the stay, our questions to ask NICU nurses and doctors can help you start planning now.