Visiting the NICU

Our neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) cares for our youngest patients, many of whom are born prematurely or face other medical complications. Because these infants have fragile immune systems, special precautions are in place for visiting family and friends. If you have questions or concerns during your visit, please talk to your nurse or request to speak to the nurse manager.

NICU Visiting Hours

  • 7:30 AM – 6:30 PM and 7:30 PM – 6:30 AM
  • Visitors not permitted 6:30 AM – 7:30 AM and 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM as well as during admissions or procedures

Getting to the NICU

Take elevator M to the 5th floor and turn right. Identify yourself and your relationship with the baby by using the phone at the entrance of the unit. A nurse will open the door for you. Once you enter the unit, remove any jewelry, push up your sleeves to the elbow, and scrub hands and arms at the sink before going to the baby’s bedside.

Visitation Guidelines

  • For security, the mother and father will be photographed upon their initial visit.
  • Friends and extended family must be accompanied by one of the baby’s parents.
  • Grandparents may visit alone with parents’ consent, but may not bring anyone else during visitation.
  • Anyone with a fever, cold, fever blister, rash, burn, or evidence of an infection must check with a nurse to be sure it is safe to visit NICU.
  • Only two visitors at a time are allowed.
  • Visit only your baby and refrain from asking about other patients. All information is private. The staff will not share your baby’s information with someone else, nor will we share information about another baby with you.

Rules for Young NICU Visitors

  • No visitors under age 14 are permitted unless they are siblings of the baby.
  • Siblings less than 3 years old are not permitted in the NICU nursery.
  • Siblings 3 to 5 years old are allowed “Peek-A-Boo” visits. These are limited to 5 minutes and must include a parent accompanying the child.
  • Siblings 6 years old or older are permitted to visit with a parent. If the visit becomes disruptive to any baby or family in the unit, you may be asked to limit your child’s visitation for the health and safety of all of our patients.
  • Children entering the unit will be examined for signs and symptoms of communicable diseases before visiting. These include, but are not limited to, fever, rash, history of chicken pox within the past four weeks, and respiratory infections.
  • Please notify the nurse and have your child assessed before entering the unit at every visit. It will be the discretion of the nurse to permit sibling visitation after the child is examined.
  • If you plan to hold or feed your baby, you must bring another adult to supervise your visiting child.
  • Children may not be left unattended in the waiting room or in the hospital hallway. You must remain with your child at all times.
  • Parents and grandparents (if accompanied by at least one of the parents) may remain at the bedside during physician rounds which begin at 9:30 AM.

Always Wash Your Hands before Touching Your Baby

  • Remind anyone who will be touching your baby that they should remove all jewelry (watches, rings, bracelets, etc.), roll up their sleeves above the elbows, and wash their hands first (for about 2 minutes).
  • Use the alcohol hand sanitizer at your baby’s bedside before you touch your baby each time.
  • Be sure that you and any visitors that you bring in to the NICU are healthy. Please do not visit the NICU if you do not feel well, have a cold/flu, fever, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, pink eye, cold sores, chicken pox, poison ivy or any other active infection.