Developmental Supportive Care

Preterm infants can develop a range of problems because their organs are not mature. Due to the delicate state of babies in the NICU, they often need many tests and procedures and are more sensitive to common noises and lights than babies who are fully developed. Developmental care refers to a range of strategies designed to reduce the stresses of the NICU experience for these premature babies. It focuses on protecting the infant and family's physical, psychological, and emotional vulnerabilities; strives to minimize the negative effects of hospitalization; and uses evidence-based best practices to protect the integrity of the developing critically ill infant and family. The practices include reducing noise and light, minimal handling, swaddling, giving longer rest periods, individual care plans and parental involvement.

Wee Care

The NICU at Miller Children’s Hospital Long Beach is proud to offer the highest level of care combined with this compassionate approach. The Wee Care Program is an evidence-based, clinically relevant, comprehensive program designed to teach the philosophy and foundation of developmentally supportive family-centered care. This program trains and teaches our care team the importance of keeping the lights low and reducing noise levels to a minimal, to help support each babies growth and development in an optimal environment. The care team then applies these practical approaches toward the care of each baby, to promote the best possible outcomes for premature infants and their families.