Te Wao Nui Child Health Service and Hospital

We have put together this video to help you prepare for your visit.

Welcome to Te Wao Nui — YouTube (external link)

A tour of the Wellington Regional Hospital neonatal intensive care unit.

Wellington Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Tour — YouTube (external link)

We welcome 1 parent or guardian to stay during the evening. Other whānau, including tamariki, may not stay overnight.

We support a safe sleeping environment and therefore do not allow parents or guardians to sleep in the same bed as their tamaiti. Parent beds are available for you to use and need to be put away before 8am. You can help yourself to linen and towels from our linen cupboards.

Our doors are locked between 8pm and 6:30am. During these times you can access the ward using the intercom system at the entrance doors. If you leave the ward, please tell your child's nurse in case they need to contact you or your tamaiti needs you.

What to bring

Familiar things

You may wish to bring familiar items from home to help settle your child. These might include:

• your child's favourite toy, DVD or game
• for younger children, their Well Child/Tamariki Ora health book
• basic toiletries for yourself and your tamaiti
• special bottles or teats (sterile, disposable bottles and teats are provided)
• comfortable clothing and clean pyjamas (hospital ones will be provided)
• food for yourself
• your child's usual medications — for safety reasons, give these to your child's nurse.

Nappies

We can provide disposable nappies for tamariki to use while on the ward – just let your child's nurse what size they need.

Security and valuables

There are no secure lockers available in patient rooms. We try to make the wards as safe as possible but recommend you do not leave valuables unattended.

Bathrooms

Each single tamariki room has its own wheelchair-accessible bathroom with a shower, hand basin and toilet. On Kōwhai Ward on level 3 there is also a height adjustable bath. Check with your nurse to see when it is available and how to use it.

If you need a portable baby bath, please ask your child's nurse.

Meals and drinks

Children's meals

Your tamaiti will be provided with meals throughout their stay in hospital. If they have any special dietary requirements, tell their nurse. We will do our best to meet these but there may be times you need to provide food. We provide standard baby formula.

Parent's meals

We are only able to provide meals for mothers of babies up to 6 months old who are breastfeeding. All other whānau must provide their own meals.

Snacks such as bread and fruit are freely available to parents staying with children. For parents staying overnight, toast and cereal is available for breakfast on the wards. A snack trolley visits Ward 1 10am and 11am, Monday to Friday selling food and cold drinks.

Whānau are welcome to eat food on the ward brought from home or elsewhere. There is a fridge and microwave in the kitchen you may use. See our parent notice board for opening hours for places close to the hospital to buy food.

Hot drinks

Hot drinks are not available on the wards but are freely available from the Ronald McDonald Room or Hospi Room. All hot drinks must have a secure lid before being brought into the wards. This is to prevent spills and possible burns.

Missing school

If your school-age child is going to be in hospital for longer than 2 weeks or discharged home but still unable to return to school, we will refer them to the ward school teacher who is part of the Central Regional Health School.