A model of nursing care for families with an infant who requires home apnea monitoring is described. The family's adjustment to having such an infant is related to the quality and content of the interaction between nurse and family. The nursing interventions are more efficient when directly related to the family dynamics and the phases of adaptation to having a baby at home on an apnea monitor. This model is derived from three identified stages of family adaptation: (a) crisis period, (b) return to normalization, and (c) weaning phase. In the crisis period the nurse develops a trusting and collaborative relationship with the family so as to help them manage their uncertainty as they establish a sense of competence in their ability to parent their infant. This includes helping the family learn and master the more technical areas essential for a successful monitoring experience. The period of normalization is characterized by a large degree of stability which enables the nurse and the family to address other health related issues. The nurse helps the family see their infant in terms of normal growth and development and his role as a member of the family. The weaning phase encompasses the period of time required to accomplish the task as well as the period of adjustment following discontinuation of the monitor. This nursing approach, as part of a multidisciplinary team, has been successful in decreasing emergency room visits, and patient hospital days while increasing family functioning for more than one hundred families in the past two years.