Our board-certified sleep medicine and pulmonology experts have special training in diagnosing, evaluating the causes of, and treating sleep disorders in children such as sleep apnea, insomnia, delayed sleep phase syndrome (DSPS), narcolepsy, nightmares, and restless legs syndrome.
Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, Wilmington
1600 Rockland Road
Wilmington, DE 19803
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Sleep Apnea Office
Monday - Friday: 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
(302) 651-5056 or (302) 651-5242
Sleep Lab
Monday - Saturday: 7 p.m. - 7 a.m.
(302) 651-5808
- photo ID
- medical and pharmacy insurance cards
- preferred pharmacy name and phone number
- names and dosage of all medications, including over-the-counter medication, your child is currently taking
- guardianship and custody papers, if a legal guardian rather than a parent accompanies your child
New Patients
Bring these forms for your first appointment:
Returning Patients
- Patient Presents without Legal Guardian (PDF)
Note: A parent or legal guardian must be with a child for a first visit.
Sleep Medicine Form
Items to Bring to the Sleep Center
- loose-fitting, two-piece pajamas, t-shirt and elastic waistband shorts or a diaper and t-shirt for infants
- blanket and pillow will be provided, but you may bring your own, too
- stuffed animals
- toothbrush
- nebulizer or ventilator (if needed)
- any food items or drinks your child may need during the night — bring all equipment and supplies if tube feeding is required
- any required medications (in the original containers) your child may need to take at bedtime or during the night
New Patient Forms
Returning Patient Forms
- Patient Presents without Legal Guardian (PDF)
Note: A parent or legal guardian must be with a child for a first visit.
Sleep Medicine Form
Resources for Patients & Families
- Insurance We Accept: See accepted insurance, listed by location
- Pay Your Bill: Use online bill pay or send by mail
- Financial Assistance: Help with your child's health care expenses
- MyNemours: Access your child’s medical record online
Although we schedule sleep study appointments throughout the week, we receive many requests for Friday and Saturday night appointments.
If you have a Friday or Saturday night appointment, an advanced nurse will:
- contact you on Friday morning (by 10:30 a.m.) to confirm your child’s appointment (either for Friday or Saturday night)
- ask if your child needs to take any medications during the sleep study time
- make sure your child is not sick
- check to see if you have any question and go over last minute instructions
If you do not receive a call from us by 10:30 a.m., please call us
at (302) 651-5242 or (302) 651-5056
For your sleep study appointment, please arrive by 7:30 p.m.
Due to construction at the hospital, we ask that you please enter through the Playground Entrance. Please stop by the reception desk and get a photo ID badge made for the parent staying overnight. Someone will escort you to the Sleep Center on the 3rd floor.
Typically, the study is completed around 6 a.m., and a report will be completed and sent to your child’s referring doctor.
As a parent, you know how crucial it is for your child’s overall well-being to get a good night’s sleep. In Wilmington, DE, our board-certified pediatric sleep medicine specialists at Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children know the value of a good night’s sleep, too. It not only allows your child’s body to rest from the day’s activities, but plays an important role in your child’s mental and physical development. When your child doesn’t get enough sleep, the cause may be related to a medical or behavioral condition.
Children are often referred to our program, which is accredited by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, because of conditions such as snoring, enlarged tonsils and adenoids, or obstructive sleep apnea.
Our team of board-certified sleep medicine specialists and pediatric pulmonologists (lung doctors), and registered sleep technologists, have advanced training in pediatric sleep medicine.
To help find the source of your child’s sleep problem, we can schedule your child for a sleep study evaluation conducted right here in the hospital at our outpatient Sleep Center. This study will help our specialists get to the bottom of what’s going on, and address ways to help your child start sleeping and feeling better again.
A pediatric sleep study is an important tool that measures the quantity, quality, and breathing patterns of your child’s sleep. During normal sleep, the brain remains active and goes through several stages which can affect sleep.
The sleep study will help determine if your child:
- has a breathing or movement disorder
- problems falling or staying asleep
- is experiencing a behavioral sleep disorder such as:
- poor school performance
- mood disorders
- attention deficit
- daytime drowsiness
Rest assured, the sleep study is not scary or painful in any way. And, we’ll make your child as comfortable as possible: you’ll have a private room with a TV, linens and pillows.
Although your child should sleep alone in the sleep study bed, you can be right there at the bedside the whole time. You can sleep in the same room on a couch that converts into a bed.
The sleep study begins with a registered sleep technologist attaching painless, sticky sensors to your child’s head, nose, mouth, chest, abdomen, index finger, and legs. When the sensors are removed, the sticky glue comes off easily in the bath. These sensors allow us to record your child’s breathing and sleep patterns. Once your child is connected to all the monitors and the study is being recorded, the lights will be turned off.
The pediatric sleep study will last the entire night while we record your child’s breathing and sleeping for up to eight hours.
»View Video on What to Expect From a Sleep Study
It’s a good idea to talk to your child a few days before the pediatric sleep study appointment. It may help to know that during the sleep study, you will be in the same room and your child can:
- call you or the sleep technician to go to the bathroom during the night if needed
- turn on the side to get comfortable
- call the sleep technician if the wires get tangled or start pulling
- the sticky glue comes off easily in a bath or shower
Be positive and reassuring. During the sleep study, encourage your child to relax and go to sleep. You may read a bedtime story to help calm your child.
- Wash your child’s hair before the sleep study and do not use gels, mousse, sprays or lotions, as they may interfere with the testing.
- Make sure to feed your child dinner before arriving at the Sleep Center.
- Check with the nurse practitioner before you give your child any over-the-counter cold or medications the day of the study.
- Do not allow your child to drink caffeinated beverages or eat chocolate after noon on the day of the study.
- Call to reschedule if your child develops fever, cough, runny nose, or any other health issue the day of or the day before the sleep study.
