Totally Infant Program (TIP)

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Welcome to TIP at Totally Kids

The Totally Infants Program at Totally Kids Rehabilitation Hospital provides a new and innovative approach to the care of infants who are ready to transition from the NICU. Totally Kids is a place where parents can feel confident that their newborn will receive not only the medical care they need to transition to home, but also customized therapy to facilitate and accelerate all aspects of development.

A True Partnership

When an infant is admitted into TIP, our team of uniquely trained specialists conducts a full evaluation of the child and then works with the family to develop a customized plan of care. This forms the foundation for an equal partnership between our medical team and the infant’s parents and family. By valuing each other's input in a true spirit of collaboration, we can achieve the best possible outcomes for the infant.

Admissions

Program Outcomes

Because our program continues to be on the forefront of innovation and adheres to clinical best practices, TIP has repeatedly been shown to:

  • Accelerate infant development.
  • Optimize oral feeding.
  • Shorten the length of hospitalization.
  • Ensure a safe and successful transition to home.

Infants Served by TIP

Infants in TIP benefit from our unique environment that has been carefully created to provide family-centered care, appropriate stimulation and specialized therapy designed to facilitate growth and development. A wide range of infants are served through TIP, including those confronting:

  • Neurological disorders
  • Pulmonary disorders
  • Chronic lung disease (including ventilator dependent)
  • Gastrointestinal disorders
  • Developmental delay
  • Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome
  • Chromosomal or genetic disorders
  • Total parenteral nutrition
  • Heart and other organ transplant
  • Cardiac disease
  • Other medically complex conditions

Success Story

"My baby was not feeding well in the NICU. The doctors gave me the choice of putting a Gtube in my baby or going to Totally Kids for their feeding program. I am so grateful I chose Totally Kids. The environment was so calm, and the feeding specialists were so helpful that within a few days my baby was feeding very well! We were able to go home in a week! This was the best decision I could've made! Thank you!"

It's Time to Take Your Child Home

Discharge planning begins the day of admission, and weekly status reports are developed so that both staff and parents can monitor the infants progress toward their discharge goals. And because parents are deeply involved in the care of their infant throughout their time at Totally Kids, we make sure that both parents and their children are ready for successful discharge to home.

Upon discharge, we offer support groups, workshops and training programs to educate families and prepare them to help manage their children’s unique needs. We help guide families through their preparation for home and future needs, which may include ventilators, oxygen or other medical equipment throughout the continuum of care.

Creating a Calming and Supportive Environment

TIP's physical surroundings have been sensitively designed to be quiet, calm, tender and stress-free. Such an environment has been shown to support and enhance infant brain development while providing the ideal setting to enrich the bonds of attachment between parents and their babies. This setting includes:

  • Single rooms
  • Special lighting
  • Play area for infants to explore.
  • Special toys/developmental equipment, etc.

The TIP setting on the Totally Kids campus also makes it comfortable for parents to be present and involved 24/7. This includes amenities such as:

  • Comfortable seating and sleeping for the parents.
  • Meals
  • Access to our Kids 4 Ever family home with showers, kitchen and laundry facilities.
  • Access to classrooms and education with computers and Wi-Fi.
  • Lounge space where families can gather for peer-to-peer support.

Your Infant's Care Team

Your infant's care will be led by a pediatrician and a physician trained in pediatric rehabilitation. These physicians ensure that all ongoing medical needs are met. They are supported by a multidisciplinary staff of nurses, therapists and other health care professionals who bring to the program distinct skills working with infants who require special medical care and therapy services. All professional staff collaborate with parents to ensure that each infant receives exemplary total developmental care.

Depending on the needs of the individual infant, therapies and program components often include:

  • Occupational therapy
  • Speech therapy
  • Physical therapy
  • Recreational therapy
  • Child development
  • Dietary/nutrition
  • Infant massage
  • Feeding specialists
  • Neuromuscular electrical stimulation to improve swallow
  • Cuddlers

Admission Criteria/Profile for Physicians and Case Managers

The Totally Infant Program (TIP) at Totally Kids Rehabilitation Hospital provides specialized therapy services to young infants after transfer from an NICU or PICU. These infants have not progressed sufficiently since birth for discharge home and may have complex medical needs that will require ongoing hospital care. The goals of the TIP are to help each infant reach their highest developmental potential and prepare them and their families for discharge home.

Criteria that must be met for admission includes:

  • newborn to infant ages
  • weight is greater than 2.4 kg
  • hemodynamic stability
  • stable blood sugar
  • ability to regulate temperature without the use of incubators or isolettes
  • ability to tolerate active therapeutic interventions
  • plan for discharge to a home or home-like setting

Infants who might benefit from the 24-hour comprehensive and specially designed TIP program may include those who:

  • need feeding therapy and weight gain prior to discharge home
  • need treatment for neonatal abstinence
  • need caregiver training for stable acute or chronic conditions prior to discharge home
  • need ventilator support or Vapotherm therapy
  • have developmental and feeding goals that can be met with ongoing Physical Therapy, Speech Therapy and Occupational therapy
  • have experienced a hypoxic, surgical, or orthopedic event, and will benefit from acute physical, occupational, or speech therapy prior to going home
  • need intravenous therapy or medications, including TPN
  • need care or training for tracheostomy, gastrostomy or other technology dependence

Totally Kids® Rehabilitation Hospital

1720 Mountain View Ave
Loma Linda, CA 92354

  • (909) 796-6915