David's House
David's House provides a comfortable home away from home for families of children receiving care at Dartmouth Health Children's. Families can access free overnight accommodations and support services, helping them stay close to their child during treatment.
Founded in memory of David Cyr, who passed away in 1984 at age five, David's House welcomes families for as long as their child is actively receiving care. Families staying overnight have access to private guest rooms, shared kitchens, bathrooms and other amenities.
Families who do not need overnight accommodations can also use David's House as day guests. Services include laundry facilities, showers, snacks, play areas and Wi-Fi.
For more information about available services, visit the David's House website. To request a room, call 603-643-2298.
David's House offers the following accommodations and amenities at no cost to families.
Guest rooms and accommodations
- 20 private bedrooms accommodating 1 to 6 people
- 10 shared bathrooms, including 8 with bathtubs and/or showers
- Air conditioning and wheelchair accessibility
- Rollaway beds, Pack 'n Plays with bassinet attachments, bed rails, baby monitors and fans
- Wheelchairs, IV poles and mini refrigerators for milk and medication storage
Food and kitchen facilities
- Two fully equipped shared kitchens with designated food storage for each guest room
- Breakfast and staple food items, including milk, bread, snacks and fruit
- Baked goods and evening meals provided most nights by volunteers
- A postpartum kitchenette
Family resources and support
- Free Wi-Fi, with the password provided at check-in
- Laundry facilities and supplies, available from 7 am to 8:30 pm
- Guest resource room with toiletries, baby clothes and other essentials
- Clothing support for children and adult family members of pediatric patients
- Transportation to and from the Medical Center, provided by Dartmouth Health Security 24 hours a day
Recreation and family spaces
- Indoor playroom and outdoor playground
- Sitting areas and a movie room with children's DVDs
- Children's books, toys, videos, board games and puzzles, with books available to take home
- Passes to a local museum
Rest Easy Program
The Rest Easy Program provides information about local hotels and motels that offer discounted rates, when available, for families of patients. For more information, refer to the Rest Easy Lodging website.
Staying in your child's room
Each room has a sleeping chair or cot for a parent. Due to lack of space and our need to have easy access to each patient's bed and equipment, only one parent can stay overnight.
Your sleep may be interrupted by the nursing staff as they check labs, perform exams, and monitor the health and safety of patients during the night.
A parent staying with his or her child may use the shower in the child's room or the shower in the Family Lounge just outside the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. Nursing staff will provide extra towels for a parent's use.
Some parents find the sleeping chair uncomfortable. We recommend parents call David's House for other sleeping arrangements as needed.