Introduction: Care is the essence of nursing and is based on the nurse-child-family therapeutic relationship, with a comprehensive approach in the hospital setting. Objective: To discuss, based on the scientific literature, how nursing conceptualizes and perceives child care. Methods: A systematic review was carried out of articles published between 2010 and 2020 in the SciELO, BVS, REDALYC, ERIC, Science Direct and LILACS databases. The PRISMA flowchart (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses) was used in the search strategy. A total of 275 articles published in Spanish, Portuguese and English were reviewed. After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, twenty articles were chosen. Conclusions: Child care has several dimensions for its understanding: meaning of care, the nurse’s competences, the mother's participation, and factors involved in care; with a humanistic and integrative vision, through an empathic nurse-mother-child relationship, with updated scientific knowledge, expertise in procedures, application of ethical principles and values, understanding of child psychology, great human sensitivity and stress management, without neglecting the family and therapeutic play.