A chronic disease in childhood often entails multidimensional, medical, psychosocial and financial risks which empede efficient adaptation to the disease for the whole family. Aim of this review is to describe possible strategies for effective coping with the chronic disease with the main focus on self-help-competence for the affected child and his family. Furthermore, there are proposals regarding practical handling of therapeutical noncompliance in the chronically ill infant. The family of a child with a chronic disease often contacts nurses for further, non-medical information. Therefore the aim of the review is to inform nurses of the biopsychosocial risks and consequences for every day life as well as to provide them with supportive self-help-strategies of the affected family.