Objective To investigate the caregiving experiences of parents of children with biliary atresia during hospitalization based on the chronic disease trajectory model. Methods Phenomenological method was used in this study, with 19 parents of children with biliary atresia in hospital participating in non-structured interviews.Data were analyzed by using the Colaizzi′s phenomenological methodology. Results The caregiving experiences of parents of children with biliary atresia during hospitalization could be summarized into 3 themes: at diagnosis stage, parents were devoid of disease-related knowledge and self-concept,but had strong emotional response; during postoperative stage, parents had prominent support needs and heavy caregiving burden; at discharge stage, parents fostered hope and stress at the same time. Conclusion The caregiving experiences of parents of children with biliary atresia are complex and ever-changing at different stages of hospitalization, and medical staff should provide targeted care support and guidance to improve the health of the children, and to lessen caregiving burden of parents.