The descriptive comparative study was conducted to describe needs and received response of parents of hospitalized children, and compare the difference of needs among parents whose hospitalized children have different age and different types of illness. A quota sample consisted of 108 parents whose children were admitted to the three Teaching Hospitals of SUMS during November, 1997 to January, 1998. The inventory of needs and received response of parents of hospitalized children was used to collect data. Panel of experts tested the validity of the instrument and Content Validity Index score was .79. The reliability of the instrument was tested from which the KR-20 score was .91 for parental needs and .92 for received responses. Data were analyzed using percentage frequency, SD, t-test and ANOVA. Result of the study indicated that the level of needs and received responses among parents of hospitalized children were high. When considering subgroups, information need, need for the best medical care and nursing care for the child, need for parental role, need for emotional support, and physical need were high, whereas need for financial support was moderate. As for received responses, three subgroups including responses for information need, responses for need for the best medical care and nursing care for the child, and responses for need for parental role were high, whereas responses for need for emotional support and physical need were moderate, and responses for need for financial support was low, The congruency of need and received responses was high. There were significant difference of total needs and information needs among parents whose hospitalized children belonged to different age groups at the level of .05. There was no significant difference between the needs of parents of acutely ill children and chronically ill children. However, the information needs of parents of chronically ill children were significantly higher than parents of acutely ill children at the level of .05. Implications for nursing practice, nursing administration, and nursing education were described. Nurses who work with children should be aware of parental needs and also the responded they receive. Longitudinal, comparative and qualitative studies are recommended.