I read many articles on what to pack in my hospital bag, preparing for the big day. I loaded our bags up with everything everyone said to pack! We used almost none of it. I felt so silly lugging around those huge bags. We had to leave the hospital several times, waiting for further dilation. Each time we carried the heavy bags in and out. Finally, a couple of the nurses kindly offered to stow our bags in a closet so we wouldn’t have to keep bringing them in!
Now that I know EXACTLY what we’ll need, I revised the list for baby number two and for other moms to use as well!
HOSPITAL BAG CHECKLIST, FOR MOM TO BE + FREE PRINTABLE
Pack your hospital bag at least a month before you are due or whenever is best for your situation. Make a list of what you still need to pack the day of (like your phone, phone charger, toothbrush etc. I have a sample list below). Finally, pick the bag up and make sure the weight is comfortable. I mistakingly bro
ught along all kinds of comfy clothes and pjs for delivery. I didn’t put on clothes the entire time I was in the hospital! I wore the gowns (and one that I had bought). That way, with all the leaks, I could just change to a different gown. Yes, I said leaks.
If you are a super organized person like I am, check out these medium packing cubes from Amazon. I snagged a weekender bag from 5 Cities (because it’s low cost and cute) then labeled these packing cubes. If you don’t have packing cubes, beware! They are addicting for all things organization and travel!
LABOR
◼ Delivery Robe (The hospital provides robes but a purchased one is so much more comfortable. If you are opting for the epidural and want to wear your robe during delivery, make sure you buy one with buttons in the back.)
◼ Nursing Tank Top
◼ Slippers
◼ Chapstick
◼ Bobby Pins
◼ Hair tie
◼ Hair Brush
◼ Gum or Breath Mints (These were super nice for those late nights and early mornings.)
◼ Playlist (I found a calming instrumental playlist that I tested out at work and loved enough to add to my phone. It was great for labor.)
BABY
◼ 2 short sleeve onesies
◼ 1 pairs of socks
◼ 1 coming home outfit (Newborn & 0-3 months.)
◼ 1 hat
◼ 1 pair mittens
◼ Burp cloth
MOMMMY EXTRAS
◼ The comfiest underwear you can find (I found some great cotton women’s “boy briefs.”)
◼ 1 extra nursing tank
◼ 1 pair of warm socks
◼ 1 pair of short socks
◼ 4 reusable nursing pads
◼ box of candy (Sweet tarts were my choice!)
◼ Lansinoh
◼ Nursing Cover (A great thing to have when you have many people in and out visiting. It’s nice to not have to shoo them out every hour or two when you are nursing! This one has a stiff collar so you can see your baby, which is just amazing to have when trying to teach them to nurse.)
ESSENTIALS
◼ Loofah
◼ Hair Brush
◼ Dry Shampoo (Amika Dry Shampoo is the best!!!)
◼ Travel Shampoo
◼ Travel Conditioner
◼ Travel Body Wash
◼ Travel hair Spray
◼ Razor
◼ Toothbrush
◼ Toothpaste
◼ Extra contact lenses
◼ Contact Case
◼ Contact Solution
◼ Contacts
◼ Shower flip flops
◼ Lotion
◼ Face wipes
◼ Q-Tips
◼ Face pads
GOING HOME
◼ Comfy pants or leggings
◼ Nursing tank
◼ Cardigan
◼ Maternity Girdle
SNACK BAG
◼ Your favorite snack(s) (Mine were whole wheat Fig Newtons.)
◼ Gum
◼ Meal Bars
◼ Pineapple juice
PACK BEFORE YOU LEAVE
(A list of things that may not be available to pack now and need to go with you before you leave.)
◻ Phone charger
◻ Make-up
◻ Leave a spare key hidden so people can get into the apartment!
◻ Make sure pets are taken care of and their things like food are laid out.
◻ Your favorite walking shoes you want to wear now and on the day of labor (I had a pair of flip flops I loved.)
◻ Your favorite pillow
◻ Glasses & Glasses Case
◻ Laptop & charger or Ipad/tablet
◻ Book
LABOR DAY BINDER
(This was GREAT to add all of Mae’s hospital info after birth! Buy a 2″ or larger three ring binder and use it for all of your baby’s first year checkups!)
◼ Birth Plan
◼ Notebook pages/notebook
◼ Pen
◼ Clear sleeves
DADDY’S BAG
◼ Toothbrush
◼ Toothpaste
◼ Contacts/glasses
◼ Comfy sleepwear & comfy sweatshirt (The hospital gets cold!)
◼ Underwear
◼ Swim Trunks (Some places have a shower or tub you can use before you are fully dilated or if you are doing a water birth.)
◼ Painkillers or any prescribed anti-anxiety medication
◼ A few favorite snacks
◼ Comfortable walking shoes for pre-labor
◼ Your own pillow and a nice blanket or throw (This is important. The hospital ones usually suck!!!)
16 comments
These are such great reminders!! When you’re in labor you don’t want to wish you had something to tie your hair up in or have burning eyes from contacts because you forgot to pack your case.
Exactly!
For me, the Lasinah was a MUST and my boppy!
I thought about bringing the boppy! But with my pillow, blanket, snack bag, daddy bag and my bag – it was just too much! And using the hospital pillows worked fine on our end though the bobby is much easier! I brought Lasinah too but they gave me tons of free little tubes of it when at the hospital. Though I will ALWAYS bring an extra tube because that stuff is VITAL and you never know every single little thing the hospital will provide!
Thank you for an excellent hospital bag checklist. I didn’t some of the things you shared in this post. Thank you so much for sharing!
Glad it helped!
What a great comprehensive list! It is always best to be over prepared, especially as a first time mom! Thanks for sharing!
You are totally right. Glad the list helped, Brittany!
All great items and so well organized! A great resource for moms-to-be. Especially remember what to pack for Daddy! (I LOL at the anti-anxiety medication reminder!)
I had somebody else tell me the same thing about the anti-anxiety medication! Oh, gosh – lol. Glad the list helped and you found that little easter-egg humor in there ;D.
Great list! For me the Bobby was a must! I was so glad I brought it!
I might just have to add the bobby on this list!! I didn’t bring the bobby because I felt like I had so much stuff already. I used pillows at the hospital, which worked fine though the bobby is all sorts of awesome. Thanks for the great addition!
This is an incredible list of everything you could possibly need. I wasn’t ready and enjoyed laughing at the things my husband brought back for me. This is a better plan. Thanks for posting
Glad it helped!
I wish I were this organized! Great printables and bullets for expecting moms.
Being organization obsessed can be a blessing and a curse! Glad it was a blessing in this case!!! Haha ;D