I’m going to admit right now that I overpacked my hospital bag. I spent months reading over Pinterest lists of ‘must-haves’, reading threads of comments on my mommy group pages and of course, asking my bestie Erica what was in HER hospital bag. Most of this list does come from her (thanks baby-bakes!) but I’ve tweaked it for what worked for me personally.
The reason I decided to put together my own list and share it on here is because I was searching for a packing list that was split between things I could pack now versus a list of things I needed to pack when I was about to leave for the hospital. I couldn’t find a list that was split up like that so I just made my own!
I don’t know about you, but I cannot live without an organized list to keep me on track. Of course things like ‘toothbrush’ should be automatic when packing last minute items, but if I don’t actually have it written down, I almost always forget it. So, here is my list of hospital bag essentials, split up between mom/dad/baby and also split by whether you can pack it now, or whether it can wait until you’re about to leave for the hospital.
Pack Now: Mom
Nursing Pillow: Regardless of if you plan on breastfeeding or not, a nursing pillow is always helpful. You may think this is something you only need at home, but after you’ve been in labour for 1.8 million hours, you don’t always have much energy left. Having a nursing pillow to rest your baby on while he/she is in your arms is super comforting, even for guests to use who may not be comfortable holding a newborn yet. I received this nursing pillow from Amazon.
Clothing: I don’t know if I was preparing for fashion week in terms of the number of wardrobe changes I brought for the hospital, but I brought wayyyyy too much stuff. The reality? I was in a hospital gown from when they checked me in, all the way until I was ready to go home. This definitely might not be the case for everyone, so do what feels right. So in terms of clothing to bring? I would say minimal. Here is a list of things I would bring with me next time.
- A nursing pyjama (if you think you might breastfeed)
- Nursing bra and/or nursing tank top (if you think you might breastfeed).
- One pair of leggings
- One open sweater (not a sweatshirt)
- Warm socks
- Underwear (I bought a 6 pack of granny-panty black underwear from Walmart. Essentially, be prepared to throw these undies out).
- Bathing suit (if you think a bath/shower might help during labour)
- Flip flops and/or slippers
- Outfit to go home
Adult diapers: I decided to bypass using pads and went straight for adult diapers…they were actually super useful and comfortable! I only used them for the first couple of days but it was a great investment in my opinion. I got these off of Amazon.
Disposable Nursing Pads: The last thing you want to do when you come home from the hospital is laundry. So for the sake of practically, I bought these disposable nursing pads to bring with me to the hospital and to also use here and there if I didn’t have any clean reusable nursing pads. I bought these reusable ones though and I would highly recommend them.
Nipple cream: If you do intend on breastfeeding, I would highly suggest bringing nipple cream with you to the hospital. I bought Lanolin from the pharmacy but the doctors can actually prescribe a medical grade nipple cream that is SO much better. My suggestion? Ask for that prescription right away. Don’t wait to get painful cracked nipples! Another option that my mom swears by? The liquid from vitamin E capsules. Worth a shot!
Small toiletries:
- Hair ties and clips
- Bobby Pins
- Headbands
- Travel sized shampoo/conditioner (in case you need to be there a few days)
- Unscented soap (this is also a must for when you go home. My regular Irish Spring soap was SO irritating for my lady bits…trust me on the unscented soap!)
- Wash cloth
- Lip Balm
- Earplugs (my OB/GYN actually suggested this one)
- Toilet paper (again, do your lady bits a favour and bring your soft plushy toilet paper from home)
- Prenatal vitamins
- Eye mask to help you get some rest
Soft Blanket: Theres just something comforting about a soft warm blanket that comes from home.
Speaker: If you think you might want to play some music during your delivery or labour (or both), consider bringing a small bluetooth speaker.
Gum: This was actually one of the things I used the most. I unfortunately didn’t react super well to the drugs they gave to induce me and ended up throwing up 5 times throughout labour and delivery. Having already received the epidural, I couldn’t just get up and go brush my teeth. Having some gum to chew on to freshen up was wonderful in the meantime.
Water bottle: I bought a reusable water bottle with a spout and straw so that it was easy for me to drink while lying down.
Breast pump: If you plan on breastfeeding and receive a breast pump before having the baby, bring it to the hospital! I needed to pay to rent one from the hospital and I used it quite a bit as breast feeding was super tricky but I wanted to make sure that baby got the colostrum. Hubby bought me this one from Medela as soon as we got home from the hospital and it was amazing! If you do get a breast pump, I would also highly recommend a “breast pump bra”. I got this one from Amazon.
Thank you gift for nurses: Completely up to you but you may want to consider a small gift and card for the wonderful people who helped to bring your little one into this world. I baked a couple of chocolate cakes at the end of my pregnancy, froze them and pulled them out when we left for the hospital. They really did appreciate it! Comment below if you want the recipe!
Pack Now: Dad
- Socks
- Underwear
- Pyjamas
- Jogging Pants
- T-shirts
- Sweatshirt
- Wash cloth
- Non-perishable snacks (granola bars, Gatorade, beef jerky, saltines, etc).
Pack Now: Baby
- Diapers: pack newborn and a few size one diapers since you don’t really know how big your baby will be.
- Wipes
- Bum cream
- Pyjamas (2 newborn ones with sleeves and feet, one 0-3 months with sleeves and feet)
- Onesies (one newborn and one 0-3 months)
- Hat (two different sizes)
- Socks
- Mittens
- Swaddle/receiving blanket (one light and one heavy)
- Going home outfit
- Folder for baby documents
- Car seat
Pack when you go into labour: Mom
- ID (including hospital card and medicare)
- Money (some cash as well as credit cards)
- Cellphone charger
- Earphones
- Pillow (one of the best things was having my pillow from home!)
- Toothbrush
- Toothpaste
- Deodorant
- Hairbrush
- Makeup (if you want)
- Dry shampoo (this definitely came in handy)
- Face wash
- Glasses (if needed)
Pack when you go into labour: Dad
- ID and money
- Cell phone
- Charger
- Earphones
- iPad (or other device with pre-downloaded shows…hubby and I surprisingly watched quite a bit of stuff while I was in labour!)
- Toothbrush
- Toothpaste
- Deodorant
- Perishable snacks (ie. fruit, cold water bottle, etc).
Just FYI, instead of having one bag for each of us, I just packed all of this into one medium sized suitcase and had another small separate bag for snacks 🙂
Do you have any other must-haves for your hospital bag? Comment below!