There are definitely a few essential items you will want to pack in your hospital bag for comfort, but the angst surrounding the hospital bag is magnified by advertisements, social media and even family and friends throwing their opinions at you.
Don’t feel pressured (internally or externally) to pack half of your house!
Feeling overwhelmed?
That’s understandable, especially if you’re a new mom, but try not to be! I know it seems like a HUGE deal to pack a hospital bag, and it is in the sense that it is an exciting milestone towards the end of your pregnancy journey. What it shouldn’t be is something that strikes anxiety, fear, and panic.
The hospital will have almost everything you will need and once your baby is born nothing else will seem important.
16 Essential Items For Your Hospital Bag -
Just to forewarn you – I am not a “get dressed to impress and put makeup on every day” kind of girl. I’m a “be comfortable and get dolled up for special occasions” kind of girl, especially when pregnant! Even if you are one of those ladies that always looks like you stepped out of a magazine (you go girl!) this list can still at least be a starting point for you.
Here is my no frills or fluff list of 16 essential items for your hospital bag:
1. The bag itself
In my opinion you want the smallest bag that can easily fit all of your essential items with just a little extra wiggle room to take some items provided by the hospital.
While we’re talking about bags, I would suggest adding a trash bag or some grocery bags to separate dirty clothes from clean clothes.
2. Baby's going home outfit
One to three total (I would recommend a newborn and a 0-3 month onesie/outfit just in case!) and MAYBE an outfit for during your stay. I WAY overpacked here. Since I was breastfeeding and I felt skin to skin was incredibly important.
My baby was in a diaper, hat, and swaddled in a hospital blanket the entire stay. All babies (and parents) benefit from skin to skin, not just breastfed babies.
3. ONE outfit for you
Your going home outfit.
You will live in a hospital gown, a gown you brought with you, or a robe.
At least I did.
It was comfortable, easily maneuvered to breastfeed and do skin to skin, and it was easy acess for nurses and doctors (it was a surprise to me that they checked my vagina regularly to make sure I was healing properly and didn’t have excessive bleeding or clots).
Back to the outfit – think comfy according to the season: nursing tank, dres, t-shirt, cardigan, sweatpants, comfortable (not compression) leggings, soft cloth shorts, etc.
4. Outfits for dad
Two or three comfortable outfits for dad, or whomever will be accompanying you, along with a couple of pairs of pajamas. I was in the hospital for about 4 days and 3 nights with a vaginal birth (due to spiking a fever after labor).
5. Non-slip socks
1-2 pairs. I preferred the ease to these over trying to keep track of slippers. If you’re more of a slipper girl, by all means, slipper on!
6. Chargers
I recommend two so you and your birth partner each have one.
7. Hair ties
I would bring at least two hair ties, you know how those tend to disappear! Along with hair ties I’m going to throw it out there that a couple of bobby pins or a headband might be a good idea depending on your hair length.
8. Toiletries
Including a brush, deodorant, toothbrush, and toothpaste for you and dad. If you want you can definitely pack some more toiletries (hopefully in travel sizes) but the hospital will have washcloths and at least an all in one body wash/shampoo combo for you.
If you’re thinking of packing an extra toiletry I would recommend chap stick. If you forget it though, you can always use nipple cream, works better than any chap stick I’ve tried!
9. Nursing pillow
If you plan to breastfeed. I wish I would have had the “My Brest Friend Nursing Pillow“. Instead I brought the more popular “Boppy” and was so frustrated with it I was stuck using hospital pillows to help prop the baby while nursing.
Need more info on the pillows? Here’s my very honest opinion My Brest Friend vs The Boppy
10. Snacks
I think a few are a good idea but this is another area I exceeded necessity. There is a cafeteria and vending machines after all. Maybe pack a couple of $1.00 bills just in case.
11. Comfortable coverup
A robe and/or the “Frida Mom Delivery and Nursing Gown“. These may not be a necessity but I was really glad once I remembered I had packed my own gown.
The gown provided by the hospital would fall off, it exposed me more than the Frida Mom did and the Frida Mom gown was WAYYYY more comfortable. So much so that I purchased another one after I left the hospital…so soft and convenient!
I personally wouldn’t recommend buying a gown to wear during delivery, some women do but I personally wouldn’t want to deal with the aftermath and that seems wasteful to me.
A friend of mine also bought me this robe. I loved having that at the hospital, when I was postpartum and even now!
12. Car seat
Make sure the car seat base is INSTALLED and ready to go. As first time parents it took us a while to install our car seat. I would have been exceedingly stressed to be trying to install this in the hospital parking lot while holding my newborn. I would recommend installing this as soon as possible, you never know when your baby may choose to make their debut!
Okay, try not to laugh at me on this one. I would recommend reading the manual or watching some videos so you know how to work your car seat and get baby safely strapped in. Hey, maybe even practice on a stuffed animal!
We had a heck of a time strapping baby girl in for the first time. The nurses did not come to our aid as my newborn screamed and we fumbled with the car seat for what felt like an eternity. Finally I took her out and watched an instruction video while breastfeeding her once more. Don’t make my rookie mom mistake!
(We bought the Chicco Keyfit30 Trio Travel system. After our initial new parent confusion the base system was INCREDIBLY easy to install and move car to car if necessary. My sister-in-law is using it for her grandbaby and our niece said she prefers it to her own! The car seat is great, the stroller is sturdy and worked well but does not maneuver as well as a “Jogger” stroller.)
13. Bathing suit
At least a bathing suit top, sports bra, or tank top. Okay, hear me out on this one. I was able to get in the tub at the hospital (I highly recommend if you can) and it did ease the pain of contractions.
Now I know humility tends to go out the window after umpteen OBYN appointments but I think I would have been a little more comfortable having at least my breasts covered. Another reason for me is that we took photos of this special time in my labor and I can’t say that I love looking at them because I can’t get past my breasts on full display to really reminisce.
14. Sleeping mask
This was a necessity for me because I sleep with one every night and can’t sleep without one now.
I do think that even if you’re not used to wearing one that it would come in handy for you and dad because hospital staff will be in and out and you will likely be trying to take a quick nap or two during daytime.
15. Important documents
I don’t think it’s necessary to pack your whole wallet with your hospital bag. Your ID, insurance card, a little bit of cash, and maybe a debit card is plenty and will take up so much less room.
16. A comb
I have not personally tested this yet but I would like to if we decide to have another baby. You can do your own more extensive research on this one but the premise is that the brain can only intently focus on one pain at a time and since your hand is closer to your brain it receives those pain signals/stimulation prior to the labor pains. Another theory has to do with the pressure points in your hand.
I’ve seen a wooden comb recommended over a plastic one.
I did pack some of those plastic massagers but we did not use them at all during my labor.
What do you think?
Does this seem sparse to you? Overkill? I definitely tend to fall into the over-packer category myself. Especially when it’s for something I’ve never done. If I get a second go ’round, I’ll feel much less overwhelmed having not packed half of my pantry (HA!). I do understand though that we’re all different. We have different comforts, priorities, and essential needs.
Was there something on the list you hadn’t thought of or seen suggested yet? Or items I didn’t list that you can’t live without for your labor hospital stay?
