The Ultimate Hospital Bag Packing List: Essentials for Mom, Baby, and Partner
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I've got all your hospital bag essentials laid out for you in several checklists! But even more important, I'm sharing what I packed vs what I actually used while I was in the hospital after delivering my second baby.
It’s almost time!! I’m so eager and ready for baby girl’s arrival and am trying my best to be as prepared as possible for our trip to the hospital to meet her! I had my final appointment with my OBGYN earlier this week and my OB said I was at 3 cm and she thought that I could go “any day now” - which of course means that this little girl is probably going to take her sweet time. While I have felt a few sporadic contractions, nothing has been consistent yet, so we will continue waiting.
Because of my velamentous cord insertion with my placenta, my doctor doesn’t want me waiting until 40 weeks to deliver, so we have scheduled an induction for next week at 39 weeks - but I’m really hoping that this little lady decides to show up before that!
While I’m waiting for her arrival, I thought it would be fun to share what I’m personally packing in my bag(s) for the hospital this second time around! I’m really trying to focus on the essentials and not do too much “over-packing” of things that I didn’t use or need from my experience with my first pregnancy. So let’s jump in and take a look at what I’m packing for this labor and delivery hospital stay!
What to Pack in Your Hospital Bags
Preparing for a hospital stay can be overwhelming, especially if you're expecting a baby. To make things easier, I've put together a comprehensive packing list for your hospital bag. But I’ve also included some tips on what you might actually need versus what you can leave at home, based on my own experience.
packing for mom
Labor and Delivery Gown - this is totally optional, but I loved having my own (soft) gown last time around and plan on wearing my own gown again this time! (I prefer to wear my gown AFTER labor - it makes all of the tummy checks easier, as well as the quick access for skin-to-skin and nursing a newborn).
Gripper Socks / Slippers - I’m usually a slippers kind of girl, but I found these adorable gripper socks that say “If you can read this, rub my feet” on the bottom, and I just couldn’t resist! This is also totally optional - usually, the hospital will have gripper socks for you.
Loose and Nursing-Friendly Pajamas - This is definitely essential. I remember with my first pregnancy thinking that I would want to be in leggings the whole time and that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Honestly, I was probably mostly living in my robe the first 12-24 hours after birth, except for when guests came to visit. You’ll definitely want some loose and nursing-friendly pajamas packed in your bag.
Robe - I bought a new robe this time around that is fairly large, super quality material (not too thin) and has pockets. And a huge bonus - the tie/wrap is actually SEWN IN at the back, which is just incredible. Why don’t all robes do this?!
Nursing Bras & Camis - This is also important and I’m taking a few options for nursing sleep bras with me since I’m not entirely sure what I’ll be in the mood to wear. It’s also possible I may only wear these on the way out of the hospital since we won’t really have visitors in the hospital this time around. I am also taking some button-down henley tank tops that will be nursing-friendly and will likely wear those the whole time.
Disposable Postpartum Underwear, Ice Pack Pads & Perinatal Bottle - These are also completely optional since the hospital will provide whatever you need, BUT - I love love LOVED the FridaMom disposable underwear (they felt more substantial and secure than the mesh ones from the hospital), and the FridaMom ice pack pads were super convenient. The other item that I found SO much better than what they offered in the hospital was the FridaMom upside-down peri bottle. I highly recommend these items, even though they are totally optional.
Going-Home Outfit - I’m taking some leggings, a maternity t-shirt, and a cardigan for going home in. Nothing fancy - just making sure that I am able to stay comfy and yet still feel a bit “put together” for the short trip home from the hospital.
Water Bottle - Again, the hospital will usually provide you with a large plastic cup (or styrofoam), so you don’t need to consider this an essential item, but if you have a water bottle that you love, it might be worth taking it with you!
Extra Bag - I have this adorable Mama Tote Bag that I put inside of my hospital bag to be able to use to haul some of the hospital items home. You can take everything that they are offering to you with you - so take it! I took the water cup, plastic bin, diapers, wipes, all postpartum healing and recovery items, etc. It’s nice to have extra room to bring this all home!
Extension Cord and/or Long Charging Cable - This seems like a given, but you never know where the outlets are going to be and you definitely want to be able to make sure your phone is charged and that you can keep it within reach, especially if you need to stay in bed and not move much after birth. Packing a long extension cord is clutch!
Toiletry Bag + Toiletries - I’m just throwing my travel toiletry bag into my hospital bag this time around and this will be one of the last things that I include - to make sure I get those last-minute items that I can’t really pack ahead of time - things like my contacts case, contact solution, glasses, toothbrush and toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo & body wash, face wipes, hair ties, and some basic makeup.
Large Towel - That first shower after birth is so incredible and I remember being so glad that I took my own towel with me last time. The hospital will obviously provide towels, but it was so great to have my own large, plush towel to use.
Pillow & Blanket - Again, not entirely essential, but a nice upgrade from what you get in the hospital. If you take your own pillow and blanket, make sure to have a pillowcase that really stands out (isn’t plain white) so that you don’t accidentally leave it there at the hospital!
Flip-Flops - These are for the shower. Do I really need to explain why? Trust me, you want a pair of sandals for the shower.
Face Masks - I have a few soft cotton face masks since I’m sure there will be areas of the hospital where I’m still required to wear a mask.
packing for baby
Diaper Bag - I’m using our diaper bag to pack these few baby-specific items, a few diapers and wipes (just to have them on hand in the diaper bag), and my breast pump.
Swaddle(s) - The hospital will have receiving blankets that they will wrap your brand-new baby in, but I really love my Lou Lou & Company swaddles and plan to take at least 2 with me to the hospital. Some of that is because of wanting some beautiful colors of swaddles for photos, but they are also way cozier to use than the standard receiving blankets and get a nice tight wrap that is hard to wiggle out of.
Sleepers / Pajamas - You could easily get away without having any pajamas or sleepers packed for the hospital because the baby will mostly be living in just a diaper and a swaddle while you are in the hospital. But I’m taking one set of pajamas with me just to be prepared, and am also taking two of my favorite knotted gowns from Lou Lou & Company. They are so soft and beautiful and make diaper changes easy.
Going Home Outfit - I’m taking the most beautiful ruffle-butt floral zipper footie and a coordinating headband bow that I got from Caden Lane as our little girl’s going-home outfit.
Extra Outfit - While I don’t think that I will need this, I like to be prepared and wanted to take at least one comfy outfit of a onesie and some pants and fuzzy socks.
Letterboard / Name Sign - Since we are not sharing (or fully deciding on) our baby’s name until she is born and we get to see her face, I like to take a letterboard with me to share her name once she is born and we have made a decision. But if you know your baby’s name ahead of the birth, you could also order and take along a beautiful name sign to use in photos and share your baby’s new name with everyone!
Pacifiers - I know this can be controversial to some people, depending on who you talk to, but we’re big fans of pacifiers and I plan to take one set with me just to have on hand in case we have an extra fussy baby that needs some extra soothing.
Mittens + Nail File - One of the knotted gowns and swaddles that I have from when my son was born also came with this small pair of mittens to keep the baby from scratching themselves. But I also plan on taking a nail file to take care of those extra-long and sharp nails that babies tend to have when they arrive in the world!
Nursing Pillow - I have my boppy pillow ready to go when we head to the hospital. I found this to be helpful when feeding the baby from the hospital bed, so I’m taking it with me again this time.
Breast Pump - I may not need the breast pump at all while I’m in the hospital, but I want to take it with me just in case. But this certainly is not essential, as the hospital would have whatever you need while you are there.
Sound Machine - This is another optional item - if you want to be able to drown out any other noise during your stay in the hospital, you may want to consider taking a sound machine along with you.
Car Seat / Blanket - This is ESSENTIAL! You’ll need to have your car seat with you and ready to go to take the baby home! Along with having our car seat installed and ready to go in our car, I’m also taking a small blanket that is not too heavy to rest over the baby if it is cold when we leave the hospital.
What I Packed vs What I Used
It’s almost inevitable that you will likely overpack for your stay at the hospital! Now that I’ve just brought my second baby home, I wanted to share with you what I actually used while I was in the hospital from what I had packed to take with me.
Delivery & Nursing Gown
I didn’t actually wear this during labor for either of my children, but I did wear this ALL of the time once I was moved over to couplet care (after labor) and found it was the comfiest thing to wear for all of those nursing sessions and to still have easy access for the nurses to check on everything they needed to check after delivery. So I still HIGHLY recommend this gown! I just didn’t want to wear it during labor to get all gross and dirty but loved wearing it for the rest of my stay in the hospital. I didn’t use other pajamas or lounge clothes in the hospital - I just needed a going-home outfit - save the rest of the comfy clothes for when you get home!
Comfy Robe
Since I was mostly wearing a nursing gown for my entire stay in the hospital, it was nice to have a cute and comfy robe to throw on over the gown when any visitors came by or just for an extra layer while lounging in the hospital room. I’m a big fan of this splurge of a robe - it’s an incredible quality of fabric, has pockets, and I love that the “belt” to tie is sewn into the back and I don’t have to worry about it coming loose from the robe itself!
Sleep Nursing Bras
These are my favorite nursing bras to wear in those early days with my newborn or during the night for nighttime feeds. There are lots of different brands, colors, etc. that you can get, but I have a set from Target and find them to be really comfortable and super easy access for feeding in the middle of the night.
Postpartum Disposable Underwear
Technically, you wouldn’t really need to have these with you, since the hospital will provide you with some mesh disposable underwear, but I find those to be so flimsy and loose (and in turn, somewhat uncomfortable), that I will eventually switch to wearing these FridaMom Disposable Underwear - they are much thicker material and feel like better coverage. I would also highly recommend the Depends Disposable Underwear - they actually have a built-in pad and still have great coverage and are a nicer material than the mesh ones provided by the hospital.
Boppy / Nursing Pillow
Once again, I was so glad that I had remembered to take my nursing pillow with me to the hospital! It was so convenient for learning to nurse my newborn and figure out what works for the two of us. It was probably my most-used item aside from what I was wearing!
So there you have it! Those were the MAIN things that I used while I was in the hospital after delivery! The other necessities were an extension cord for charging my phone near my hospital bed, at least one cute outfit for the baby to get some sweet photos and a going-home outfit for her, and of course, some toiletries for washing up and staying fresh during my stay.
Other Things to Prep & Prepare Before Birth
Along with packing my own bag and the diaper bag for the baby, we also need to make sure that my husband has his bag packed, plus make sure that our son has a bag packed and ready to go to stay with his grandparents while we are in the hospital. I’m not listing all of those items in this blog post, but I do have them listed on my printable Hospital Bag Checklist!
You will also want to have your Birth Plan ready to go! Most times, the hospital that you will be going to will have a birth plan form, but if not, feel free to download and use the one that I have created!
