Need help packing your hospital bag? I know that feeling all too well. That’s why I wanted to put together a hospital bag checklist for you that I will be taking to the hospital my second time around.

When I was pregnant with my first baby, I had NO idea what essentials I would need to pack for the hospital. I, of course, searched Pinterest and the internet to figure out what was recommended to pack and I was left feeling overwhelmed.

I kept putting it off because I literally had no idea where to start or how I should organize myself. I had to pack not just for myself but for my husband and our baby boy. I don’t know if it’s my anxiety that gets the best of me but packing in general just stresses me out. I always feel like I am never prepared and that I am forgetting something.

What ends up happening is I ALWAYS bring way too much. That was exactly the case for me. I packed more than I needed and even left some important essentials out that I could have used. A hospital bag checklist would have been so nice to have!

I hope my experience can help alleviate the overwhelming task of packing and prepare you to have the most efficient and simple hospital bag checklist. Trust me the last thing you want to do when you leave the hospital is to make sure you have everything and have to carry it all out. All your attention will want to be on your baby you just welcomed into the world, and not the luggage of items you brought.

Below is the perfect hospital bag checklist that I will be packing my second time around. From my first experience, I learned all the essentials I needed to have, didn’t need to have, and would have loved to have with me. All is listed below. Keep in mind this list is the bare essentials to keep it simple and is strictly what I used and/or needed. 

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TIP: I would recommend packing your bag around 35 weeks in case baby comes early. The last thing you want to do while you are in labor is scrambling around trying to get everything together. Have it by your door ready to go! Also, at that time I had Luke’s car seat installed. I also had garbage bags and towels in my car just in case my water broke while I was at work or out and about.

Hospital Essentials For Mama:

• Your Own Pillow: I loved that I had my own pillow for two reasons; one–it was nice to have a piece of home with me that brought me comfort through the labor and post delivery and two–the hospital pillows just aren’t that comfortable. You’ll be staying 1-2 nights in the hospital so you want to be able to get some good rest because you won’t be getting a lot of that when your bring your baby home. 😉
• Your Own Blanket: I brought my super soft, fuzzy blanket that I actually sleep with and so glad I did. Again, it kept me warm and brought me so much comfort during my labor. AND I loved snuggling up with it with my baby boy after he was born.

• Labor Socks: This is obviously not a “necessity” but I planned to try to have a natural birth so I wanted to get these as a morale booster. They had a sweet little message on them and served their purpose of reminding me that all this pain is worth it. I also got really cute pictures with them and I now have them saved in my birth shutter box for Luke. It’s a great momentum and I don’t regret this purchase at all. I purchased these socks on Amazon. I bought the blue pair since I was having a boy but they have a cute pink pair if you are having a girl below. 🙂

  

  
• Sports Bra/Shorts: I brought this because I wanted to be able to utilize the bath tub during my labor. It helped get me through some contractions and alleviated my pain a little so I’m really glad I brought it!
• Chapstick: Believe it or not but your lips will get chapped! Especially if you have a long labor like I did (18 hours). I barely had any water so my lips felt dry and all the breathing in and out adds to the dryness. I had my Chapstick sitting right next to me and it was a lifesaver!
• Ponytails/bobby-pins: I don’t know about you but my hair went straight up in a bun as soon as I felt my first contraction. I hate having my hair in my eyes and when in labor–comfort is key. I also threw my hair up the whole time after I had Luke.
• Robe: It was really nice having my robe with me. It kept me warm during and after labor. I was mostly in a tank top since I was breastfeeding Luke often so it was convenient to slip my robe on and off to keep me warm.

• Toiletries: I felt so gross after labor that I needed to shower so this was a must have for me. I went to Target and bought travel size shampoo, conditioner, body wash, face wash, mini deodorant, and a small loofa. I even bought a tooth brush and small toothpaste so I wouldn’t forget mine in the midst of labor. You’ll need a toiletry bag for all the toiletries to put in your hospital bag to stay organized. This one below fits everything perfect!

  

• Towel: The hospital towels are small and not warm at all so bringing my own towel was essential.
• Flip Flops: I brought these for the hospital shower so I wouldn’t be barefoot in the shower and bathroom.
• Nursing Bra: If you plan on breastfeeding, this is important. But I’ll be honest, I didn’t put mine on until I left the hospital. I had my boobs out the entire time I was in the hospital. Luke was nursing non stop and it was easier to just leave my bra off, haha. But I of course didn’t want to leave the hospital without a bra on.
• Nipple Cream: This is an item I didn’t think to bring and I could have used it. My nipples bled and were cracked just hours after breastfeeding Luke. I will definitely bring it with me for my second little guy who is due in June.
• Nipple Gel Pads: I would have loved to have these when I had Luke but didn’t even think to bring them. I will definitely be bringing them this time around!
• Boppy Nursing Pillow: An essential item if breastfeeding. You’ll be feeding at least every three hours (I was feeding like every two hours) and your arms will get tired if you don’t have one. Plus, it helps position the baby nice and close to you which helps with baby’s latch.
• Comfy Clothes: You want to pack clothes for 3 days just in case. I brought tank tops and leggings. You may want to bring a sweater just in case the hospital is cold. You want to pack items for what fit you when you were about six months pregnant. You’ll still have a belly post delivery so you’ll be uncomfortable if you pack pre-baby clothes. I also packed a maternity sweater, sweats, and fuzzy boots to go home in (it was December when I had Luke).
• Camera/Phone and Charger: You’ll want to take plenty of pictures and send them to all your loved ones!
• Insurance/Admission Paperwork/Birthing Plan: These are all items you’ll want to give the hospital staff. I didn’t actually write out my plan but I had an idea of what I would tell them. I also informed my husband just in case I forgot to bring it up or I was in too much pain to talk. I had a simple plan of wanting to try to do natural but I wasn’t opposed to an epidural if I needed one.

What I Didn’t Need:

• Underwear: The hospital will supply you with disposable underwear for your stay there so there really is no reason to bring any. They have HUGE pads at the hospital also so if you feel more comfortable bringing your own underwear make sure you buy a size or two larger than you normally wear.
• Yoga Ball: The hospital has a yoga ball there so I won’t have to worry about bringing it this time around. Check with your hospital if you plan on wanting to use one for labor.
• Positive Affirmation Note Cards: I wrote a bunch of positive affirmations on note cards to help me through labor in attempts to go natural but I never used them. I lasted about eight hours and I was ready for the epidural.
• Music Playlist: I also put together a “birthing” playlist of positive, soothing songs to help me labor but turns out I wanted silence.
• Make-Up: I brought make up for pictures but I didn’t use it at all nor feel like it or have the time to. Putting makeup on was the last thing on my mind. If you wanted to bring some, I’d only make room for the bare minimal.
• Hair Dryer/Straightener: As soon as I got out of the shower, I threw my hair up. It was hard for me to walk around and even stand, that I just didn’t feel like doing more than I needed to. Plus, my constant attention was on my little man that I didn’t really care to do my hair honestly.
• Razor: I don’t know why I thought I’d have the energy to shave at the hospital, lol. Definitely did not need this!
• Pads: The hospital supplied these so definitely wasn’t necessary to bring them. I would advise to have some stocked up at home though!

Hospital Essentials For Dad:

• Clothes: 2-3 days worth of outfits, underwear, socks, etc. (my husband didn’t even pack pajamas…he just slept in his clothes).
• Toiletries: Deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and toothbrush/toothpaste.
• Phone and Phone Charger: You definitely want to bring both chargers so that way you don’t have to rely on one the whole time you’re at the hospital.
• Snacks& Drinks: My labor was 18 hours long so my husband needed to have some snacks on hand. They do have vending machines at the hospital typically but I wanted to have my man there as much as possible at least during the labor part so pre-packing the snacks worked for us!
• Entertainment: My husband was on his phone mostly but he did bring some books/magazines to look through for the slow parts of labor and for when I was busy nursing Luke.
• Pillow/Blanket: The hospital’s pillow and blankets are not comfortable and given your significant other will be sleeping on an uncomfortable couch to begin with, you definitely want to have him bring his own items.

Hospital Essentials for Baby:

• Car seat: We had Luke’s car seat installed a few weeks before my due date so we wouldn’t have to figure it out while I was in labor and as we were going home from the hospital. The hospital won’t let you leave without it and they have to make sure it is up to safety standards.
• One or Two Onesies: Luke was mostly swaddled the whole time so I think we had him in maybe one onesie. When he wasn’t swaddled, we were doing skin to skin cuddled under my blanket.
• Going Home Outfit: You’ll need a cute outfit for baby to go home in but I’d recommend a functional outfit. You’ll be changing baby a lot and we put him in a three piece outfit and it posed a lot of challenges. It was cute but definitely will be bringing a cute sleeper or something easier to take on and off this time around.
• Blanket for going home: You only really need to bring one warm blanket for baby to have for the car seat as the hospital provided the swaddle blanket for baby’s stay.

The hospital I had Luke at had supplied a lot of essentials for him so I would advise to check with your hospital first before packing items for your baby. I ended up bringing too much for him.

Skip adding the below things to your hospital bag checklist. What my hospital supplied that I didn’t need to bring:

• Diapers, wipes, hat, swaddle blankets, & burp cloths

• I also packed mittens but didn’t use them as Luke was swaddled most of the time so he couldn’t really scratch his face.

• I brought pacifiers for him but I ended up not wanting to use them until I established breastfeeding with Luke as I didn’t want him to have nipple confusion. 

• We also brought his diaper bag but we didn’t really need it as we were just going back home where all of his essentials were like diapers, wipes, clothes, etc.

Another Tip: The hospital sent us home with a few extra items like diapers, pads, a few disposable undies, burp cloth, swaddle blanket. I would ask and see what they will give you. They provided us with a large bag for all the items but it may be worth it to bring like a small garbage or duffel bag for excess items if they don’t have one. 

That’s it! I hope this hospital bag checklist can be a great starting guide for you and help simplify the task of packing your hospital bag. I’ll be updating this list once my man comes in June if I think of anything new that I could have used or any fun items I end up wanting to bring this time around. If this is your second time around also, I would love to hear what would you add to this hospital bag checklist? Comment below! <3

Drop your email below if you would like your hospital bag checklist!