What To Put in The Hospital Bag?

Getting ready to head to the hospital? Check out my hosptial bag tips below!

In honor of my friend giving birth any day now I’m sharing my top ten suggestions for what to pack for the hospital – whether you are a first time mom or going for the second time around and need some refreshers you won’t want to forget these.

1. A robe. This is on everyones list for a reason – just bring it and you’ll be glad you did.

2. Comfy, loose fitting (pj) pants. I originally thought skirts/dresses would be great and had brought a nightgown thinking I’d be more comfortable, but let me tell you pants are wayyyy better for holding everything in place – ice packs, pads etc.

3. Newborn diapers. Our hospital (one that specializes in child birth) only had size one and told us just to fold them over – they were huge and didn’t help at all. So glad we had my mom bring in some newborn diapers for us!

4. Wipes – again our hospital didn’t provide and told us to use towels. Which was one really gross and two scratchy and horrible feeling. Remedied immediately since my purse always had wipes from my older baby.

5. Nursing tops/covers. You’ll find these especially come in handy when all your family/visitors come to call or meet the baby.

6. Crappy flip flops or slippers. Trust me you’ll likely not want to wear these around at home again after walking the hospital floors in them, and if I’m climbing into bed in socks there’s no way i’m walking to the bathroom in them…

7. A cup with a straw. Whether you are nursing, bottle feeding or just in labor having a cup with a straw makes life so much better – especially if you need someone else to hold the cup. Keep it simple (and waste free) by bringing a reusable one. This is something I lived for in the hospital but also loved those first few months home with a new baby since I could drink from it with my one free hand.

8. Extra baby outfit. Mostly we kept our baby just wrapped in a hospital blanket so didn’t need too much for our hospital stay but I will say the extra outfit was very helpful for the blowout as we were getting ready to leave. If you are trying to get photos done at the hospital keep in mind you may need more than one outfit for that with all the spit up and what not too.

9. Snacks. While I wasn’t too interested in eating during labor (some people definitely are) I can’t tell you how many times I sent my husband out for a muffin after my daughter was born. I just wanted to snack in between meals while at the hospital. Whether it was physical or just from being stuck in a room all day I was certainly hungrier than usual and would have been very happy to have a few of my favorite snacks from home.

10. An extra bag. You know all those reusable bags you’ve been keeping in your car for the grocery store? Those are also great for taking home all the extra stuff. We had visitors bring small items, send flowers, or simply hospital staff telling us to take home the open pack of diapers since they can’t use them for the next patient. They also sent us home with loads of other care items from ice packs to breast pumps that we had to cram into our already packed overnight bag. Having a few extra bags on hand (ok in the car that hubs had to go find) was definitely handy – I even used one to separate some of the really soiled clothes that needed a good washing.

Our Christmas List Year 2
Orlando

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