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I remember when I was pregnant with my first baby, I was so young and naive. Okay, that’s fine I can call myself young some 8 years back, lol. Cutting the long story short, I never imagined I had to pack my hospital bag and enjoyed it throughout my pregnancy. I thought I will pack my maternity bag last week and trust me that it was the worst decision ever.
Never do that! I wish somebody had sent me a hospital bag checklist printable at that time.
If you are pregnant, chances are you must be reading a lot about what to pack in a hospital bag! But don’t know what to do because everyone has different advice and the amount of information on the internet insane.
All moms have the same question,
What should I pack for the hospital for my baby?
Let me tell you one thing, I am going to share what are the hospital bag must-haves for baby with a hospital bag checklist printable. Learning from my mistake, I didn’t repeat that when I got pregnant for the second time and my maternity bag was ready when I was in my second trimester.
Amazing? Isn’t it!
No fluff, this is the best advice you are going to read about hospital bag for moms from a mom of two kids. So keep reading, let’s do this.
First things first, don’t panic. If you are in your first or second trimester, you have quite a time to pack your hospital bag for delivery. If you are in your last trimester, don’t worry, you can print out this hospital bag checklist printable for baby in a minute. Take it with you or ask your partner to go get all the stuff.
Don’t forget to Get your Hospital bag checklist printable at the end of the post!
So coming back to the real topic.
When to pack a hospital bag?
The perfect timing to pack a hospital bag is when you can do everything on your own and when the sale season is going on. Of course don’t wait till your last week to shop, take advantage of the time when you are in your first or second trimester.
It is suggested that you should have your hospital bag ready by 38 weeks, no later than that. This way you will not have to worry if you leave something or forget something. The printable with this post will help you remember everything so don’t forget to print it out and keep it with you when you go for shopping baby stuff.
Hospital bag checklist for Baby
Most of the hospitals offer a lot of baby stuff and carrying the same things in your pregnancy hospital bag checklist is not a very wise decision. You should carry the essentials, don’t stuff the bag with stuff you or your baby aren’t going to need.
Another thing to mention here is many to be moms buy a lot of stuff without even realizing that they don’t need it. We know that excitement of a new baby is over the moon but don’t waste your money on things that you will use only for a week or a few days. Think long term!
So here are the baby bag essentials you need for your newborn in your maternity hospital bag checklist. Don’t forget to print out your hospital bag checklist printable after you finish reading.
A simple baby outfit for bringing baby home
A soft baby hat
Baby Bottles (if you plan to bottle feed your newborn)
Diapers (if your hospital doesn’t provide diapers, you should carry your own. Always ask your hospital which stuff they are providing so that you can carry the same things in your maternity bag)
You can also prepare your diaper bag checklist for labor just to keep everything diaper-related in a separate bag.
This is the hospital bag checklist for baby. Let’s move on to see other checklists.
Hospital bag checklist for mom
So here is the million-dollar question!
What to pack in the hospital bag for labor?
Moms who deliver vagin*lly and who have c-section need different things. As if you deliver vagin*lly, you will be staying at the hospital for a maximum of 2 days. I went for a vagin*l delivery but ended up having a c-section so you never know!
So what to pack in hospital bag for c section?
If you deliver via c-section, then most probably you will stay for 4 to 5 days. If you are not sure if you are going to deliver via c-section or vagin*lly then keep an extra pair of everything.
If you are sure you are going to deliver vagin*lly, keep your checklist short and to the point. As you not going to stay for longer. Print your hospital bag checklist printable so that you don’t forget anything.
So check out the hospital bag essentials for moms:
Your photo ID
Your insurance information and papers
Birth plan (if you have one, then keep it with you)
Money or your credit/debit cards
Your cell phone, charger, power bank, and your headphones.
You can find the top selling power bank here.
Contact lenses or eyeglasses
Four to five pairs of warm socks
We love these compression socks. Check them out here
Not a fancy one, but you will love this simple maternity bath robe.
A fragrance-free lip balm
We love this classic Nivea lipbalm.
Your comb or hairbrush
Headbands
Buy these handbands in bulk as who will have time to find the lost bands.lol
Lipstick and mascara (you will regret not taking them when you see your sick photos years later)
Mouth fresheners
Your own big water bottles
2 to 3 maternity bras
This Canpol Maternity Bra is great and helps a lot after giving birth.
Maternity underwear and sanitary pads (your hospital will provide these but you should have a stock of your own too)
Nursing bras so that you can feed your baby in comfort
Get your Canpol Babies Nursing Bra to pack in your hospital bag here.
These Chicco Antibacterial Breast Pads are our favorite.
A pouch having your toothbrush, toothpaste, face wash, shampoo, lotion, etc
Loose clothing or sleepwear to wear after the childbirth. I didn’t take any clothing when I went for delivery, just my sleepwear and I was very happy so you can do that too.
A nice loose dress for the day when you will go back home.
Flat and comfortable slippers or sandals
These are the hospital bag essentials for moms. But there are more optional essentials too, read them below:
Optional hospital bag checklist for moms
These are the things that you can carry in your hospital bag if you feel like you should carry them. But these are not essentials. All these essentials are written on the hospital bag checklist printable, you can skip them or take them, that’s entirely up to you.
Your favorite book
Your bath towel (hospitals provide towels but if you want to take yours, feel free to take it)
Hairdryer
Your sleeping pillow
This Itzy Ritzy Infant Nursing Pillow – Milk Boss Breastfeeding and Bottle Feeding Pillow and Positioner – Rotates Around Arm to Offer a Custom Fit and Relieve Arm Strain is our most favorite.
Matching outfits for you and your newborn for first-day photos if you have the plan to capture memories of your baby’s first day. Now let’s see the hospital bag for the birth checklist for dads.
Hospital bag checklist for dad
Many moms pack everything for themselves and their babies but pack nothing for their partners in the baby hospital bag. This is so unfair. Lol!
Don’t forget to pack a bag for your partner as you both will be spending the nights at the hospital. Here is a checklist of essentials you should pack for your newborn’s dad.
His cell phone charger
Headphones
Extra pair of clothes
Toothpaste, toothbrush, face wash, perfume, and small things he uses.
Snacks (don’t forget packing your and your husband’s favorite snacks)
Camera to capture the precious moments.
Extra batteries and power bank
These are the dad essentials that need to go in your hospital bag for delivery.
So are you ready to take your baby hospital bag?
When you are done with reading this post, don’t forget to download your hospital bag checklist printable here:
Simply just click and your download will start, no need to sign up 🙂
Your hospital bag packing doesn’t have to be a stressful thing to do. Don’t overstress and skip anything from the hospital bag checklist printable if you don’t want it.
Tell me if you want to add anything to this checklist? Did I miss something? I would love to hear more ideas. Feel free to add anything to the list in the comment section below.
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