Preparing for Baby: Hospital Bag Packing List

This week I am 32 weeks into my third pregnancy and getting things in order to receive our new baby. I have begun to write my birth plan, talk about postpartum care, install the infant car seat in our vehicle, and pack my hospital bag. I am one of those people who probably packs too much for my two day hospital stay, but I like to be comfortable and I like to be prepared. I thought it might help some of you, especially first time moms, to share my hospital bag packing list.

For Baby:

• Onesies–the ones provided at the hospital are often HUGE-like meant for a 6 month old. I bring clothes for a boy or a girl.

• 1 going home outfit–the rest of the time the baby will likely be swaddled or nursing so won’t need many clothes. I’m a sucker for the little sister/little brother outfits.

It’s great to have shirts with the built-in mittens because newborns have incredibly sharp nails they often scratch themselves with. Otherwise, just put socks on your baby’s fists.

Find more advice about baby clothes in this article. I packaged each gender’s outfits in plastic bags and I’ll pull out one or the other when we finally know the gender.

• Pacifier–I didn’t use this with either of my children because I didn’t want to initiate nipple confusion. However, our neighbor in the next room when we had Lily had a colicky baby who cried night and day. If I am so unfortunate, I want one of these along.
• Swaddling blankets
• Warm blanket for car seat–Remember those fleece covers that attach to your car seat are not legal because they didn’t come with your car seat manufacturer and were not tested for safety. A warm blanket for on top of baby is a better choice.

For Breastfeeding:

• Lanolin nipple cream–Apply this before the baby comes for a couple weeks to help prevent cracked nipples.
• Boppy–This also functions as my pillow. I LOVE Boppy pillows!
• Hooter hider–I probably won’t use this, but sometimes you have guests who are awkward about you breastfeeding in front of them.
• Hot/cold breast pads–These are heated packs to help me with milk let-down when I begin a feeding.
• Leak pads

• Nursing bra
• Paperclip–for attaching to my bra to keep track of which side I fed from last. You want to alternate and keep things even, but it is hard to remember when you’re functioning on a couple hours sleep. Learn more breastfeeding tips here!

In case breastfeeding goes poorly:

• Hand pump
• Compression bottle–These bottles are meant to mimic breastfeeding.
• Nipple shield–The hospital supplies these if you need one, too.

For me:

• Boy short underwear–the underwear they give you are so odd fitting and weird. They work fine, though, if you don’t have any large boy shorts you don’t mind getting bloody.
• No skid socks–It is hard enough to walk after labor, let alone on hospital slippery floors. If you don’t have any no skid socks, just add little dots of hot glue to the bottom of a normal pair of socks.
• Robe
• Sports bra–Sometimes I found this more comfortable than a nursing bra.

• Electric heating pad–For back pain and discomfort.
• 1 going home outfit
• Hair products
• Shampoo/conditioner–They provide this if you’re not particular about your hair.
• Shaver–It is recommended you take 4-6 baths during the day after birth, and I remember wishing I had a shaver a couple times, although it seems silly.
• Straightener–I like to straighten my hair/do my makeup at at least one point during my hospital stay to help myself feel more normal & look less bloated.
• Make-up
• Head bands/hair ties/bobby pins
• Vaseline–This is something I will make sure to have. Those deep breaths you have to take during labor made my lips so chapped they peeled and turned white.

Other:

• Cell phone
• Charger
• Camera
• Purse
• Book
• Laptop
• Pregnancy binder
• Useful info
• Drinks and snacks–Our hospital does have a snack cart, but it doesn’t come around as often as it should.

As you can see, most of my hospital bag packing list is for breastfeeding. When I had Lily, we successfully breastfed without any pads, packs, shields, or tools (I didn’t even own a pump!). However, at first it takes a lot of patience and it’s nice to have things that help. If you are not planning to breastfeed, a lot of this list won’t pertain to you. Basically, all you really NEED to provide for your baby is your body. The hospital gives you and baby clothing, diapers, wipes, everything you NEED, so don’t worry. This list is just niceties I like to have along so I don’t have to send my husband home to fetch stuff for me.

I hope reading my hospital bag packing list helped you figure out what you need to include in yours. Be sure to check out my other posts about preparing for a new baby:

Breastfeeding
What to Include in Your Birth Plan
Tips for Buying Baby Clothes
Registries
Postpartum Care
Sleep Training Your Infant