THE *HONEST* HOSPITAL BAG CHECKLIST
The question everyone wants to know. What’s actually in your hospital bag when you go to birth that beautiful baby? Now that I’ve done that rodeo twice, there are some definite must have’s and don’t needs! Here’s my list:
Routine Products
Alright people. That first shower after giving birth is the best experience you will ever have. Dear god. You finally get to get all the nast off of you instead of having some random nurse try to sponge bath you. I ended up bringing my own shampoo that I use. They will provide any products for you, but it just isn’t the same when you do not have your normal products (at least for me). Here is my current favorite shampoo and conditioner for my curly, unruly hair! (show picture with link). I ended up bringing my own soap too… I know, weirdo. BUT back to my earlier point, my skin is super sensitive so to have my go to soap was such a good feeling! Here is my go to: dove soap bar.
A hair brush- do not forget!! When you have to lay around for a while, your hair will get all tangled. I HIGHLY suggest putting your hair in a nice braid or updo so it doesn’t get too unruly, especially my curly headed folks out there! My go to was doing a french braid in my hair. It was cute, but it kept everything back and untangled when I was navigating breastfeeding/changing and dealing with a newborn!
DO NOT FORGET and I repeat DO NOT FORGET lotion and chapstick! You will thank me later…. Hospitals are super dry. I couldn’t tell ya why, but they are. I get dry way too easily (my skin sucks) so lotion was essential along with chapstick. If you forget it, your partner better be happy to go buy some for you!
*If you plan on breastfeeding* The hospital will provide you nipple cream. Please, dear god, use it. I did bring my own because I had experience from my first son with breastfeeding. I personally prefer Lanolin. Most hospitals will also provide this to you for free! If you decide to breastfeed, use the cream even if you don’t think you need to or if they don’t hurt at that exact moment. It prevents them from getting worse! (believe me, I made that horrible mistake)
Nursing Friendly Night Gown
Once I got settled into my hospital room, I changed into my own nursing friendly nightgown ASAP. You can certainly use the hospital provided gown, but eh, they are not nearly as comfortable as ones you bring from home. I am thoroughly OBSESSED with Dwell and Slumber! They come in a variety of styles, colors, and patterns. They are nursing friendly and super cute! Not to mention, they are as soft as butter. Get one. Get one now… a year later and I still am wearing them because they are so comfy!
Robe or Cardigan
Hospitals can be the arctic tundra and quickly turn into the sahara desert within 5 minutes. Having an easy to take off cardigan or robe is a lifesaver… I personally brought a matching one to my nightgown, because #style. It was a thinner material so I wouldn’t feel like I was roasting over a fire. Both the robe and nightgown were from Target, so they weren’t crazy expensive and I could get them ASAP!
Nursing Bra
This isn’t always necessary for the hospital stay… but I liked having one on since… well… having a second child did some wonders to the ladies. It gave me some extra support where I needed it quite honestly. Some of my favorite nursing friendly bras that are comfortable are from target. The pads are built in (hallelujah!) and the band adjusts (another win).
Socks
The hospital will give you those stylish socks with the rubber bottoms on them during your stay… I mean don’t get me wrong, I do like those socks BUT I also like to have my own since the ones from the hospital just never seem to fit “just” right. The hospital rooms can get cold and then hot as lava, so I would suggest bringing 2 pairs that are good to keep you nice and toasty as well as cool.
Water bottle *with a Straw!
BRING YOUR OWN WATER BOTTLE. You will thank me later… hospitals will have the lovely styrofoam cups, but for me (because I drink WAY too much water) it just didn’t suffice. I ended up bringing my Yeti which was great. It kept my water cold and it also allowed me to have enough water so my poor husband wasn’t going to the water fountain every 5 seconds. I am obsessed with my yeti and the accessory for it linked here.
Going Home Clothing Options
I know how tempting it is to bring the fanciest going home outfit for you and baby, because duh, you wanna show off that little babe!! After having my second child, I realized the easier the outfit the better. I brought a couple different options because I wasn’t sure how big he was going to be. Of course, with my track record, he was quite large. Here is what I brought:
Newborn sized plain white onesie (long sleeve or short depending on the weather of your state. I brought a long sleeve because of good ole Wisconsin in March! You just never know what you’re gonna get.
Little Brother sleeper. This was the going home outfit little dude got! It was super cute, soft, and easy to put on. Yes… it has the dreaded buttons on the bottom, but it honestly isn’t that difficult to do.
Knot gowns. OMG this was such a good thing to bring to the hospital!! My little guy ended up having jaundice. He had the privilege of getting to lay on the biliblanket and he glowed oh so cute! Here's the best part: the knot gowns were the PERFECT size to put the blanket and baby in. It held the blanket in place and my little man was all cozy. The nurse even said that knot gowns should be marketed for biliblankets… business idea? Maybe! If anything else, they are SO adorable on and super functional when you have a squirmy little newborn.
Baby socks. I brought two different sizes for going home- newborn and a 1-3 month old. Again, with my track record, my children have enormous feet (thanks a lot Dan- aka husband). So I wasn’t sure which would be the best… to be completely honest, I only put the socks on to go home. He didn’t wear them at the hospital, because really there is no need.
Matching hat/blanket set. I am thoroughly OBSESSED with the brand Copper Pearl. Like it's an addiction. I purchased a blanket and hat to match each other from a local baby/kid boutique store. I needed more… The fabric is buttery soft and stretchy to fit any size. They are fantastic swaddles! I swaddled Henry with Copper and Pearl blankets for a long time because they held him in so well. I used these blankets at the hospital after his first bath and all the nurses were in love with them! I still use them to this day and it’s Henry approved! Not only are the blankets great, but the hats are adorable (and match!!). The little knot on the hat is adjustable to your baby's head size, win! They are super easy to adjust and too cute for words. A couple of my all time favorite patterns (boy and gender neutral) was and still is the “Hunter” as well as “The City” (also got this for my carseat cover!). They come out with new patterns CONSTANTLY and they have seasonal goodies as well!!
Don’t forget about mom! Besides the nightgown and robe, I brought an outfit that I would be going home in. Bring something comfortable! Yes, your stomach *kinda* deflates after having a baby, but the bump is still there. I ended up bringing one of my coziest joggers. They were stretchy and easy to put on (especially after having a c-section). Refer above: nursing bra. Lastly, I brought a nursing friendly shirt that was flowy since I would still have a bump! Here are my favs from Old Navy.
Shoes for mom. I was one stylish momma leaving the hospital. Joggers, tshirt, socks, and my crocs. In all honesty though, crocs were the best to bring into the hospital. I am a germaphobe to begin with so crocs were easy to clean and could even go in the shower so I wasn’t showering barefoot, #gross! Not the cutest shoes, but oh so functional!
Diaper Bag
I brought a packed diaper bag with me to the hospital, then baby had his own separate things! I did this with my first son as well, which worked out very nicely. Here is what I ended up bringing in the diaper bag and my favorite diaper bag (actually a backpack) from target!
4-5 diapers. Alright, you don’t really NEED to bring diapers with you because the hospital will provide everything to you. They may even let you take a couple packs home with you! I brought a couple just to be over prepared, plus it was ready to go for the following days after leaving the hospital (doctor appointments galore!). Here are my favorite diapers (Little dude has very MINIMAL leaks in these diapers, they are great and affordable!)
Wipes. Bring a full thing of wipes! Similarly to diapers, they aren’t a necessity at the hospital because they provide everything, but it will be easier that it’s done and over with before you have to go home. Here are my ultimate favorite wipes!
Baby clothing items from the list above. Even with ALL of the clothing I brought for him, I still managed to have room in the bag!
Aquaphor. My saving grace!! Aquaphor or really any petroleum jelly does the trick for a nasty diaper rash. Let me tell you…. Newborns are so prone to getting a rash quickly since they have such delicate skin. Unfortunately my little guy got a nasty one about a week after coming home and I wish I would’ve applied the ointment each diaper change no matter what! Don’t make my mistake… trust me.
What items did I NOT use? But I packed anyway…
Towels: I brought my own thinking I would 100% use it because hospital towels are, well, kinda nasty if you think about it. BUT to be honest, I didn’t pull it out of my suitcase… I was in the hospital for 3 total days and let me tell you, you go through A LOT of towels. Birth isn’t the cleanest thing in the world… For me, the towel was unnecessary and just took up extra space/weight in my bag.
Baby shoes: Ugh, they are so cute!! But do absolutely no purpose! Bringing shoes to the hospital was not necessary, especially since you have no clue how big those precious little tootsies will be. I know it’s tempting… but just leave them at home!
Extra clothing for Mom: I ended up bringing 3 nightgowns with me. Some may think that is a lot… but it was worth it honestly. As soon as I could, I changed out of the lovely hospital gown and into my own since I was more comfortable for a variety of reasons. Since I couldn’t shower that first day, by the second day I was NASTY. For some reason, I was super sweaty and went from cold to hot every 5 minutes. After that first shower I was glad to have brought another nightgown that I could change into. So for me, it was worth it!
Extra Clothing for Baby: In total I brought a long sleeve/short sleeve onesie (newborn size), 1 knot gown, 2 pairs of socks (diff sizes) and a going home outfit (sleeper). That was perfect! Don’t bother bringing multiple going home outfits… it will just clutter up your diaper bag!
Was the list lengthy? 1000%. I packed all of this stuff roughly 2-3 weeks before my delivery. A lot of this stuff I wasn’t using at that moment so I could easily pack it away *just in case I decided to go into labor early (which I didn’t). So, what was your list or what else would you include?
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