Hospital Bag Checklist

by: K. Ponder

You know what items you need on a daily basis. If you were stuck on an island all alone, what three luxury items would you choose to bring with you? Now, imagine heading off to the hospital or a birth center. What would you need to have on your hospital bag checklist?

My Hospital Bag Checklist Experience

I have packed my hospital bag twice. Both times, I overpacked. All I needed was my regular purse, lip balm, toiletries for brushing my teeth, some soft socks, and an outfit to wear home. There were also essential baby items. The baby car seat and the outfit to bring them home in. Nothing else was required. I did not use the birth plan the first time. However, the second time,  it was followed to a T. The key is to know what your EXPECTATIONS of your birth experience are (assuming delivery goes normally.) Babies do have a tendency to change the best-laid plans.

What Should I Add to My Hospital Bag Checklist?

If you are in doubt about what to pack, check with your birth center to see what supplies they provide for mom and baby during the stay. Some hospitals and birth centers provide the basics for you. These items may include any of the following:

Sanitary pads, large mesh underwear, numbing gel, hemmoroid pads, a squirt bottle, as well as delivery and nursing robes for mom. Items provided for the baby may include diapers, blankets, a sleeper, a thermometer, a nose sucker, and a spoon. Some even provide a shirt or two with the institution’s marketing on them. Worse case, if you show up with nothing, you should be covered with the basics. They may also provide samples from different brands that have offered their products or formulas.

The following is a list of useful items to pack. Depending on your delivery schedule and recovery expectations, you may want more or fewer items. Generally, the longer the planned stay, the more comfort and entertainment items you may like to have on hand for the awake hours: music, DVDs, games, etc.

Example Hospital Bag Checklist

1. ___ Identification Card / Insurance Card
2. ___ Lip balm
3. ___ Breath mints/ Hard candy
4. ___ Cozy socks
5. ___ An outfit for you. (Think your size at six months pregnant)
6. ___ Eye care if needed (glasses) contact solution
7. ___ Toothbrush and other overnight toiletries
8. ___ Loose-fitting underwear to accommodate thick pads
9. ___ Snack for you and/ or dad
10. ___ Hairband/brush
11. ___ Outfit for baby to wear home
12. ___ Birth plan written out (specifics, vaccinations, who cuts the cord, circumcision choice, pain management choice, special requests, etc.)
13. ___ Music and portable speaker
14. ___ Charging cables

Sometimes the hospital stay may be several days. TVs are often provided but they do not always have service. You will be sleeping as much as possible.

This is IMPORTANT; having a playlist for labor will allow you to look back and remember some of the beautiful moments when you hear the songs again.

1. ___ Instructions for the placenta if keeping it for encapsulation (with contact numbers for pickup.)
2. ___ Charged camera and phone
3. ___ List of people to call with baby news.
4. ___ Car Seat for baby, properly installed in the vehicle.

(Editor’s Note: We have a more detailed checklist in our member’s area, as well as a number of very useful downloads, videos, and more.)

Photo by Matilda Wormwood