Katie from Moore from Katie said, “A few weeks ago, I had a couple of girlfriends at my house and we began talking about what we packed for the hospital when our children were born. We began to reminisce about the odd items our husbands suggested to pack and I thought I would put a fun twist on our conversation. I created a collage and wanted to pass it along. Take a look at my collage here: ”
She thought it would be fun to have other mom bloggers share what they packed for the delivery room hospital stay. My hospital bag checklist is below Katie’s.
Hospital Bag Checklist for Baby Delivery
Katie’s Must-Haves Hospital Bag Packing List:
1. Diaper Bag: I love this color! Source: www.potterybarnkids.com
2. ID and Insurance Cards: These are a MUST have for the hospital- to ensure they process your paperwork correctly.
3. Cord Blood Collection Kit: This is of your partner’s responsibilities and is important to give to your doctor. Source: www.viacord.com
4. Flip-Flops: Many of my friends brought slippers, which got dirty quickly at the hospital. I chose flip-flops and they were great!
5. Bathrobe: It’s important to be comfortable and a cozy robe is a perfect choice.
6. Big Sibling Gift: Making your first child feel involved is very important. Bring his/her gift to the hospital for their arrival!
7. iPad: Comes in handy to Skype and e-mail!
8. Camera: My husband was able to capture some beautiful pictures with our camera. These memories are priceless.
His Must-Haves Hospital New Baby Items:
9. Some Type of Ball: “To toss around while waiting for labor”, was his explanation. Really?
10. PowerBars: My husband assured me that he needed to have the proper fuel for delivery. Source: www.powerbar.com
11. Our pup, Skip: Okay, this is a stretch and I understand where he was coming from but- no dogs allowed!
12. A Stop Watch: While my husband thought timing the labor was a good idea, I assured him it would get tossed across the room (by me.)
13. Pickles and Ice Cream: Doesn’t he realize the cravings are gone? I mean…really…
14. “Neuralyzer”: The “memory eraser from Men In Black”…just in case some of the more anatomical memories needed to be erased.
15. Comics: I mean…how many children do I have here?
16. Give It Your Spin!: My husband always kept me on my toes and although he tried to help pack for our delivery, my suggestions were a little more practical. Feel free to share what your husband brought in the comments section below!
My Hospital Bag Must Haves:
1. Slippers. I hate those paper hospital slippers.
2. My own pillow. Ditto on the hospital pillows.
3. Sibling gift. My other kids are not excited to have a new addition.
4. Baby name books. We didn’t know what we were having and oops!, our second child did not turn out to be a boy so we did not have a name ready.
5. Infant Car Seat. So you can go home!
6. Photo I.D. cards including hospital card. You need this for fast check-in and out.
7. Snacks. For me and my husband post-baby
8. Sweater because those hospital gowns have that opening in the back.
9. Camera and video camera. Have to keep up taking at least 50% of the photos of the new kid as the next older sibling.
I should have brought essential oil room spray. I hate the way the hospital smells.
Did you bring anything that we didn’t include? Please share!
p.s. Related posts:
The Only Baby Gear You Really Need
Best Personalized Baby Gifts for Under $50
Best New Baby Picture Books for Siblings
How To: Install Infant Car Seat Correctly
Getting Your Child to Sit in Their Baby Car Seat (and Stay There)
6 Practical Gift Ideas For New Parents
My books:
BEST #OWNVOICES CHILDREN’S BOOKS: My Favorite Diversity Books for Kids Ages 1-12 is a book that I created to highlight books written by authors who share the same marginalized identity as the characters in their books.
A very thorough list there. I like the ‘his’ List which I would have never thought about
Fascinating. I love how different the his and hers lists are, LOL. I never got around to packing any hospital bags, although I was “supposed to” in case of emergency transfer. I birthed both my babies at home, and I have to say it was wonderful to have everything to hand – my own home, my own stuff, my own shower, and then climbing into my own bed 🙂
Hi Elle,
Staying home to have babies sounds wonderful. I was too scared to try that route but it does sound more comfortable. No need to pack!!
Oh, I’m the worst packer. Even for holidays I procrastinate for days and leave everything to the last minute. My ideal holiday would be one where everything is provided and I don’t have to take anything 😀
Hi Elle,
I’m not fond of packing either! I hate overpacking but then I worry that I’ve forgotten something. The worst for me is if I’ve brought something that I didn’t use. I like your idea of not having to pack because everything would be provided for! That sounds perfect!!!
I’m pretty low-maintenance when it comes to hospital-packing. The one thing I HAD to have were WISPS- you know, those little disposable toothbrushes? Because I had 2 c-sections and couldn’t jump out of bed too easily. Those made me so happy.
Hi Jeanette,
I did not know about WISPS! I need dental floss! I obsessively floss twice a day. I forgot to add that to my list but the disposable tooth brushes sound great!
My list was pretty close to yours. I also packed a nursing pillow with Anna, and compression belts – turns out those really help with post-birth pain. Who knew? And the baby book stayed home, because Mike and I debate names for months, and have only ever had one name per baby (but we have always had a backup name for the other gender, except for Johnny. Good thing he really was a boy!)
Hi MaryAnne,
I’d forgotten about the Boppy that I used for nursing. I wonder if I actually packed it though. I like to pack light. You were prepared to have your baby names picked out in advance! I’m not sure what happened with our middle child but I was convinced it would be a boy, LOL, but she wasn’t!
Wow! You really did think of everything. My first baby was born five weeks before the “due date”. They were obviously wrong, since the baby was 6lbs. 2 oz.. I was unprepared and really did not have time to pack. The first hospital experience was not pleasant as it was Thanksgiving Eve and none of the doctors in my group showed up. Second time around I went to a birthing center with midwives and was in and out in 5 hours so I did not need to pack much!
Hi Barbara,
Wow, five weeks “early” would catch me off guard too! And 5 hours from start to finish! I think 5 is your lucky number!! 🙂
I remember I put a lot of care into packing. I got a nice robe and nightgown and slippers I brought music and didn’t use most of it!
I did use my sweater, a comfortable sleep bra, camera (of course), and a book.
I really missed those nurses and the food when I left. Did you deliver at Newton Wellesley?
Hi Ann,
No, I delivered all three kids at Mass General Hospital. We had been living in Boston for the first two and I loved my doctor so I did the commute for the third.
Sleep bra is a good one!