What to pack in your hospital bag
Our top guide to packing your hospital bag
Deciding what to pack for hospital can feel very overwhelming especially if it's your first baby, we have compiled a list of the things you need that will make you feel more prepared and set you up for a more comfortable experience.
This list has been finessed by mums who have been through multiple pregnancies, so we know what we are talking about. The trick is not too over pack because you'll never find anything, but also to organise your bag so you can easily find the things you do need when you need them.
First things first, we use the following bags to pack your items in to make it more organised:
- Suitcase on wheels. You don't want to be lifting anything pre or post birth so having an easy to wheel suitcase is really handy. It also means you can lay the suitcase flat to find what you need.
- Nappy Bag. We love the Neoprene Ultimate mums Bag which has plenty of room, comes with a change mat and nappy clutch for later, is light and washable but also doesn't look like a nappy bag so you'll use it for years. We are using this bag to pack our valuables, hospital documents, electronic items and other things we need to access easily.
- Packing Cubes. We recommend having a packing cube for Mum, Bub, toiletries, feeding accessories and then chargers. This will make life so much easier when you are trying to find things during your stay.
What to pack for Mum
Packing for yourself is the most important. We want you to be as comfortable and organised as you can be so you can focus on the birth of that gorgeous baby which will be in your arms so soon.
- A dark soft towel. You'll thank me for this later. It'll make you feel way more human after the birth.
- Your basic toiletries, hairbrush, elastic bands, light make-up, deodorant, lip balm, toothbrush/paste, body wash. Things you use every day. Just be mindful you don’t really want aerosols or strong-smelling items.
- 4 /5 pairs of large, dark, comfortable undies (the bigger the better)
- 2 x Maternity bra
- 2 x Maternity Singlets
- 1 x Cardigan or zippy + comfortable leggings or tracksuit pants. We prefer cardigans because you may have cords attached to you at some point and these are easier to take on and off.
- 1 x Dressing gown so you can walk around in it
- Slippers & easy to slip on shoes for walking around. You won't want to be bending to much in those first few days after birth.
- 1 x warm socks. It can get cold in hospital.
- 1 x Birthing outfit/nighty - something loose and comfortable. We just love a nighty because you don’t need bottoms, and you can easily unbutton for that first skin to skin contact with bub
- 1 x Going home outfit. This could just be a pair of tights, singlet and cardigan
- 1 x large drink bottle and we love to pack some hydration sachets to put in. You get really dehydrated in hospital pre and post birth. We love the Mini + Me hydration sachets that you can put in your water bottle especially the watermelon flavour
Tip:
- Make sure the clothes you bring are comfortable and can open to allowyou to breast feed easily and have skin on skin time with bub.
- Keep you bottoms dark and tops light or patterned so milk spills aren’t obvious.
What to pack for Baby
Babies are the easy part, you don’t need to pack too many things. They’ll spend most of their time in singlets and wrapped or swaddled while they are in hospital. Here’s a few things to bring and make sure you buy yourself some good quality swaddles and rompers for those first photos.
- 3 x Swaddles. We have packed a combination of the bamboo cotton swaddles and the Jersey cotton swaddles
- 3 x Singlets
- Beanie
- 2 x Long zippy romper. One of these can also be used for your gorgeous first photo and then a going home outfit
- Knit blanket for leaving the hospital especially if it’s cooler outside. We use one of these knit blankets which are not too big and really soft. We just popped it over the capsule when we were leaving the hospital to keep bub warm.
- Dummy if you have a preference on brand otherwise the hospital will provide one
Tip:
- With around 10 nappy changes a day, bubs clothes need to be easy to come off and on.
- Things the hospital may provide: Bottles, formula, nappies, pads, baby blankets and towels.
What to pack in your Toiletries + Feeding Cube
- Lip Balm and moisturiser (avoid anything strong smelling)
- Hairbrush/elastics
- Shampoo/ conditioner travel size
- Toothbrush/paste
- Sanitary Pads (the bigger the better) & post-partum underwear
- Breast pads
- Nipple cream. We love the Mama & Bird Mama Balm for dry cracked nipples.
- Breast gel cooling disks
Other items to bring:
- Wet bag for dirty clothes
- Your favourite snacks
- Any music you want at the birth
- Chargers for your electronics
- First photo announcement items like announcement disks
- Extra-long phone charger that will stretch from the wall over the bed. You want that phone charged to capture all those first moments.
Our last tip, make sure your partner knows how to readjust the capsule straps to make them looser or tighter before you get to the hospital. Trust me from experience, it’s not something you want to be learning while you are trying to put your new baby in the car.
We hope this list helps you feel more prepared for the big day. Wishing you all the best and happy packing.
Love the Anchor & Arrow Mums xx
