Before we begin this post, I want to start off by saying everything I’ve learned throughout my pregnancies so far has been from all of YOU, my doula, midwife and amazing resources like Evidence Based Birth. And of course, through my own experience.
I originally published this post before I had my first baby and I’ve updated it with everything I’m bringing this time around. I wanted to share what to pack in a hospital bag for moms, dads/wives/partners and babies; it’s truly the ultimate resource AND I’ve even included a FREE hospital bag printable checklist with everything you’ll likely want/need + a few extras!
Be sure to head to our shop page where I have all of my pregnancy go-to’s and favorite items for baby.
I hope you find it helpful! xo.
For Mom & Baby
- Baby blanket: love having this for bringing him home in or just laying him on.
- Nursing and Pumping bra: my favorite, most comfortable bra — great to use if you are pumping.
- Long phone cord charger: everyone told me to bring a long phone charger and it’s a game-changer. You’ll never go back to regular cords again, ha.
- Lip Balm: your lips will get pretty dry during delivery, so bring your fav chapstick.
- Wipes for body: I was sweating on and off during labor last time so I know these are going to come in handy again. Plus, they smell AMAZING.
- Diffuser: for diffusing those essential oils during your labor. I love peppermint and lavender. Lemon and tangerine are my other favs!
- Essential oils: these are great for your partner to mix with a carrier oil and massage your back during labor, or use them in your diffuser while laboring at home or in the hospital.
- Headphones: roll up to the hospital with noise-canceling headphones on and your favorite music playing. You can use these anytime you want to cut out the distractions and focus on preparing for birth, which will likely be the entire time.
- Car seat: don’t forget the car seat for going home. Make sure you have it properly installed too!
- Heating pad: heat on your back is amazing when you’re in pain.
- Swaddle blanket: I love the idea of putting our baby in his own cute swaddle so this was a must for me. Of course if you want to skip, know that the hospital will give you a blanket to take home. We loved these swaddles for all of our kids!
- Align leggings: comfy leggings for when you’re ready to head home. It’ll be the only thing you wanna wear over the next few months.
- Breast feeding pillow: I love this breastfeeding pillow. It makes breastfeeding soooo much easier. Truly used it EVERY DAY!
- Hospital bag: cutest bag on the block (or on the maternity ward?)
- Eye Mask: bring one of these if you want to get a little shut eye during your stay in the hospital. You won’t know if it’s going to be day or night or how long you’ll need to be there. This is a MUST!
- Binto prenatal vitamins: I packed a few prenatal vitamins to take after birth, as I know I’m going to be incredibly hormonal and need that good nutrition and energy for baby. Again, not necessary, but since I have them, they’re coming with! Use the link or my code ‘ambitiouskitchen’ to get 20% off your first purchase or subscription!
- Frida Mom Washer: way better than the one they’ll give you at the hospital. This will make it less difficult to go to the bathroom. A MUST.
- Hospital/Nursing Gown: you really don’t need anything fancy, but it’s nice to have your own gown!
- Bluetooth speaker: I’m bringing one to use with me during labor and birth. Definitely recommend if you love music.
- Hydroflask water bottle with straw: having a straw makes it that much easier to hydrate, and this water bottle will keep your water, electrolyte drinks, etc. cold for hours.
- Comfy undies: I got these off Amazon and love them. They’re super cozy and stretchy and will hold pads in postpartum.
- Toiletry bag: having all of your toiletries organized in one spot while you’re in the hospital is just one more “peace of mind” task!
- Toiletry bottles: we’re bringing our own soap, shampoo and conditioner so we can shower.
- Nipple cream: I love this nipple cream so much!! The hospital should also provide some if you need it, but this one is all natural and so soothing.
- Go home outfit for baby: You’ll need a cute going home outfit for baby because you know pictures are happening. I have also loved getting a few inexpensive things from Kate Quinn Organics.
- Breastfeeding friendly pajamas: all I can say is YES. This is basically my going home outfit. So cozy and soft. You’ll want a nice but comfy gown to relax in post-delivery.
- Fuzzy socks: keep your feet warm and cozy, plus they have grips so you won’t slip on the hospital floor.
- Baby file/nail clippers: babies have super sharp nails so you might want to consider bringing clippers!
- Perineal Essentials from Earth Mama: start the healing process early. This is a game-changer.
- Flip flops: a must for trips to the bathroom, to wash up, or just for quick little laps around the room.
For Partner
My husband will be my birth partner (again!) and he’s bringing a few things in a small backpack to have:
- Change of clothes
- Comfy lounging clothes
- Deodorant/Toiletries
- Phone charger
- Change for vending machine (in case you have a craving!)
Extras to consider
- Extra bag to take home supplies: the hospital will give you a lot of stuff to take home — take it ALL. Also take extra pads, ice packs and mesh undies!
- Extra pillow/blankets for comfort: bring your own pillow or blanket from home for comfort and security. We loved this!
- Makeup to freshen up for photos: if you’re going to take photos at the hospital, you may want to bring makeup.
- Your own towels: because hospital towels suck. Seriously, they are tiny and rough.
- Shower shoes/flip flops: if you don’t like your feet touching public surfaces, bring flip flops.
- Extra pads: this was recommended but the hospital will also provide you with pads.
- Adult diapers/depends: Okay I really did love using depends but waited until I was home to use them.
- Homemade rice sock for portable heat: we’re using this at home and may bring it to the hospital (they have a microwave we can use). Basically you put rice in a cotton sock and microwave it.
Snack ideas
Since you have no idea how long you’ll be at the hospital, or what type of food they’ll serve you (yuck, hospital food!), then it’s best to bring plenty of snacks. Here’s what we’re packing:
- Binto electrolyte mix (this link or the code ‘ambitiouskitchen’ will get you 20% off your first purchase or subscription!)
- Ultima packets
- Popcorn
- SunChips (my favorite comfort chip!)
- GoMacro bars
- Aloha bars
- Dried mango
- Dates
- Nut butter packets then add them to toast or crackers.
- Organic fruit leather/strips
- Energy bites
- Fig Newton bars (these are SERIOUSLY the best snack)
- Homemade healthy granola
- New Primal Meat Sticks
- Other ideas include: puffs, plantain chips, roasted chickpeas, mini peanut butter cups, etc.
Looking for more of my go-tos?
Head to the AK Shop where you’ll find all of my pregnancy go-to’s and favorite items for baby.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE PRINTABLE HOSPITAL BAG CHECKLIST
I hope you found this post helpful. Please let me know what you’re packing in your hospital bag in the comments below and of course, what snacks you’re bringing! xo.
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Congratulations, I am so excited for you. Have you ever tried Beautycounter products? We have incredible, safe-clean, baby products too. If you want me to send you any, please email…The lip balm is perfect for the dry lips in the hospital. http://www.beautycounter.com/dianeshurtleff
You are a beautiful pregnant mama!
Good luck with your labour and delivery. I have to laugh at all the stuff on your list as here in Canada you will only stay 24 hours after delivery which makes most of these items not necessary. Also no food or water before delivery here except ice chips if you are lucky. Wishing you all the best from Ontario, Canada.
So interesting! Everywhere (and everyone’s plan) is so unique 🙂 Thank you!
These are all great items! One food/drink I had was bone broth. Since they technically wouldn’t let me eat during labor I sipped on that for a source of protein. Also lots of water with it. I also love the idea of the heating pad. I had used warm wash cloths but those get so cold so fast so a heating pad is a great idea!
Bone broth is a great idea for some nourishment, too! And yes a heating pad / rice sock to warm up should be helpful 🙂
I agree with so much of this! Labor and pushing left my mouth and lips so dry. I was begging for more ice chips and chapstick throughout the experience. For afterwards, I brought an old robe and just threw it away at the hospital because let’s just say it wasn’t salvageable. For my next delivery I plan to bring more comfort snacks because the hospital food was not appetizing at all since I was pretty nauseated after delivery. Wishing you a beautiful birth experience!
Great tip with an old robe (sounds much more comfortable). Thanks so much, Allison!
Nice post 🙂 I’d like to add that the most helpful for me before having my baby was watching American Circumcision on netflix and Elephant in the Hospital on YouTube. There’s also a great group on fb called Your Whole Baby: A community for learning. We were completely ignorant regarding circumcision with our first son and had him cut. He almost died. He went into shock and we had to stay an extra day because he wasnt stable enough to come home. It was gut wrenching to see him go from a happy, alert baby who latched immediately to a lifeless, baby that was too weak to latch. They used the numbing shots, but it didn’t matter. He still screamed and fought the entire time. Now he’s 9 and has meatal stenosis and adhesions, both which may require additional surgery and will forever cause him problems. His 3 intact brothers have no issues. I beg parents to research circ because it cant be undone. Watch videos of it being done on youtube before you subject your son to it. If you search Ben’s circumcision, you’ll find a video of a doctor doing the circ and he explains everything. Even with the numbing shots, that poor baby screams too. There’s no way to painlessly remove sensitive tissue. The foreskin is there for a reason. Every mammal on earth has one
FYI—most postpartum labor/delivery wings provide sandwiches/snacks at the nursing starion for new moms. Ask!
Great tip. Thank you!!
You may also want to pack a pen and paper to write names of people that you’ll want to send a thank you to after. I was in the hospital for 32 hours before my son was born, a deck of cards came in handy!! Good luck and cannot wait to see your new bundle of joy!! 😘😘😘
Great ideas! Love that. Thanks, Kerry!
Good luck on your big day. I am just curious to know after if you got to use your diffuser. I live in Canada and our hospitals are sent free. Also footed pjs are the best thing ever. A lot of the new born ones even have the flap to go over their hands so you don’t have to fight with trying to keep booties on feet and gloves on hands. Lots of love to you and your growing family.
Thanks so much, Lindsey! I’m hoping to be able to use my diffuser 🙂 Great tip with the footed pjs!
Been reading all your pregnancy blog posts as I progress through my own first pregnancy and have been loving every bit of info you give! Thank you! Hoping you blog again during your 2nd (congratulations!) – I’d love to see the difference between 1st time and 2nd time around!
So happy to hear that! And yes, I’ll be writing a full recap soon 🙂
Are you pregnant again?!! Or just reposting?
Either way, thank you. I’m currently packing my hospital bags as I am pregnant with my first and this is super helpful.
I’ve also read all your older posts about each trimester and felt very seen and encouraged. Way to go Ambitious Mama!
I am! Due in January 🙂 So glad this post (and other trimester posts) were helpful, too! You’ve got this!!