What to Pack In Your Hospital Bag: The Essentials

Hey Mama! It’s almost time for your little one to be here! Congrats! But does packing your hospital bag have you scratching your head? Feeling overwhelmed with all the items you think you should bring, could bring, and want to bring? Don’t know what to pack in your hospital bag for a night or two for you, baby, and dad?

Take it from me, a mom of two little boys (my youngest is 7 weeks old), there is a lot you can bring, but there’s only a few things you actually NEED.

I have over packed for both of my babies, but thankfully the second time around I didn’t have as much. My husband had a lot to do with the extra stuff we brought with our firstborn. He brought a lot we didn’t need, such as a box fan (mainly to help him sleep), but he did bring some things I didn’t think about that I ended up wanting, like a blanket.

Every hospital is different and may provide less or more provisions for you and your baby. You may also want to bring more than my essentials list, and that’s OK! So remember these are just my suggestions for what to pack in your hospital bag, and I hope you enjoy the process of welcoming your new little one to the world!

This post may contain affiliate links. While it is at no cost to you, I may receive a small commission. Please see my Disclaimer page for more information.

When should you pack your hospital bag?

Speaking from experience, start packing your hospital bag sooner rather than later. I packed my hospital bag after 37 weeks with my first, and I was induced the night before I turned 38 weeks. I almost didn’t have everything ready! Thankfully this was before COVID-19, so my husband ran home (a mere 10 minutes away) and grabbed everything we didn’t have. So I recommend packing your hospital bag by the time you turn 36 weeks, just in case something unexpected happens.

Now for the good part: what to pack in your hospital bag!

What to Pack in Your Hospital Bag

For Mom

Let me just say that there’s a whole lot that you don’t have to bring to the hospital for labor and delivery. So many suggestions I’ve read were unnecessary and ended up in me having to tote way too much in and out of the hospital that I never used.

My hospital provided all of the hygienic products I needed, as well as the gown for labor (let’s face it, it gets messy!), water bottles, and more. I’m all about saving money, so I used what the hospital gave me and took home what was left. If you want to spend the money on these things, by all means go for it! I personally chose not to, but I have added a few extra nonessential items at the bottom of this list if you are wanting to purchase these things.

What to Pack:

1 outfit after labor. Make sure it’s very comfy! And if you’re nursing, make sure it’s nursing accessible. I chose to wear a Baby Be Mine labor and delivery gown once I was able to get up and change. It was extremely comfortable as a nightgown, it’s nursing friendly, and offered a modest alternative to the hospital gowns offered. I also wore a robe to wear over the gown, very similar to this one.

1 going home outfit. Again, let this be comfy. I chose a pajama set very similar to this one to go home in. The buttons allow for nursing with ease, and it was super comfortable and not super tight on my stomach. If you don’t want buttons, take a look at these pajamas!

Slippers, flip flips, and socks. The slippers for wearing around the room and hallways, the flip flops for the shower, and socks because your feet may get cold!

Nursing bra. You don’t have to bring a bra, because honestly, you’re nursing a lot. But if you’re like me and like a little modesty, especially with visitors, then bring this.

Toiletries. My essentials list includes: shampoo, conditioner, body wash, rag or loofa, chapstick, and tooth brush and tooth paste. The hospital didn’t provide these items, so bring them! I got some travel sized bottles for my shampoo and conditioner

For Baby

Again, my hospital provided everything I needed for the baby. We were given diapers, wipes, swaddles, a shirt, and hat.

What to Pack:

An outfit or two. I recommend sleepers or onesies. I love the sleepers with the double zippers, but all the rest of them are good, too. Make sure they have the built-in mittens because your baby will come out with claws. You don’t need to many clothes for baby, since he/she will be going in and out for tests, so easy to remove clothes are best. You could have one outfit for going home as well.

Hats, mittens, and socks. These are more like nonessential clothing items, but I went ahead and added them in case you wanted to be cute and matchy-matchy with your baby’s outfits. I personally don’t care for the mittens that most stores offer, but these that have velcro straps on Amazon look like they would stay on very well. I also recommend these booties because I used them for my first child and they were perfect for his feet!

Blanket. Despite the weather, you’re gonna want a little blanket to cover your baby on the way out of the hospital. Babies cannot regulate their body temperatures on their own, so having a warm blanket will help.

Pacifier. You honestly don’t “need” a pacifier for the first few days, but it won’t hurt to have it. My babies were really good and didn’t really cry unless they were hungry. But it’s good to have a paci as a soother for a discontented baby, especially if you’re nursing for the first time and need a break.

Nail file. Your baby will come out with claws like a tiger, so you’re going to want to bring a nail file! My babies scratched their faces a lot until I clipped (yes, I’m brave) their nails. So save yourself the stress and get you a nail file for babies. Their little nails are very soft and will come off pretty easily.

Car seat. Make sure you have your car seat properly installed before you go to the hospital. And go ahead and have it ready to go a few weeks before your due date. We were blessed to get a Doona, and I highly recommend it! It makes traveling with your baby so much easier!

For Dad

Most hospitals will have a chair or tiny sofa that converts into a bed for the dads, but those aren’t very comfortable. Other than this, there isn’t much that hospitals do provide for dads. My hospital did give my husband a water bottle, and it also provided his lunch the next day. But thankfully there isn’t much that dads need to bring!

What to Pack:

A change of clothes. Pack something comfortable that he can wear home the next day. My husband just used the clothes he wore to the hospital, but it’s nice to have something fresh to change in to.

Pajamas. Make the overnight stay a little more comfortable with a nice, cozy set of pajamas. Treat Dad to some new pajamas like these.

Tooth brush. He can use your tooth paste, but don’t forget his tooth brush!

Snacks. If your husband is like mine, he’ll try not to eat while you’re in labor. While this is super sweet, I recommend packing him some snacks anyway. My husband got a killer headache because of lack of sleep and lack of food while we were in the hospital. I would have much rather he ate something and be feeling well to support me than to not eat and feel terrible like he did.

Miscellaneous

This is my section for all the extra items you want to bring that don’t necessarily fall into the personal items categories.

What to Pack

Phone chargers. Bring your phone and watch chargers, but make sure the cord is a long one! The beds are pulled away from the walls so you won’t be able to use your phone if your cord is short.

Blanket. I froze once I got an epidural, so a blanket from home was both warming and comforting. Also bring one for your husband. The hospital blankets are not the softest things in the word to snuggle with.

Pillows. I didn’t bring a pillow for my second baby and it was a mistake. Those hospital pillows are not very fluffy. I had three behind my back and head and barely could sleep once I had my baby.

Hair ties. These are for your hair… obviously. But during labor you don’t really want your hair all around you. And if you’re planning on nursing, you don’t want your hair in the way as you navigate getting your baby to latch.

Nonessentials:

I labeled these items as nonessentials because they truly aren’t necessary for packing for your hospital stay, but if you wanted to bring them you totally could.

Dry shampoo. If you don’t want to wash your hair while you’re at the hospital, this would be a great item to bring!

High waisted underwear. I personally liked having the support for my jelly belly that these provided, plus they help keep the pads in place.

Postpartum recovery products. While my hospital supplied most of these items, with my second baby they were out of the ice pads and those things are a life saver! So I definitely wish I had brought some of my own to use at the hospital. If you want to bring your own items, I recommend the Frida Mom kit. It comes with all the extras you’ll want to have!

Lanolin. My hospital provided a tiny bottle of lanolin, so I didn’t bring any. But you can bring your own if you want to. But the best healing balm for your nipples is going to be your own colostrum or milk. Once you’re done nursing, express a little out and rub it around your nipples. I had severely cracked nipples with my first for the first week or so, and it was very painful. Lanolin helped, but breastmilk healed it. I haven’t had to use a product on them since.

Hair dryer. You may want to bring this as an essential, but I ended up towel drying my hair and then throwing it up into a bun.

Nursing Pillow. You can bring this to get some practice with it.

Last but not least.

I really hope you found some useful items in this list for what to pack in your hospital bag! Packing for the hospital to bring your new little baby into the world is so exciting! Don’t forget to grab your FREE hospital bag checklist!

If you’re looking for some help planning your day, check out this page!