What to pack in your hospital baby bag?

What to pack in your hospital baby bag?

My cousin, Shayne, is 5 or 6 months pregnant and she herself is not sure how far along she is in her pregnancy. And I don’t judge her for not being 100% accurate as when I was pregnant myself, I always got confused on how I’m going to add up weeks to months. When did we start counting weeks? It was used to be just months during our mother’s time!

Anyways, she was asking me to blog about baby bag checklist for labour and birth. I told her that there are millions of resources online. Just go and google it. But then on second thought, I realized that it’s the purpose why I’m blogging. I can put my two cents on every topic that is relevant to me and to my readers. Besides, I think my checklist will be more relatable to regular moms since I’m a regular mom myself. We are not celebrities (yet) nor have a million dollar, peso or dirham income (yet).

First and foremost, when should you prepare the bag? A lot of online resources suggest have it ready at 36 weeks and of course I have to google and that equates to around 8 months. For me, I’d rather be early. Though I don’t expect and want to give birth at 7 months, it’s better to be  prepared if ever the unexpected time comes.

Baby bag – what’s the use of a checklist if you don’t have a baby bag to stuffed everything inside. And if there’s one advice I can give you is that to invest in a sturdy, pretty, high-quality bag that you really like. I made a mistake of buying just a ‘regular’ bag for my son. You know something that will do the job which can be bought anywhere and won’t cost too much. The problem with my son’s baby bag was that it’s simple (in my standards), it was small (especially when we need to put several bottles and clothes for full-day day out), and it broke down after a few months. I then replaced it with bags that I still don’t like hence I think I bought a total of 4 to 5 baby bags which were just ‘average’.

I’ve learned my lesson and so for my daughter, I searched and looked and searched again and looked again to find the perfect bag. You can purchase a designer bag if you can afford it but read the reviews first since you don’t want an expensive bag that will be no used after few months. When I was in search for my daughter’s baby bag, I know that I don’t want it to be pink in color. I love pink but I don’t want to alienate my husband when he carries it. And since I know how rough we can be with our things, the bag should be sturdy and high-quality enough to stand these beatings. I also don’t want to spend too much money for a diaper bag that she’ll outgrow after a few years.

Baby Bag

This is the photo of Biel’s bag when I first posted it on Instagram a few days before she was born. It’s color brown but has girly and pink accents. I bought it from Amazon and it can be customized according to your preference. Although I bought this from the seller’s account on Amazon, I found her now on Etsy. I cannot find the exact same bag but it seems she still sells quality and pretty stuff. Biel’s bag still looks great after more than 3 years.

After finding the perfect pretty bag, next step is to make sure you have all the basics inside. Here is my recommended list and assuming you will be in the hospital for 2-3 days after birth.

For baby:

* Baby blanket – for sure your hospital has one but you need something to wrap your baby when you leave.
* Diapers – your hospital might be providing this so better check but just in case bring 1 pack of newborn nappies.
* 5 new born Onesies / Sleepsuits
* 1 or 2 Baby Hat
* One outfit for the trip home. Depends on your location and season, you might need a snow suit or jacket.
* Mittens
* Car seat
* Baby towels or Muslin cloth
* Most hospitals have their own baby products (body wash, shampoo, cream, etc.) but if you have a preference and they will allow you, bring your own.
* Most hospitals encourage new moms to breastfeed but for whatever reason, I suggest bring 2-3  small baby bottles just in case.
* 2-3 socks or baby booties

Now you have to prepare a separate bag for mom and dad.

For mommy:

* Some basic make-up (lipgloss, lipstick, eyeliner, concealer). I know, I know! How can you even think of make-up when you’re already wailing in pain? And aren’t you supposed to be glowing after birth? The answer – No! I looked like zombie after I gave birth with my son that my sister, Jem, took pity on me and put some blush-on and lipstick to my very pale face. I learned my lesson so I made sure that I have my make-up kit with me during my second labour. Heh!
* Insurance card, Identification card or Passport, Marriage Certificate
* Dressing gown or bath robe
* Slip-on slippers
* Socks
* More than 5 panties. Ditch your lacy and sexy undies. Bring the cotton and high-waisted ones.
* 1 pack of Maternity Pads
* Few pieces of Breast pad
* Wet wipes
* Cotton balls and cotton buds
* Toiletries (shampoo, conditioner, feminine wash, deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrush, lotion, face creams)
* Lady Razors – if you’re like me that can’t stand hairy armpits, better to bring one.
* Hairbands or clips and hair brush
* 2 or 3 Cotton Dresses with front buttons – this is very convenient especially when breast feeding.
* Breastfeeding modesty cover or scarf – unless you don’t mind exposing your breast for all your hospital visitors to see, buy one.
* Going home outfit

For daddy:

* Shirt, short or pants
* Undies and extra socks
* His own toiletries (the basics plus shaving cream, shaver) and perfume if he wants.
* Bath Towel
* Digital Camera or Mobile Phone or Video Cam and never ever forget the chargers
* Slippers – he might be allowed to stay with you overnight
* Snacks and drinks. At least put some nuts/biscuits and water inside the bag.
* His meds
* Something to entertain yourselves (books, magazines)
* A plastic bag where you can put your dirty clothes
* Going home outfit

If you already have an older child, it might be a good idea to give them a present and tell them it’s a special gift for older siblings. Tell them that they’re equally special and deserve a sibling gift. You don’t want them to feel left-out while everyone is gushing how cute the new baby is.

Do you have anything to add? I might have missed something so feel free to comment and share your own checklist below!

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