Congratulations on your upcoming arrival! You have just a few more things to do before heading to labor & delivery for the birth of your baby. Packing your hospital bag is one of the last tasks before the big day. Learn what to pack in your hospital bag with this free printable hospital bag packing list created by a Mom of three.
This labor & delivery hospital bag checklist includes all the essentials for Mom, Dad and of course, your new baby to help you get your pregnancy hospital bag ready.
What to Pack for the Hospital and Labor & Delivery
When I pregnant the first time, trying to decide what to pack in my Hospital Bag for Labor & Delivery became a confusing and complicated ordeal. I wasn’t sure what I should pack for labor and what in the world do I pack in my hospital bag for post-delivery?
Hint: basically, I overpacked and didn’t use 90% of what I brought the first time around. I’m sure the nurses rolled their eyes when my husband wheeled in a huge suitcase.
As I was preparing to give birth for the first time to our twins, I searched hundreds of lists online, read through my stack of best parenting books and parenting magazines about what to pack in your hospital bag… but couldn’t find a list that was just right for me.
There are a million lists out there – some bare bones and some pages and pages long.
Sure, I like to be prepared, but I’m also pretty practical and knew I wouldn’t need the fancy extras, a custom delivery gown or pretty monogrammed robe for afterwards, and to be honest, couldn’t afford them.
All the lists had extras such as a speciality mom and baby matching outfits or personalized burb clothes and pacifiers. That was just not me.
I needed a practical hospital delivery list that covered the basics I’d need in my hospital bag but didn’t go overboard (and wouldn’t lead to over packing or buyer’s remorse!)
Eventually, I decided to create my own packing list after the second-go-round and because it worked so well, I shared it with a lot of my friends who would soon become Moms themselves.
They loved the list too, because 1) it’s practical and 2) you’ll quickly find you won’t need to bring your entire closet.
A Practical Hospital Bag Checklist
It’s a practical Labor & Delivery Hospital Bag Checklist to ensure you have everything you need to welcome to birth of your new baby and I wanted to share it with you too.
I had my friend Hillary who teaches an online prenatal class geared towards couples (with personable videos for dads who have a short attention span or hard time focusing on birthing) look at the printable hospital bag checklist I put together and she gave me the thumbs up.
Hillary who teaches the class, has been a Labor and Delivery Nurse for 18 years, and has attended close to 1,000 births. She addresses EVERYTHING from what to pack, why you might want to rethink bringing your own hospital gown, and how you should feel about pooping during delivery. (And I guarantee it’ll make you feel WAY better after you hear what she has to say about it and not as squeamish going into to the delivery room.)
I don’t think going to a traditional prenatal class when you tired in the evenings, and already so busy, is a necessity. I did that the first time with my twins and basically didn’t walk away with any new insight about how these babies growing in my tummy were getting out of it.
I do think if you’re pregnant for the first time, you would benefit from having an idea of what’ going to happen from someone whose been there nearly a 1,000 times. Plus, you can take the online prenatal class from the comfort of your couch and most comfortable pregnancy pants.
She and I can both guarantee there’s no custom-orders or overpacking with the hospital list I have for you.
Download Your Printable Hospital Bag Checklist
This printable hospital bag checklist I’m sharing with you cuts right through everything and only shares the essentials of what you’re actually going to wear, want post-delivery, for entertainment, for your partner, and your baby.
Plus, the hospital checklist covers the basics like insurance information you don’t want to forget to bring with you, a birth plan if you have one, and some extras you may appreciate having with you if things take longer than you thought (those first babies sometimes want to wait around.)
CLICK ON THE CHECKLIST (IMAGE)TO DOWNLOAD YOUR HOSPITAL BAG PACKING LIST
Speaking of Getting Ready for Baby…
Speaking of getting ready for baby… here are a list of FREE BABY PRODUCTS for Moms when you use the coupon code PRAGMATIC1. These baby essentials are totally free (you are only responsible for shipping & handling). Need a hooded towel for bath time, nursing pillow, carseat cover, breast pads, pregnancy pillow or baby wrap? Check them out.
Is there anything on this list I missed?
What did you love having in your hospital bag for labor & delivery?
What were the things you packed but didn’t use?
More Pregnancy, Labor & Delivery Resources
- Baby on a Budget: Budgeting for the 1st Year of Baby Costs
- Create a Birth Plan: Includes a Sample Birth Plan & Blank Birth Plan to Fill Out For Labor & Delivery
- 9 Things to do BEFORE You Try to Get Pregnant
- 22 Natural Remedies to Treat Morning Sickness
- What is a Doula? The Benefits to Having a Labor Coach On Call
- 11 Ways to Make Postpartum Recovery Easier (& Quicker)
- Natural Healing Powers of a Postpartum Sitz Bath
Want even more?
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