10 must-have essentials you’ll want for your hospital bag from a newborn mom

my advice on what to bring when packing your hospital bag, based on my experience living in the US.

Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This means that if you click on an Amazon link on my blog and make a purchase, I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.

As the final weeks of being pregnant draw to a close, many mothers feel the urge to nest and prepare to bring their new bundle of joy home. Once the nursery is set up, the natural next step is to pack your hospital bag for labor. For our first delivery, we packed like we were going on a month’s vacation, and thankfully learned and trimmed down for the next two. Learn from our mistakes!

Here are my picks on what IS needed:

1. Identification

At the hospital entrance, you and your partner will need to identify yourselves. Bring a valid (unexpired) passport, driver’s license, state ID, etc. If you got married and have not changed your last name on your ID, your maiden name will be used throughout your hospital stay. However, you have control of what goes on baby’s birth certificate.

2. Insurance card

Who has those ID and group numbers memorized? Almost no one. Bring your insurance card, either physical or electronic on your phone. Even a photo of the physical card, front and back, has gotten me through many times.

3. Clothes for baby

Pack LIGHT. Bring 2 pairs of shirts, 2 onesies, 1 hat, and 1 baby blanket. You could opt to pack a custom swaddle/blanket with baby’s name as well. Some hospitals offer photo shoots. Our hospitals provided onesies and baby blankets for swaddling, so we only put our clothes on the baby on discharge morning.

4. Clothes for you & your partner

Don’t forget about yourselves! Remember the suitcase I mentioned in the beginning? I packed like we were taking a 5 day, 4 night cruise for our first. You only need a few changes of clothes for your hospital bag (2 shirts, 2 pants, 3-4 underwear, 1 pair of pajamas, 1 pair of shoes). The shirts and pajamas I packed were button-downs for easy nursing. All of our clothes, including for baby, fit in this Herschel duffle bag I already had on hand (for NINE years!!) from my travels.

5. Contacts & glasses

For those who don’t see in 20-20, bring both to prepare for your mood. You may not want to fiddle with contact lenses and solution while also taking care of yourself and baby.

6. Travel-sized toiletries

Toothbrush, toothpaste, body wash, shampoo, conditioner, lotion, lip balm, face wash, and moisturizer. The hospital usually supplies shampoo, conditioner, mouthwash, and lotion, but I preferred to bring my own as it dried out my hair and skin in the past. Some hospitals also provide toothbrushes and toothpaste in the room or upon request. You could also try the gift shop if you forget something.

7. Phone, tablet, and chargers

We always have our phones in hand, but make sure you pack a long cord like this one for your stay. We brought our iPad each time – for our first, I barely used it. For our third, we binge-watched The Penguin. You could use your tablet to read a book, Google how-to’s for your baby, or for streaming.

8. Headphones

Depending on your hospital’s set up (private vs. shared rooms, thin walls, or if your baby’s new crying is triggering at first), bring some headphones with you to block out noise. My AirPod Pros blocked out any unwanted noise.

9. Purse/Diaper Bag

To carry IDs, devices, chargers, and headphones, I used a backpack purse. I have one similar to this – I’ve had it for two years and I also use it as a bag for work. It can fit my laptop and has multiple pockets that I use for toiletries, charging cords, perfume, and my work ID card.

I also threw in some diapers and wipes in the event we went somewhere (other than home) after discharge. For our first and second, home was the first and last stop. For our third, our kids were at Granny’s house, so we spent some time there before we went home. Adding 1-2 changes of baby clothes is a good idea in this case.

10. Car seat

You will need something to bring the baby home in. We were advised to leave the car seat in the car until the morning of discharge. For our 2nd and 3rd we like the UppaBaby Mesa. I got it secondhand off of NextDoor for $70. It’s narrow enough for our car and easily attaches to the UppaBaby Vista v2 which I SWEAR by. (We got the stroller secondhand off of GoodBuyGear for $450 and it was like new!)

Ensure the car seat base is installed prior to heading to the hospital. This is even more important if you already have multiple children, to make sure your car supports the configuration of 2 or more seats in the back row(s).

I hope this was helpful! Leave in the comments some suggestions for future posts 🙂

D