With my first pregnancy I made 2 separate bags. 1 was for me and Anastasya’s stuff, the other was just for Sal. I quickly realized that 2 duffle bags was seriously unnecessary. I also realized that the amount of snacks I took was unnecessary. It was mainly because my husband has this fear of running out of food… IDK why. He’s kind of crazy… I took him 2 different bags of chips, assorted peanuts, chocolates (mostly for me!), cookies (also for me…) and granola bars. He didn’t touch any of it. 😑
This time I’m keeping it minimal. I’m taking the absolute essential things. I have family near by that if for whatever reason I really need something extra, I can ask someone to take it to me. I’m making 1 bag for Sal, myself and Joshua. I’ll take SOME snacks… I’m not taking our whole pantry.
I also made a to go bag for Anastasya. She will be heading to grandma’s house as soon as Go Time arrives. I’m not going to list any of the things that set aside for her just cuz it’s a lot 😅 With kids in general, when going anywhere, you pretty much have to take everything!
Below I’ve made a list of all the stuff that’s in my bag. I’ll go into detail on some of these items. 
Mommy’s List:
- Wallet / ID / Insurance Info / Important Papers – Because you’ll definitely need it at some point during your time at the hospital.
- PJ’s – At home, I usually sleep in shorts and a shirt. When I had Anastasya, I was freezing at the hospital and ended up wearing yoga pants to sleep. So this time it’ll be the same thing. I’m taking comfy pants and a shirt to sleep in.
- Sweater or Jacket – Like I said, I was freezing the last time I had a baby. Thankfully I thought about having a jacket anyway. I definitely used it last time and I’ll be taking one again.
- Hair ties / clips – During labor, you will NOT want anything near your face… Thought I was gonna rip my hair out 😅
- Flip Flops – For the shower or getting around the hospital.
- Nursing bras – I hate being around people without a bra. I’m not small chested sooo yeah… I need my bra. These in particular are not wired so they feel way more comfy. I have wired nursing bras, but I wanna be as comfy as possible.
- Socks – Needed these to keep my feet warm!
- Comfy Underwear – Nice granny undies will do 😁
- Boppy – This one is obvious I guess. It’s to help with the feedings. Having it at the hospital with your first baby will be good mostly so that they can help you use it properly.
- Nipple Cream – By the time I left the hospital, my nipples were already sore. Baby girl was not going easy on me. Make sure you have the cream. If you don’t know which one to get, honestly just get anything or ask your doctor for recommendations. At the end of the day, you won’t know what works best for you until you try one.
- Phone Charger – duh
- Polaroid camera / Film – I took this last time and ended up not taking any pics with it, mostly because I forgot. Hopefully this time I’ll remember to actually use it.
- Nursing Cover up – I didn’t have this last time and when people came to visit and I had to feed, I totally wish I did have it. Although it did take me some time to figure out how in the world to use it. lol
- 2-3 comfy shirts – My comfy shirts this time are long sleeve. They’re light and I know I can maneuver them to breastfeed easily.
- 2-3 comfy pants – I can’t stand being in a gown while at the hospital. I need to be able to get into some regular clothes. So like I said before, yoga pants definitely did the trick. I’m also taking soft comfy jogger pants. As long as I’m comfy and don’t have pants riding up my hooha after delivery, I’m good. I’ll also take one of my maternity pants.
- Padsicles – I made these last time and I wore them after giving birth. The first pad I wore was the one they gave at the hospital with the pretty mesh underwear and witch hazel pads… yeah. As soon as I started wearing my padsicles my nurses complemented me on how quickly I was healing. And I actually did feel a lot better with those pads I made. I attached the link to the page I copied these pads from. I loved it the first time, and I’m definitely using it again! The only thing I changed was the size of my pads. I originally got the purple reallyyyy longgg pads. I hated having those things all the way up my back (it felt like)… I got ones a little shorter so that they’re not all the way back there. I’m a petite person. I don’t need all that pad. lol
- Mascara and Eyeliner – So I don’t look all sorts of crazy or scary 😁 I don’t need pounds of makeup. Just those 2 so that I look a little more alive.
- Chapstick – My lips would get extremely dry! Especially during labor. Having this bad boy helped a lot.
Dad:
- Wallet / ID – Same thing as mom. Make sure dad has his ID!
- PJ’s – He is usually a person who feels hot 99% of the time and he was also freezing at the hospital. So comfy pants and t-shirt it is. I will have some shorts just in case.
- 2-3 T-shirts – Obviously
- 2-3 Shorts – He hates wearing jeans or pants or whatever, so I’ll have gym shorts to wear during the day
- Sweater or Jacket – He actually used this a lot last time, so I’ll make sure I have it again.
- Boxers – No need explaining
- Flip Flops – Same as Mom
- Socks – Keep those toes warm
- Blanket – I’m going to take one of our soft blankets for either him or me 😌 to sleep with. The hospital was nice about providing whatever we needed, but there’s nothing better than your own blanket.
- Phone Charger
- Popular Mechanics Magazine – Cuz it’s his fave
Toiletries: Last time I took a bunch of other stuff that didn’t get used. This time I’m taking only Dad’s shampoo. I was not in the mood of washing my hair at the hospital, so no shampoo for me! You definitely want your toothbrush/paste! Body wash and deodorant for obvious reasons. My Smile Direct Retainers are a must for bedtime.
- Toothbrush / Toothpaste
- Deodorant
- Shampoo
- Body Wash
- My Smile Direct Retainers
Joshua:
- Car Seat – This has been installed in my car pretty much for the past 2-3 months… Mostly because I was still using the infant car seat I have with Anastasya because it’s part of a travel system. So we’ve been all set with that.
- Socks – The hospital didn’t provide socks, so I’m taking it in case he’s not swaddled.
- Onsies – I picked like 2-3 onsies I can put him in for photos.
- Swaddle Blanket – Also for photos ☺️
- Go Home Outfit – I had Anastasya in one of those 1 piece PJs, I’ll probably take Joshua home in one of those also.
- Burp Cloths – Just in case he’s one of those barfy babies. Anastasya was not, so I did not use 1 burp cloth with her.
- Zip File Envelope – I used this to keep all the paperwork they handed us at the hospital. It’s a lot to keep up with and I didn’t want to just stick it anywhere where they would get crinkly or lost. This helped keep everything organized.
Other:
- Snacks – Mostly for dad
- Bottled Water – I hated having to keep asking for water and ice, so I’ll take some bottles for us
- Letter Board – I had this to take a photo with and I figured I’d do it again.
That’s pretty much it for us. I got everything to fit into our weekender (from Old Navy) and another bag for the snacks. And now we wait…
Is there anything that you took to the hospital with you that I didn’t put on my list? Did it make a difference for you?
