The Baby Edit’s Hospital Bag

Don’t forget the car seat

After the birth, you probably won’t be able to leave the hospital without a car seat, in compliance with state law. I won’t get into it here, but just keep in mind that choosing a car seat often goes hand-in-hand with picking out a stroller.

For Parents

Yes, that’s you, strange as it may sound! To avoid waiting for nurses to go get juice or water, bring a couple small juiceboxes or water bottles for laboring mom. Other visitors will want to have some snacks handy. A typical hospital stay is two nights (three for a C-section). The hospital provides gowns for mom, though t-shirts or short nightgowns from home may be more comfortable. Any overnight visitors will want a change of clothing or two.

For breastfeeding moms, now is a good time to start applying a baby-safe nursing salve, even before the milk comes in (which takes a few days). The options range from pure lanolin to lanolin-free. Medela makes a good lanolin-based product that’s easier to apply than the pure stuff. Use it like you would use chapstick on your lips in the height of winter, to prevent injuries that can be painful and slow to heal once they occur.

What else do you need for an overnight stay? Pack travel toiletries, including toothbrush, toothpaste, and any contact lens supplies. Cleansing face wipes (like Neutrogena or my personal favorite Body Shop tea tree ones, which also work on newborn acne) will be your best friends as an easy way to freshen up throughout the stay.

Mom should have clothes to wear home, keeping in mind that maternity clothes will fit more loosely now!

For Baby

The hospital gives the baby just about all the essentials — diapers, wipes, vaseline, simple clothes, blankets, and hats. Don’t be shy about stocking up on this baby swag, and asking for other free items that might be available on demand, like baby formula samples and pacifiers.

Beyond that, there are a couple more things that will be useful. It’s possible to avoid using a pacifier completely (especially in the drowsy first few days), but chances are you’ll want one (and a few backup copies) eventually, if not immediately. The green Soothies are ubiquitous, but you can also try other shapes like Nuk and Dr. Brown’s to see what your baby prefers.

Nowadays, newborns are heavily encouraged to sleep on their backs, and it’s become very popular to swaddle them to help them do so. You can swaddle using a baby blanket and this technique, but a velcro or zippered swaddler is much easier. Bring a swaddlepod or two, and you and all the hospital staff will be glad you did.

Last but not least, have a cute newborn outfit for baby to wear home. The hospital clothes are perfectly fine, but why not dress for the occasion?

That’s it! Read more from The Baby Edit here.

Summary: The Checklist

Here’s a list of what to have in your hospital bag, in roughly decreasing order of importance.

• Cell phones and CHARGERS
• Toothbrush, toothpaste, contact lens supplies, and other toiletries
• Cleansing face wipes
• Nonperishable snacks
• Swaddlepod
• Nursing salve
• Pacifier and/or stuffed animal pacifier
• Short nightgown
• Change(s) of clothing for any overnight visitors, including dad
• Clothes for baby to wear home
• Clothes for mom to wear home (possibly same as arrival clothes)