What to Pack for Hospital
Pack two bags: one for labour, one for after. The second one is the one people forget, and it is the one that matters if you stay in.
- Bag one — labour
- Notes, phone and a long charger cable, water with a straw, lip balm, hair tie, flip flops, snacks, and something to wear you do not mind ruining.
- Bag two — after
- Two or three changes of clothes, maternity pads, dark underwear, nightwear that opens at the front, toiletries, towel.
- For the baby
- Nappies, cotton wool, vests and sleepsuits in two sizes, a hat, a blanket, and a going-home outfit.
- The one everyone forgets
- A long phone charger. Hospital sockets are never next to the bed.
For the birth partner
Routinely forgotten, and they may be there for two days.
- 1
Their own food and drink. Hospital cafés close and vending machines are cruel.
- 2
Change for parking, which is often still coin-operated.
- 3
A phone charger of their own.
- 4
A pillow. Partners sleep in chairs.
The things people say they wish they had packed
- 5
A towel of your own. Hospital towels are small and thin.
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Dark, cheap, comfortable underwear you can throw away.
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Flip flops for the shower.
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Snacks for the middle of the night.
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A hand fan or a small battery fan. Delivery rooms are hot.
- 10
Something for the car seat — you cannot leave without one fitted.
What not to bother packing
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Newborn-size clothes only. Take one size up as well.
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Anything valuable. Wards are open and lockers are small.
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A large make-up bag. It will not be opened.
- 14
Books. Almost nobody reads.
If you are visiting rather than packing
- 15
Ask first, every time. Wards have visiting rules and new parents have a plan.
- 16
Bring food for the parents rather than a gift for the baby. The baby has enough.
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Stay twenty minutes. Say at the door that you are staying twenty minutes.
- 18
Offer to take a photograph of all of them together. Nobody else will think of it.
Timing the pack
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By 36 weeks. Roughly one in ten babies arrives before 37 weeks.
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Two bags: labour, and after. Put the after bag in the car boot and take only the labour bag in.
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Tell your partner what is in which bag. They will be the one asked to find things.
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Pack the going-home outfit last and on top, so it is not at the bottom under everything.
If you are having a caesarean
A longer stay and different needs, and standard lists rarely say so.
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High-waisted underwear that sits above the scar. Several pairs.
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Loose, long tops and nothing with a waistband.
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You will be in for two to four nights rather than one, so pack for that.
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Something to help you get out of bed — many people bring a small cushion to hold.
For a longer stay, or special care
- 27
Change for parking and vending, and a card for everything else.
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A refillable water bottle. You will be asked to drink constantly.
- 29
Earplugs and an eye mask. Wards do not go dark or quiet.
- 30
A photograph or something small from home. If the stay becomes long, it matters.
What partners should bring, in detail
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Food for themselves, for two days. This is the single most forgotten item.
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A pillow and a blanket; they will be in a chair.
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A change of clothes. Labour can run over a day.
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Their own toothbrush.
- 35
Cash for parking, which at many hospitals is still coin-only and eye-watering.
The going-home day
The bit nobody plans for, and the bit that goes wrong.
- 36
A car seat, correctly fitted, in the car. You cannot be discharged without one.
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An outfit one size up as well as newborn. Babies are frequently bigger than expected.
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A blanket for the car seat straps to go over, not under.
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Something warm for yourself; you may be leaving at a very different hour than you arrived.
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Somebody to carry the bags. You will not be carrying anything.
What to leave at home
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Valuables of any kind. Wards are open and storage is a small locker.
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Anything you would be upset to lose. Things go missing in the wash and the handover.
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An elaborate plan. Take a list, not a schedule.
For a home birth
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Old towels and old sheets, more than you think.
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A bag packed anyway, in case of transfer. This is the item people skip and regret.
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Food and drink within reach, and a lamp rather than an overhead light.
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Somewhere for the midwives to put their equipment, and space to work.
If you are the birth partner
Your job is largely logistical and nobody briefs you.
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Know where both bags are and what is in each one.
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Know the route, the parking, and which entrance is open at night.
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Have the notes, the phone numbers and the ID.
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Bring your own food. You will be there longer than you expect and nothing will be open.
A checklist you can work through
In the order you will need them.
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Labour bag: notes, ID, phone, long charger, water with a straw, lip balm, hair tie, flip flops, snacks, old clothes to labour in.
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After bag: three changes of clothes, maternity pads, dark cheap underwear, front-opening nightwear, toiletries, your own towel.
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Baby: nappies, cotton wool, vests and sleepsuits in newborn and one size up, hat, blanket, going-home outfit.
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Car: correctly fitted car seat, fitted before you go anywhere near the hospital.
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Partner: their own food, drink, pillow, change of clothes, parking cash, phone charger.
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Optional but frequently wished for: battery fan, eye mask, earplugs, a photograph from home.
If it is a second or third baby
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Arrange childcare cover with two backups, not one. Labour does not consult diaries.
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Pack a small bag for the sibling too, in case they end up somewhere overnight.
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Something for the sibling to give the baby, and something for the baby to "give" the sibling. It is a well-worn trick and it works.
What to have ready at home
Separate from the hospital bag, and just as forgotten.
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A made-up cot or moses basket, and somewhere for the baby to sleep in the room you sit in.
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Food in the freezer. Whatever you can cook and freeze in the last month, do.
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Nappies and pads in quantity, so nobody has to go out in week one.
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The car seat base fitted, if you have one.
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A list on the fridge of what visitors can do: kettle, dishwasher, washing, dog. People want to help and cannot think of anything.
Questions people actually ask
When should I pack my hospital bag?
By about 36 weeks. Pack two separate bags — labour and after — so that nobody is emptying one large bag onto the floor at three in the morning.
What do new parents actually want brought to hospital?
Food for the parents, and a phone charger. Gifts for the baby can wait; the parents have not eaten a proper meal.
When should I pack a hospital bag?
By 36 weeks. Around one in ten babies arrives before 37 weeks, and packing while in early labour is not a plan.
What is different to pack for a caesarean?
High-waisted underwear that sits above the scar, loose tops with no waistband, and enough for two to four nights rather than one.
What do you need to take a baby home from hospital?
A correctly fitted car seat — you cannot be discharged without one — plus an outfit in newborn and the next size up, because babies are often bigger than expected.
What should a birth partner know?
Where both bags are and what is in each, the route and parking, and where the night entrance is. And bring your own food; you will be there longer than you think.
What is the single most forgotten item in a hospital bag?
A long phone charger cable. Hospital sockets are never next to the bed, and a standard cable will not reach.
What should be ready at home before the birth?
Somewhere for the baby to sleep in the room you actually sit in, food in the freezer, nappies in bulk, and a list on the fridge of jobs visitors can do without asking.