7 Surprising Items to Include in Your Hospital Bag When Having a Baby

I’ve seen dozens of checklists for what to take with you to the hospital when you head in to have a baby. I feel like if you’ve seen one of these, you’ve seen them all.

I’ll soon be giving birth to my third baby, so I don’t really need someone else’s checklist when packing my bag. I know what I’ll need! Interestingly, there are a few things I’ve taken in the past—and have found to be incredibly helpful—that I don’t see on most checklists.

Unconventional things to include in your hospital bag

• Flip-flops. Most checklists include footwear such as slippers and non-skid socks. I agree that these are good to take. I’ve taken both to my previous deliveries and will take them to my upcoming delivery. I also take a pair of flip-flops, though. There are two reasons for this. First, like many women, I get swollen feet towards the end of pregnancy. During my first pregnancy, when I developed preeclampsia, this was especially bad. It was so bad, in fact, that I couldn’t even get slippers onto my feet! However, I could get flip-flops on, so I appreciated having these to use while walking around my room and the halls. Second, hospitals are teeming with germs. They have run-of-the-mill germs and antibiotic-resistant ones. Even though both hospitals where I’ve delivered had en suite bathrooms that looked very clean, I didn’t trust those floors. I felt much more comfortable using the showers when I could do so with the bottoms of my feet covered.
• Soft toilet paper. Hospitals provide their patients with toilet paper, of course, but it’s generally not the highest quality toilet paper. After you’ve delivered a baby, things tend to be a little sore “down there,” so soft toilet paper is much more pleasant to use than the thin, rough varieties typically provided in public facilities like hospitals. If you have room to do so, then tuck a roll of soft toilet paper into your hospital bag. Your sore, swollen parts will appreciate it greatly!
• Cooling and heating items. Between the hard work of labor and the hormones surging through their bodies during labor and recovery, many women experience temperature extremes during their hospital stays. In other words, you may feel extremely hot one minute and extremely cold the next minute. It’s helpful to have items that will cool you off or warm you up during these times. I found a small, battery-operated fan to be useful for cooling off and thick socks and a robe to be helpful for warming up. If you have one, you might also consider taking a cooling scarf.
• An extension cord. In many hospital rooms, you can either have your phone at your side or have it across the room on a charger. The two are mutually exclusive because there aren’t any outlets available near the bed. If you don’t want to be walking across the room every five minutes to answer calls or respond to text messages, then consider taking an extension cord so you can charge your phone and have it by your side. Note: For safety reasons, some hospitals may have policies against the use of extension cords or may have guidelines for their use. Be sure to check with your hospital for details.
• Anything that makes you feel like yourself. Labor can leave you feeling exhausted and a little out of sorts. Thus, having items that make you feel like yourself can be really comforting. Here are a few of my must-haves:
  • Favorite snacks
  • Comfy nursing nightgowns
  • Robe and slippers
  • Essential oils and a portable diffuser
  • Body lotion and lip balm
  • Nursing tank tops
• An extra bag that folds compactly. It’s not unusual for families to leave the hospital with more than they brought with them (and I’m not just talking about the baby). Families generally leave with some diapers, wipes, baby wash, etc. that were provided by the hospital. Sometimes hospitals also give gift bags to families that include samples of other products like diaper rash creams and pacifiers. Moreover, you may have visitors bring you gifts while you’re in the hospital. You will appreciate having a place to store these items. A compact bag, such as a reusable grocery sack, is perfect for this!
• Nursing pillow. A nursing pillow (such as a Boppy) is bulky, so I wouldn’t recommend taking it if I didn’t think it was worth it! This is the one item on this list that I haven’t actually taken with me previously, but I plan to take with me when I deliver this time. I had my first daughter via emergency C-section. It was really hard to get comfortable while breastfeeding her. The lactation consultants and nurses helped me position her on regular pillows, but in retrospect I’m able to see that it would have been super helpful to have had a nursing pillow. I had my second daughter via VBAC, so I didn’t have the pain of a C-section incision. However, I was still in some pain and I was exhausted, so it would have been helpful to have a nursing pillow with me! Regular pillows just don’t work as well, especially for babies as small as newborns. This time, I’m taking the nursing pillow so I can nurse comfortably.

Hopefully these items will round out your hospital bag so you have everything you need to be comfortable!

I’d love to hear the experiences of other moms. What unconventional items did you appreciate having with you in the hospital when you had a baby?