Once I had our hospital bags packed I felt ready for Tatum to come - before they were ready I felt a slight anxiety every day to get it done, just in case. We had them packed about 3 weeks or so ahead of time. I packed in a small rolling suitcase (this one was great with the compartments) and Derek in a duffle so he could just put his bag on top and wheel it all in. We had another small bag with things for the baby, snacks and stuff. We also took our own pillows. I had a "throw in at the last minute list" also with final little things.
I quickly learned that anything you need for recovering - the hospital has more than enough (and I was hording things to bring home).
For Mom:
Clothes: pajamas sets (this top & bottom set was great), robe (love these), loose coming home outfit
Accessories: socks, slippers, notebook/pen, folder for papers
Personal Items: bathroom items (nice to have your own shampoo!), makeup bag, hair straightener, Miscellaneous: extension cord, notebook/pen/important papers, phone charger, iPad
For Baby:
Coming home outfit, blanket, hat, extra outfit or two.
*I had packed a few more things but this was all we really needed. Sleep shirts, blankets, hat, pacifier, diapers, etc. - the hospital gives you all you need for those first few days. I did take a couple little monogram things from his nursery for some photo opps.
My Favorite Essentials:
Cheap Colorful Pillowcases (we went with blue - for boy!) - this way the pillows would be different than the hospital white not to get mixed in and I could just throw out after.
Face Towels - I didn't want to be doing my makeup all the time but I also wanted to somewhat feel good about myself - wiping one of these on in the morning gives you a little tan glow by the afternoon and were lifesavers. (obsessed with these)
Extension cord - the outlet wasn't near my bed and I was so happy to have this so I could always have my phone charging right on the bed as I was laying down.
Things I'd leave home next time:
Blanket - I wasn't sure if there would be bedding for Derek but he had his own bed AND plenty of blankets.
Laptop - I brought it in case we wanted to watch movies and such but we never touched it.
Snacks - We never touched them. The vending machines were right near our room, there was a wawa just down the block that Derek could walk to and we had fun with the room service menu.
Underwear - The nurses give you exactly what you need - and I was hording them to bring home.
Robes - I took two not knowing how long we'd be there - next time I'd probably just take one. I more enjoyed being in my pajama set. Plus with the post baby night sweats, I'd just sleep in a clean hospital robe each night and use my pajamas as the "outfit" for each day.
Boppy Pillow - While we did use this for feedings, it just took up space and was something extra to carry - we had plenty of pillows in the room that were just as easily used.
Baby Book - Again, it just took up space. We stamped his footprint on the wrong page anyway and the nurses give you a handful of extra little sheets with the footprints on them to take home so it can just easily be taped into the book.
That’s so nice your hospital provided so much! They’re all so different in what they do and don’t provide. I’m so jealous they provided so much for Derek; that’s great! We were so thankful they provided us so much stuff for the babies, but I’ve heard some hospitals even provide some patients with HALO Sleep Sacks for their babies!! 🙌🏻
ReplyDeleteI am definitely book marking this to help with packing our bags in a few months!! I have had my eye on those Pink Blush robes- so pretty!
ReplyDeleteI definitely took wayyyy too much to the hospital but next time I will know exactly what is needed and what isn't!
ReplyDeleteThe cheap pillowcases are a great idea! And so cute to get the color of your baby's gender!
ReplyDeleteSarah at MeetTheShaneyfelts
Thanks for sharing your list!! I'll definitely save this for the future!
ReplyDeleteDitto to all the things you didn't need! We brought most of those things as well and never touched them. The best thing to do is travel light! The hospital truly has most of what you need!
ReplyDeleteI will definitely be saving this for whenever I might need it! It seems like so many people over pack for the hospital, so it's nice to know what you'd leave home the next time around.
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