What to bring to the hospital. The question every mom will find herself asking as she nears the end of her pregnancy.
I feel like I was so clueless with our first that the only thing I can remember packing was a little dress for Emma Grace to wear when we took her home. With #2 I am taking quite a bit more – some necessary and some for fun!
Disclaimer: if this overwhelms you, then no worries! The hospital will provide all you need if you don’t have time to pack a bag. They will swaddle your precious baby, give him/her a hat, and have all the possible diapers and medical necessities you could imagine! That being said, it’s still fun to bring some things of your own. 🙂
With Emma Grace, I carried a Petunia Pickle Bottom bag and it was great! But, the more I carried it, the more I realized that I was always lugging my purse around, too. So, this time I traded in PP bag in for a Kate Spade diaper tote that looks more like a purse so that my bag can act as a purse and a baby bag at the same time. Totally personal choice!
Baby’s Hospital Bag:
1. swaddle blankets – although the hospital blankets are just fine, I’m bringing a couple of my new favorites for #2 like this pink floral blanket from Little Bunches and this vintage inspired swaddle blanket from S and H Create.
2. onesies – I’m packing a couple of our favorite newborn onesies that are soft and will hopefully be a little loose on baby to make sure the umbilical cord isn’t bothered. If you’re nervous about umbilical cord, then the hospital will provide you with little white onesie shirts. 🙂 What size? Well, you won’t know exactly how big your little guy/gal is until they comes, so bring a newborn size and a 0-3 in case he or she is a little bigger than you anticipate. 🙂 Also, be sure to wash all onesies before baby wears them so his/her skin isn’t irritated.
3. headbands/baby cap – the hospital will provide one the minute baby arrives to keep your little one warm, but we’re bringing our own this time – putting on the Baylor Bears pressure early. 😉
4. burp cloth – learning to nurse can be messy and it can’t hurt to have a burp cloth or two with you as you and baby begin to learn about each other and you learn that babies spit up all the time, haha.
5. pacifier/wubbanub – I say play this one by ear. Some women say that giving a pacifier to a newborn can throw things off if you’re trying to nurse. However, with Emma Grace we gave her a pacifier from the beginning and she was fine. Totally up to you, but it can’t hurt to have. Some of those first nights can be quite long…
6. mittens/socks – I would say this is a necessity. Your baby’s nails will be long and you won’t want to cut them for a couple of weeks since the nails will still be attached to the skin. So, during this time, you’ll want to keep baby from scratching his/her face and the best way to do so is to put little mittens and socks on him/her.
7. ointment for dry skin – I remember when Emma Grace first arrived I thought something was wrong with her skin because it looked like she was an old grandpa shedding an entire layer of skin. Truth is, babies typically shed their top layer of skin after birth. It’s totally natural, but you can keep your little one’s skin moisturized by using good ointment and Noodle & Boo is our favorite brand! Baby’s ointment is also good for cradle cap and eczema.
8. comb/brush – there’s a chance that you baby won’t have any hair, but there’s also a chance that he/she will! So, bring a soft bristle brush or a little comb to try and tame that new hair!
9. lotion – babies can always use lotion!
10. going home outfit – this is not pictured as we want to keep that secret and special for #2’s big day, but I highly recommend bringing a special outfit for your guy or gal to wear home. After all, it’s a big event! You’re welcoming baby into your home for the first time! Eeek! So exciting!
Please feel free to email me or comment with any questions or thoughts! I’d love to hear what you bring to the hospital and answer any questions you may have about what I plan on bringing!
xx – anna
