Preparing for baby can seriously be so dang stressful. The last thing you need is to pack 4 full sized suitcases for your hospital trip. A small duffel bag is all you need for this realistic hospital bag checklist.
You have scoured Pinterest to find the perfect hospital bag checklist. But it’s 15 pages long and you’re exhausted just reading it. You’re looking for a realistic hospital bag checklist – and I promise; you’ve found it right here.
Like most first time moms, I way over packed for my first birth. I thought I needed everything but the kitchen sink for all of us. I even packed diapers and wipes. Seriously, they’re not necessary.
For my second birth, I packed a little less but was smarter about it. No nursing pillow, no clothes for the baby, no diaper creams, no pacifier clips. I didn’t need any of that.
For my second birth (twins), you would have thought I was packing for a one night sleepover camp. No giant nursing pillows, no big bottles of shampoo – I didn’t even pack a towel to take a shower. Dry shampoo was about the max.
I never understood the checklists that told you to pack ALL THE THINGS. I am a no frills type of person so I really needed a realistic hospital bag checklist. All the others just weren’t for me!
Grab your free realistic hospital bag checklist printable here!
When should I pack my hospital bag?
Around 32 weeks is when you should start packing your hospital bag. I always kept mine in my car so it was there for all of my doctor’s appointments and it was ready to go, just in case.
If you’re a simple woman (like me), then you have found your realistic hospital bag checklist right here. It even includes a list for your partner and the baby. They’re smaller than your list!
You might find some odd items on this realistic hospital bag checklist – and let me explain some of them to you (and why some might be missing).
- Dry shampoo: Do not waste your time on the real stuff because to be honest, you may not even take a real shower. And if you do, who has time to wash their hair?
- Antacids: Hospitals have to chart and charge everything they give you. It can take hours to get an antacid if you’re having some residual heartburn. I had a nurse tell me that if I had my own, she couldn’t stop be from taking it while she was out of the room…
- Nursing pads: My hospital didn’t have any! It was nice to have some from home, just in case.
- Pacifier: Some hospitals provide the, some don’t. Best to have some on you, just in case.
- An extra bag: All those diapers, creams, wipes, blankets, etc that they’re bringing you are just going to get thrown out when you leave. You paid for them. Stock up, mama.
- Make up: You WON’T see this on this realistic hospital bag checklist. I didn’t care to be in any pictures and don’t wear make up on a regular day so it wasn’t a necessity for me.
If you’d like to add anything to this realistic hospital bag checklist, feel free! There’s an empty space there for you.
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