What goes into the 'Hospital Bag'?
What goes into the 'Hospital Bag'?
Reading What goes into the 'Hospital Bag'? 4 minutes Next Fun things to do during pregnancy!

What would the new mom need?

Comfortable cotton nighties – A nighty with a front zip or a set of buttons would be very comfortable for postpartum recovery and breastfeeding.

Brasserie – Invest in the right size , keeping in mind the breasts would get bigger in size in the journey of breastfeeding and a tight brassiere would be extremely uncomfortable and might lead to leakages. Also , keep in hand 3-4 pieces (it should cover the duration of stay at the hospital).

Panties – While I did read about disposable ones and even purchased them , I did not make use of it and stuck to the usual cotton ones. Disposable ones would work best when the bleeding is extremely high, and it would help in avoiding the washing process.

Sanitary napkins – the usual ones would be inadequate for the flow post-delivery. During the stay at the hospital , go for the maternity sanitary pads which are much thicker than the regular ones. Once the bleeding reduces , you could go back to the regular ones you have been using until pregnancy.

Breast pads – These come handy for leaky breasts , which might not happen exactly from day 1 but better to keep them handy.

Existing medications & hospital reports
Bath towels , toiletries , wallet , mobile phone
A tub for hot water sitz bath

Going home clothes – Who wouldn’t want to look nice and get some pictures clicked while going home for the first time with their little one?

A spacious bag to fit in all the above and a laundry bag to store the used clothes until you get home and put them to wash.

Now coming to the little bundle of joy , these are the must haves while at the hospital!

Diapers – While all of us want to be environment conscious, sticking to disposable diapers for the first few days until the meconium stage passes especially during the hospital stay will avoid the cleaning hassle. For newborn CDs , ATT has a range of cutes prints which can be purchased here. 

https://www.atoddlerthing.com/collections/newborn-cover-diapers

Baby wipes – Muslin wipes should be kept higher in number (at least a dozen) for the hospital stay which act as cleaning wipes and as burp clothes after feeds.

Baby clothes – Post the final scan , when you have a rough idea about the baby’s weight , shop for these. The ‘0’ size clothes might not be the best fitted ones for babies with weight less than 3 kgs (personal experience!). In that case , preemie size clothing can be purchased. For the hospital stay , carry at least 10 sets of clothing which includes full sleeve t-shirts , rompers and onesies which would keep the baby warm and cozy.

Swaddle blankets – Swaddling a baby gives them the feeling of warmth which resembles life inside the womb. Muslin swaddles would be the perfect buy and can be purchased from our website. These also double up as bath towels and blankets.

Diaper rash cream – Coconut oil would be the most ideal one for rashes in the tender skin.

Mittens – If your baby has sharp nails like mine from day 1 , mittens will come handy in preventing scratches on their faces. The socks & mitten sets available at ATT are too cute to miss!

Soft muslin blankets for receiving the baby and for a cozy nap. Holding sheets to carry the baby with more ease and comfort.
A diaper bag to carry them all – invest in a good quality one since that’s going to be carried around a lot of times and put to full use.