Hospital Bag for Mum: Ticking off the Checklist

What to Pack in Your Hospital Bag

With your due date approaching and preparations at home well underway, it’s time to think about packing a hospital bag for mum. When the time comes you will want to know your bag is packed with all the clothing, documents, toiletries and essentials you’ll need for a comfortable stay in the birthing suite.

The bag you use is entirely up to you, but make sure it’s the right size to hold everything you need without being too big to carry or fit in a car. We recommend picking a hospital bag that’s noticeable, easy to grab in a hurry, and won’t slow you down on the way to the hospital.

See our hospital musts featured in the checklist below – essential items you can’t go without.

What to Pack in a hospital bag for Mum

Paperwork:

• Health insurance and Medicare cards, plus any hospital paperwork
• Birth plan, maternity notes and antenatal card
• Paper and pen

Clothing:

• Loose, comfortable clothing
• Old nightgown or oversized t-shirt for labour
• Pregnancy crop top bra
• Slippers and comfortable socks
• Dressing gown (with a front opening if you plan to breastfeed)
• Comfortable underwear and disposable pants
• Maternity leggings
• Going-home clothes

Toiletries:

• Travel essentials: Toothbrush and paste, body wash, shampoo and conditioner, deodorant, hairbrush
• Lip balm
• Nursing pads - Have a read of our blog on: How to use nursing pads.
• Maternity pads
• Massage oil or cream
• Hairband or tie
• Glasses and spare contact lenses if needed
• Facial tissues
• Any medication you currently take

Additional essentials:

• Pillow
• Music
• Calming activities – magazines, books, crosswords
• Phone and charger
• Healthy snacks and drinks
• Plastic bag for dirty laundry

What to Pack for Baby

• Onesies and sleepsuits
• Socks and booties
• Baby wipes like New Beginnings bamboo baby wipes
• Nappies
• Hat to keep warm
• Muslin squares or alternative burping cloth
• Baby car seat

When should you start packing your hospital bag?                                     

It’s never too early to get the essentials together. By the time you’re 36 weeks you will want to have mum’s hospital bag packed and waiting, in case you need to go in a hurry.

A good idea is to start getting items together early, so you don’t have to rush around finding sleepsuits or nursing pads when you’re heavily pregnant. In the weeks leading up to your due date you can practice strapping a doll or teddy into the infant car seat to get used to the feeling.

Why Choose New Beginnings?

At New Beginnings, we want to help pregnant women and new Mums be as comfortable as possible. With a range of hospital musts easy to find on our online store, as well as tips and tricks for new and expecting Mums on our blog, we’re here for you.

Our maternity collections are specially designed based on feedback from Mums with high quality, comfortable material. You can also sign up to our free newsletter below for guides, useful information and more, direct from our community of Mums.

For more information about value-packs for new mums, visit our guide to the 3 Must-Have Value Packs Every Mum and Bub Needs.

Start getting a hospital bag for Mum ready today by ordering through our website or by calling our order hotline on 1300 768 868. You can find out more about our products by email: sales@newbeginnings.com.au.