The Hospital Bag
When I was pregnant, I must admit, I was fixated about having the perfectly packed with essentials, hospital bag! I don’t know why, I do love organising and being prepared but I found myself going down a rabbit hole of YouTube videos and posts all dedicated to this!
I was in Mothercare a couple of weeks ago picking up some things for my sister who is due in January and noticed they had an extensive list too! The flyers were by the counter for anyone to take. It’s a great idea and has little tick boxes so you can keep track.
If you are pregnant, or know someone that is, I’m sure you are already aware of having to have your hospital bag well equipped so I’m not going to ramble on about all the obvious things you need, just a few tips on what I found very useful, and what I forgot and wish I’d had!
So! First things firsts – don’t be afraid to start preparing early at around 6/7 months. you will be glad of this in the last few weeks when you need to rest.
I had unexpected observation stays at hospital during my pregnancy so I also think it’s handy to have a grab bag with a pair of pjs and a few toiletries should you need to be admitted for anything.
Moving on to the big event!
For baby
New born size – everyone told me that it’s pointless to buy the newborn size in clothing so I only had a couple of things in that size. BUT the weight range for this size is up to 5kg and I just found 0-3 months totally swallowed my little baby! I was glad I had some newborn sizes but wish I had more! Yes they grow fast but you still want the clothes to fit them in my opinion.
Storage bags – I put together outfits (vest, baby-grow, mittens, hat) and separated them in to bags so that I didn’t have to rummage and also when the midwife asked Charles to get the clothes ready to put Conor in when he was born, he just had to take the bag on top and everything was ready.
from€12
Barrier cream – for nappy changes
from €6
Water wipes or pre cut cotton wool
Gentle baby wash
Muslins – for everything! An absolute must in my opinion.
from €13
Apart from the obvious, nightwear and extra clothing, Here is what I really found the most useful in my bag for delivery for me.
Snacks! And plenty of them, you can never have enough to graze on.
Breastfeeding pillow – I actually mainly used mine as a much-needed neck rest during my hospital stay and still use it today! Probably the most versatile thing I had for both breastfeeding, resting baby, oh, and me too! I love it! Here is the exact one I bought from Amazon!
from €28
Lip balm – believe me when I say this is ESSENTIAL
from €25
Nipple cream – Also essential! Even if you are not planning to breastfeed, you will need the comfort.
from €10
Gadgets – chargers, phones… you will need them
Small change – for vending machines
Extra maternity pads – for obvious reasons
Dry shampoo – there was no way I was washing and drying my hair!
Things I forgot and wish I’d had
The top and tail bath! I don’t know why I didn’t bring it, but you need it to wash the baby when it’s time for this step.
The Neat Nursery Co. Neat Nuresery Oval Top ‘n’ Tail Wash Bowl, 956 White, 0.3 kg
from €8
Newborn baby grows – as I said above, I wish I had more.
A peri rinse bottle! I really wish I knew about these for comfort and easy use.
From €11
A caddy, like below for easy access!
from €18
