Tool 04 · Printable
Hospital
bag
Everything worth packing, nothing that is not. It knows the week you are in, so it tells you whether you are ahead, on time, or should be doing this today.
Timing
Enter your date and this becomes specific.
Right now it is just a very good list.
Hospital bag checklist
birthdate.baby
One email a week
A nudge at week 35, when this stops being optional
Plus the strep swab at 36 and the things people forget at 38.
When to pack it
Week 35. That is early enough that a baby arriving at 37 weeks, which is entirely normal, does not find you throwing things into a bag at 2am. If you are past 35 and the bag is not done, this is the job for today.
Pack two bags, not one
A small bag for labour and a larger one for after. Only the small one needs to come into the room with you, and the other can stay in the car until the baby is here. Labour rooms are not big, and neither is the space beside the bed.
What people forget
Their own postpartum supplies, almost always. Hospitals hand out some pads and mesh underwear and it is never enough. A long phone cable, because the socket is never beside the bed. Snacks, because the kitchen closes. And a going home outfit for the baby in two sizes, since nobody knows yet which one will fit.
What not to bring
Anything valuable. Newborn nappies, in most hospitals, because they supply them. A pile of newborn clothes, because you will use two outfits. Books, which nobody has ever read in a labour ward.
Check with your own hospital before you finalise it. Some supply nappies, wipes and formula and some supply nothing, and it changes what is worth carrying.