Hospital bag checklist
Pack it a few weeks early · tick as you go
Due date
For you
- Photo ID and insurance or Medicaid card
- Birth preferences, if you have written them down
- A list of the medicines you take
- Phone and a long charging cable
- Comfortable clothes to go home in
- Loose or front-opening tops
- Socks or slippers
- Toothbrush, lip balm, hair ties
- Glasses or contact lens case
- Snacks and a water bottle
For the baby
- An outfit to go home in, plus a spare
- A hat and a blanket for the ride home
- Nappies and wipes — ask whether the hospital supplies them
- Whatever you plan to feed with — ask what the hospital provides, whether you plan to breastfeed, formula-feed or both
For the ride home
- An infant car seat, installed rear-facing before the birth
- Someone to drive, or a plan for getting home
For whoever comes with you
- A change of clothes
- Phone charger
- Snacks
- The numbers of people to call once the baby arrives
Also pack
To print: Ctrl/Cmd + P, choose Save as PDF or your printer, set margins to None. It is sized to one page.