So You’re Having A Baby…
Congratulations! I am sure you are excitedly preparing for your new bundle of joy. You have the nursery ready, the crib is put together and everything is decorated just so to welcome baby home from the hospital. The closet is full of baby clothes and you have all the supplies you need. You even packed your hospital bag already and have everything in it you could possible need for the very important event of bringing an infant home from the hospital. You’ve got it all under control and you haven’t missed a thing, right?
Well, Maybe Just One Thing…
Did you pack a diaper bag for baby? I know you have the the coming home outfit, undergarments, socks, hat and blankets all ready to go, but did you pack the diaper bag? You may think all you need is something for baby to wear home along with some blankets and a car seat. When I was close to giving birth to my first baby, I thought that was all I needed. Boy, was I surprised! In the short time we were at the hospital there were so many things I wished I had thought to bring with for baby. I ended up sending my mom home with a list of things to bring with her when she came back to the hospital. She, of course, thought I had already prepared a diaper bag with these things. I was a new mom, how was I supposed to know?
You May Want To Pack These Things (I would!)
You already know the basic things that you need to have in order to be able to bring a baby home from the hospital. But you may not even think to bring some of these things and even though you may not use all of them, you will be happy that you have some of the others with you.
Fragrance free baby lotion – When my son was born, his delicate skin was very dry and cracked in certain places. The hospital said that lotion was something they didn’t provide and that I would have to have it brought to me if I wanted to use it. I felt better when my mom brought a little bottle from one of the baby bath sets we had received as gifts.
A pacifier – This is solely a decision for the parents to make, but I was fine with my baby having a pacifier. From the first night, after he had nursed, he burped and was falling asleep. He would wake up crying and I found that when i put the tip of my pinky finger (clean hands, of course) in his mouth he would suck on it happily and go back to sleep. The hospital provided us with a newborn pacifier but we switched brands once we got home.
Extra receiving blankets – The hospital will provide you with a few of these, but I also would have brought some of my own from home.
Nursing pillow – Your body will be sore and tired after giving birth and a nursing pillow adds some support and comfort even if you aren’t breastfeeding.
Menstrual pads – If you had a vaginal delivery the hospital will give you these gigantic pads that were so uncomfortable for me to wear. I had my mom bring me a pack from home as soon as possible!
Nursing pads and breast pump – If you are nursing the hospital has these available but you may feel more comfortable using your own. I don’t like hospitals and having my own things would have made me feel better.
Baby wipes/diaper rash ointment – The hospital I was in did not offer these. You had to have your own. Luckily the mom I shared a room with brought her own and shared.
Bottles/nipples – If you plan on using a certain type of bottle or nipple for baby, you will definitely want to bring your own so that you don’t have to make a transition to a different bottle or nipple after your baby has become accustomed to the ones provided by the hospital.
Burp Pads – The hospital gave me a few cloth diapers to use for spit up, but they were not absorbent at all. I would definitely pack a stack of burp pads to use at the hospital.
Now You Are Almost Ready!
Add these things to your list of basics and you have pretty much anything you might need while you are still at the hospital. Now, all you need to do is pick a diaper bag that you love. Diaper bags are very stylish these days, so you have so many great choices out there to pick from.
Any Other Must Pack Items?
What other items would you pack in the diaper bag before you head to the hospital? I would love to hear from you in the comments below!
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