I haven’t written a post in a long time and I swear I have an excuse! We’re expecting baby #2 (a boy) on March 6th and this pregnancy has been harder than my first in so many ways, primarily because I started feeling nauseous at 6 weeks. Rather than a 4 week period of nausea with Julia, this little guy still regularly keeps my stomach in knots, even at 39 weeks. Combine that with a busy (but fun) fall/holiday and a 3 year old and I just didn’t prioritize jotting anything down for posterity. This poor kid probably won’t get any kind of baby book/journal, either.
I’ve been resurrecting all kinds of lists lately, which is my last ditch attempt to pretend I have control over anything baby-related. This is our packing list for our hospital bags. It was really hard for me to find a set of lists that include anything for a sibling, so I’ve included it below. Julia will stay with family if my mom hasn’t arrived yet, or with our next door neighbors if family isn’t available, so we have some comfortable back-ups.
*Items with an asterisk are things I’ll pack when I go into labor/that are in my purse.
Mommy List
- Printed copy of birth plan (my midwives clinic scans this into my chart, but just in case!)
- Credit card/ID/Insurance Card*
- Phone and Charger* – preloaded playlists on my phone’s Spotify app. I didn’t use them last time, but they’re already there so…
- Gum
- Veggie/Fruit Juice – I didn’t actually end up using this last time because I vomited not long after we got to the hospital, but I also ate spicy food shortly before we left, so I’m trying again. Having liquids on hand is important to me, just in case
- Water Bottle
- Dried fruit/ginger chews – I have no idea why, but I ate a ton of dried apricots and cherries in the hours following birth last time
- Chocolate for hospital nurses – I brought 2 lbs of See’s last time, 1 for day shift and 1 for night shift
- Toiletries
- Deodorant
- Light make-up
- Shampoo/conditioner
- Moisturizer
- Toothpaste/toothbrush
- Chapstick (my lips were constantly chapped last time)
- Hair brush/ties/bobby pins
- Essential oils (lavender/peppermint) – I didn’t need these in labor last time, but they were nice to help me relax while recovering
- Face wipes
- Clothes
- Slippers and flip-flops
- Robe – I bought an inexpensive one from Target last time that was nice to have
- Nursing tank top and bra
- Nursing-friendly shirt and loose pants. H&M has had some great ones lately
- Underwear/socks (big fluffy warm ones)
Daddy List
My husband has allergies, so even though our hospital has pretty good food that we can order, we’re bringing lots of snacks for him (which he’s in charge of packing) to make sure he has energy, too.
- Snacks – cashews, dried fruit, chocolate, tea bags because the choices at the hospital are awful
- Tylenol – our hospital, at least, can’t give your partner medicine because they aren’t a patient, so if your support person gets a headache, they’re on their own
- Wallet with credit cards/ID
- Phone with charger. We also brought a digital camera last time, but our phone cameras are so much better this time around that we’re skipping tat
- Watch
- Change of clothes
- Toiletries (similar to my list above)
- Entertainment – last time, my husband brought a few magazines, a bluetooth speaker in case we wanted to listen to music (we didn’t end up using it) and his laptop/charger with DVDs. We were up regularly for feedings, anyway, so we watched a movie together and enjoyed having something to break up time.
Baby List
- Carseat – can’t leave without it! We’re installing ours this weekend, but did it earlier with baby #1
- Swaddle blanket – the hospital provides these, but an extra is nice to have
- 2 going home outfits – 1 in a newborn size and 1 in a 3 mo size in case baby is huge
- Hat/socks/mittens – the hospital gives you a hat, but the ones that coordinate with their little outfits are so adorable. Julia was a scratcher from day one, so we’re bringing some little mittens for this guy.
Sibling List
This is for Julia, who is almost 3. She’s daytime potty trained, but still sleeps in a diaper. I’m assuming she’ll be at someone’s house for up to 2 nights
- 3 outfits – basically 2 + a spare in case of an accident (including socks and underwear). Note that our back-up care people live within half a mile of our house and have keys, so it’s not like they couldn’t pick up more if there were multiple accidents.
- 2 pairs of PJs – this includes a new pair that I got her as part of her big-sister present
- 3 diapers and 2 pull-ups – similar to the outfits, there are a couple of spares just in case
- Wet/dry bag – for laundry and any accidents
- 1 muslin blanket and 1 stuffed animal – both homes she would stay at have temporary sleeping arrangements (extra beds/cots, etc), so these are really more like comfort objects
- 1 pillow* – she has a toddler pillow that she likes, so I plan to pack that later
- Toy bag – both homes have slightly older kids, so I know they have the basics, but I wanted her to have some familiar and quiet activities (a Go Fish game, sticker books, and her Kindle/charger with headphones)
- 2 books – our bedtime routine includes reading 2 books, so I chose some of her favorites that are also lightweight (including 1 about a new baby)
- Toothbrush, toothpaste and hairbrush
- Snacks (shelf stable ones like pouches, cheddar bunnies and fruit roll-ups)
- Print-out with babysitting-type info – emergency contacts, our insurance and her pediatrician’s info, her bedtime routine, etc. I also e-mailed this to both families earlier this week
- Gift card to a local bakery – as a thank you for watching Julia, but also in case they need an activity for breakfast
- Big sister present – she’s really into superheroes lately, particularly Bat Girl. I couldn’t find Bat Girl PJs that were her size, so I bought purple striped ones and a Batman cape and mask set (she won’t know the difference). Target had a really cute superhero themed card for a big sister (they had a brother version as well), so I added that to be read to her. I’m probably overreacting, but I’m concerned about her feeling worried about being without us or upset about paying attention to baby brother, so I’m really trying to play up what a big and brave girl she is, combined with a little bribery.
- Shoes/jacket/hat/gloves*
- Carseat*
Things I did NOT pack
I learned last time that our hospital provides a lot of recover-related things that are on other packing lists out there, so I haven’t included them.
- Mesh undies/depends/pads
- Tucks
- Tylenol/Ibuprofen/Colace (stool softener)
- Peri bottle
- Diapers
- Flannel receiving blanket and basic baby hat
- Pillows – the pillows last time were plenty comfortable for me, and I don’t really want to bring anything I would feel really badly about throwing away (like a favorite pillow) because birth is messy, y’all.
Anything I’m missing that you’d suggest?
Suitcases In Seattle 