There are a million lists out there to help your partner decide what to pack in her hospital bag, but what about for you? Here’s a hospital bag checklist of must haves, nice to have or ask your delivery location about, and items to definitely leave at home. Amazon links below are affiliate links.

For You

Must Have

• Copies of your birth plan – your partner will have enough on her mind, be sure to have copies of the birth plan for all the nurses who come through.
• Cell phone/camera – don’t get crazy here, your main role (unless mom says otherwise) is assisting however you can during labor, but take photos when you can. Have a conversation before the big day so you know which pictures mom wants and which to avoid. 
• Button up shirt – you’ll want this when it’s time for skin-to-skin with baby.
• Athletic shorts – your partner will need you to feel comfortable and be able to move around a lot.
• Shower essentials – you can’t be sure how many days you’ll be in the hospital, and labor can get messy.
• Toothbrush & toothpaste – more than likely you’ll have at least one night in the hospital.
• Phone charger – spring for an extra long one, like this iPhone charger or this USBC charger, outlets aren’t in the most convenient locations in hospital rooms.

Nice to Have

• TENS Machine – this can be a great tool for pain management, especially if mom experiences back labor
• A snack box or goodie basket for the L&D nurses – these are the people that will be helping welcome your child into the world, treat them well! Try to be mindful of common allergens. Trail mix might not go over as well for someone who has a peanut allergy.
• Blanket & travel pillow – your hospital might have this for visitors, but it’s nice to have something to help make the pull out couch more comfortable

Leave at Home

• Your gaming system – sure labor might be a while, but this isn’t the time to play Call of Duty or Minecraft.
• Shaving supplies – unless you’re getting professional photos at the hospital or you’re bigfoot, shaving can wait a day or two.
• Jokes about the husband stitch – these aren’t funny and honestly just make the nurses wonder if you’re d*ck is small.

For Baby

Must Have

• Car seat – make sure you have the car seat and have practiced installing it before your partner goes into labor. Most hospitals will not let you leave without having your baby secured in a car seat, yet they do not typically have someone there to help make sure you are using it correctly.
• Going home outfit – some people go a little crazy here, footie pajamas are a great take home outfit. Try to bring an outfit in both newborn and 0-3 month sizes, you never know how big or small your baby might be. You’ll want to avoid anything that keeps the legs together because that won’t work with the car seat.

Nice to Have

• Name & birth stats announcement card – this definitely isn’t necessary, but it can be fun to find unique ways to announce your babies name and birthday. Here’s an example
• Hand mittens – some babies have super sharp nails when they are born. These mittens can help stop them from scratching their face. Better yet, grab a baby nail file to trim them down while they snooze.

Leave at Home

• Diapers & wipes – you can confirm with your providers, but typically the hospital will provide these for the entirety of your stay
• Formula – if you plan to formula feed your baby the hospital will also provide this, again always confirm, but 9 times out of 10 this is the case

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Did we miss something in our hospital bag checklist? Was something we said super helpful? Leave us a comment! And check out our other blog posts for more helpful tips!