Packing a Hospital Bag the Second Time Around

September 12, 2016 by Ruthie 4 Comments

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #SuperAbsorbent #CollectiveBias

Well I’m getting to about two months away from baby girl making her appearance and I couldn’t be more excited.  We have had a couple bumps in the road and previously had to go into the hospital because I was having contractions 2.5 minutes apart.  Thankfully it was a false alarm and all is still running smoothly.  This Wednesday I will be 30 weeks, so in anticipation for potentially going in early I’ve decided to get my hospital bag ready!  I’m excited to be partnering with Costco and Huggies for this detailed post for all my favorite readers today.

Now there are lists upon lists out there for first time Moms and what they should pack for the hospital. There aren’t a ton out there for second time Moms who have done it before.  Frankly, there should be because some of those lists out there are having you pack your entire house, which is not necessary. What they don’t tell you before your first baby is that the hospital has a lot of what you need.  Take full advantage of this as you are probably paying a pretty penny to the Hospital for their services. 🙂

Nursing Gown/PJs/Going Home Outfit

First things first, what should you pack for Mommy?  You defintely want a few changes of clothes and you want comfortable clothes as you will be hanging out in bed.  I highly recommend that you buy a few different nursing gowns and pajamas if you plan to nurse.  It makes it so much easier when learning how to nurse with your new little one(s).  You will also want to plan an outfit to go home in because more than likely you don’t want to wear your PJs home.  You can still wear something comfy or your can pack a dress if you want to snap some cute photos of you and the baby before you leave for home.

Nursing Pillow

They do have some nursing pillows you can use at the hospital but if you have found one that you like from your previous baby then I’d plan on bringing it.  I had two different ones with my daughter and loved them both for different reasons.  I may be crazy enough and bring them both!

Postpartum Girdle

I did have one of these with my first child but didn’t wear it enough because it was not very comfortable. Yes that’s still true but I want to be more diligent about it this time around.  We aren’t planning on having any more kiddos so I want to do my best to get back to pre baby shape with this baby.  Why not have a little extra help getting your skin and muscles back to it’s original form?  It’s also super helpful to c-section mamas.

Camera

I didn’t bring a camera with my first born (except for my cell phone) and I’m defintely going to this time around.  I am loving photography these days and so I plan to bring my DSLR Camera so I can snap some beautiful photos of our little girl.  Some hospitals have a professional come in and take photos of your little but not all hospitals provide that.  And if they do it’s typically a little spendy to buy the photos. We of course did and they were nice but nothing nicer than I can talk myself!

iPad/Computer/Phone/Phone Charger

I had an epidural with my first daughter so while we did the long wait (which ended in c-section) I tried to occupy myself the best I could with watching movies on my computer.  Social media and electronics are a great way to try and stay distracted.  It’s also important to get a list going on who you want to text once baby is born and then when you are ready to share you can send a big group text to friends and family!

Documents

I highly recommend registering ahead of time so that you don’t have to fill out a bunch of paper work when you get to the hospital.  It would still be smart to bring some of those important documents with you just in case though.

Now that you are packed for you it’s time to pack for your new bundle of joy!  A lot of items for baby are there for you at the hospital but you may want to bring a cute outfit or two for some photo opportunities!

Car Seat

This one is kind of a given because you need something to bring baby home in!  Make sure your car seat is not expired and you know how to install the base properly.  Lots of times your local fire station will check to make sure you did it properly.  We were fortunate to have a friend that taught us with our first daughter.  She worked for social services so she had to be trained on the proper way to install a car seat.

Diaper Bag

This is going to be your new purse for the months to come so you might as well get something cute!  My favorite diaper bags are from jujube and their cuteness is a bonus.  If you can’t tell I’m obsessed with black and white stripes so my diaper bag was a given for me.

Diapers 

Diapers are going to be your best friend which will be stored in your new purse called the diaper bag. It’s important to have a couple sizes of diapers when you packing for the hospital.  The hospital where I delivered my daughter provided me with newborn diapers which were great for Lucy.  This time around I’m dealing with gestational diabetes so I run the risk of delivering a big baby.  With that in mind I want to be prepared and have some size 1 diapers along for the ride!

I decided to go with Huggies Little Snugglers Plus to pack for the hospital.  The plus to these diapers is that they are the softest, most absorbent diapers that Huggies makes.  What’s also great is you can only buy them at Costco which means….large quantities!  

You will want diapers at your disposal in the beginning months especially because it seems like all these little humans do is basically sleep, eat, poop and pee!  The also have a leak lock that lasts up to 12 hours! Since I was able to buy such a large amount of diapers I also started stocking up the changing table.  I had a little helper help me store the diapers!

New Outfit/Accessories/Going Home Outfit

You want to use that nice camera of yours to snap a few photos of your newbie in a cute, “Hello I’m here” onesie or decorated outfit to share your announcement.  Don’t forget bows too if you are having a little girl! 🙂

Blankets

The hospital does provide the typical blanket but if you want, bring something a little more soft or more specific to the weather outside.  Sometimes hospitals are cold and sometimes they are hot.  I’m a hot box and so is my daughter so we always used thin blankets.

Baby Gowns

I swore by these with my daughter.  All the snaps on the outfits really making changing diapers a pain in the rear sometimes.  I love how these gowns  are beautiful and all you have to do is lift up the gown to do a quick change.

Swaddle

My daughter was obsessed with swaddling and I wasn’t very good at doing it and having it stay.  My husband on the other hand was very good at it.  We called him the master swaddler.  It is nice to have something on hand,when your master swaddler isn’t around, that secures the baby with just velcro.  It makes everything easier!

Present for Sibling from Baby

I’m getting a little nervous on how my daughter will take the whole not an only child thing once baby sister arrives.  She does love to play baby and she talks about how she is going to help Mommy take care of baby sister.  I do know that it will still be a shock once baby arrives but hoping that a gift from baby sister will help!

Present for Baby from Sibling

I also try to involve my daughter as much as possible in the planning process for baby sister so I also want Lucy to get her baby sister a gift.  Lucy has a lot of fun taking the loose change around the house and putting it in her piggy bank.  She then mentioned that she wanted to get her sister one.  I’ve found a couple online and I’m going to have Lucy choose which one she likes best.

Big Sibling T-Shirt

Lucy has a Big Sister shirt that she wears already and she is already so proud to wear it.  I will make sure to bring it with to the hospital so she can wear it while holding her new baby sister.

Husband to Wear Comfy Shoes

The biggest piece of advice my husband got before we had our daughter was to wear comfy shoes to the hospital.  The wife does all the hard work of birthing the baby but they husband is and should be on their feet doing whatever he can to help out his wife.  Hence where the comfy shoes come in!  He gives that advice to any new dads-to-be now!

Snacks

Make sure to pack snacks.  Hospital food isn’t the greatest so having snacks around will really help curb your hunger.  Unfortunately us Moms aren’t allowed to eat (which is torture) but at least those that are supporting you should stay hydrated and fed.  We also brought pans of brownies for the nurses and a gift for the doctor.  They are working their butts off making sure you and baby are healthy so it’s the least you can do!  I recently found out my Doctor is a fan of Bing bars, which are made in Iowa (where I’m originally from), so I will be buying him a case of those!

Here is a compiled list of everything I mentioned above for all those list makers:

For Mom

• Nursing Gown/PJs/Robe
• Going Home Outfit
• Socks
• Nursing Bras
• Nursing Pillow (My Brest Friend & Boppy)
• Postpartum Girdle
• Camera
• iPad/Computer
• Phone/Phone Charger
• Toiletries
• Documents

For Baby

• Car Seat
• Diaper Bag
• Diapers
• Bow/Fun Outfit
• Going Home Outfit
• Blankets
• Baby Gowns
• Swaddle

For Sibling

• Present from baby
• Present for baby
• Big Sister T-shirt

For Dad

• Comfy Shoes & gym clothes/T-Shirts
• Snacks

Well I hope this has helped you prepare for baby number two or even baby number one!  I can’t wait to welcome our new little addition and getting anxious for the day to come.  I never have wished summer away before but I have this year since we are due in November.  Time can’t go quick enough!

Thanks again to Costco and Huggies for helping me prepare for our next hospital visit.  You can pick up your Huggies Little Snugglers Plus & Huggies Little Movers Plus at a discounted rate.  Little Snugglers Plus (Sizes 1 & 2) is $31.49 after $6 discount with free shipping from September 1st – September 25th.  Little Movers Plus (Size 3, 4, 5 & 6) is $36.99 after $6 discount with free shipping from September 25th – September 25th as well.  Also starting in August Little Snugglers Plus will be available (in select warehouses and online) in Newborn size starting at $29.99.  Why not get stocked up with this sale prices before baby arrives?!  Shop all of this at your local Costco or online.

What is your must have for your hospital bag?  Is there an item you could not recommend more highly for new Moms?