There are tons of lists on Pinterest of newborn essentials that really helped me with my first baby when I really wasn’t sure what I would need. When I had my second and third babies, I realized that most of those lists, while helpful, are a little excessive. So here are the things that I found necessary and useful for all three kiddos!

Hospital Bag Checklist

With my first baby, I totally overpacked. I was induced at 41 weeks, so I was at the hospital for a good 4 days. I was partially glad I had overpacked, because I didn’t wish I had anything else… I had everything! Haha but part of me hated that I brought so much random stuff that I didn’t even touch. My bags were much lighter with my second baby, and I brought even less with my third! Here’s what I actually used:

  • Custom hospital gown
    • I had one made by my cousin that had snaps on both sides and was a cross robe-style in the back.
    • With my induction, I liked wearing that gown right away, as opposed to wearing the hospital gown, because it was super comfortable and helped me relax a little more for it being my first delivery. BUT, right before I started pushing, I puked all over the neckline, and then I got some blood (TMI😬😂) on the bottom a little bit – which came out by the way with some Shout aka best stain removed everrr. So in postpartum, I went back to wearing the lovely hospital gown and that’s what visitors saw and it didn’t cover a whole lot on my back 🙃. With my second and third kids, I decided to wear the custom gown AFTER delivery, and I loved being able to be comfy afterwards while trying to rest and while visitors came in, and it didn’t get covered in yuck.
  • Chapstick
    • For some reason, your lips tend to get chapped during labor, and I HATE dry/ chapped skin, so this was kind of another comfort thing for me
  • Sandals
    • Some people prefer cheap flip flops for the shower, I’m gross and didn’t even shower at the hospital until my 3rd kid, and even then, I didn’t wear shoes in the shower. 🤷‍♀️ but I liked having them to slip on quick if I wanted to go for a walk either in labor or postpartum.
  • Toiletry Bags
    • I actually have these bags packed always, so I just threw them in my hospital bag! Check out this post to see what I leave them packed with!
  • Going home outfits for you and baby and Daddy
    • I prefer something comfy like these button-shirt jammies, or maybe leggings and a T-shirt. I have stayed in hospital gowns basically the whole time I’m at the hospital, so when I’m ready to leave is when I change into this outfit.
  • LAVENDER
    • This might be the most important thing on my list. Lavender EO is the best thing for me when I have high anxiety or pain, so when I’m in labor I inhale that stuff like nobody’s business 😂. Seriously though, it’s very calming for me and helps me stay focused and not get too worked up and anxious.
    • With my third baby, I actually kind of had a small anxiety attack in triage. It was very difficult to control my breathing, but I’m so glad I had the lavender because it helped me focus on my breathing and calm myself down.
  • Boppy pillow
    • I have the classic one – it makes nursing so much easier! If you don’t bring one, the lactation consultants will drown you in pillows trying to make you comfy while nursing. Seriously. I think with my first I had 3 or 4 around my belly and sides, and then 1 or 2 more behind my back. Excessive. Haha, so bring a boppy and solve that dilemma!
  • Snacks for Daddy
    • Snacks are great, meals are better, money is best – at least for our hospital. I really loved that we could pay like $8 (mine was included in the hospital stay obviously, but we paid for my husband’s), and we could load up a tray with healthier type food that was surprisingly delicious and filling.
  • Binky and clip
    • I was super picky with all three of my babies, and I used MAM binkies/pacifiers only… but after my third had her tongue tie revised, I used the Soothies and MAM. Anyways, in the hospital, I preferred to use the MAM binks that I brought over the hospital ones, which they haven’t actually ever given to me, but I never asked.
  • Swaddles
    • We LOVE these swaddles by Aden & Anis. They are silky soft and made with bamboo cotton, although the regular cotton ones are equally as great. They are huge and super easy to swaddle with, and they have cute prints!
  • Carseat
    • I like this Graco infant carrier for the first couple months of baby’s life, and the hospital has to check it before you are discharged. Also, thanks to COVID-19, we had to bring the infant carrier base inside with our third baby. Apparently babies that are smaller have to pass a “carseat test” before they are allowed to leave the hospital, so we had to bring the base in just in case our baby needed that “test”.
    • Side note: This Graco carseat is AMAZING. We have similar models for all three of our babies, and we love them so much! They have a steel frame, so they feel much sturdier and more protective and more safe than any other carseats I’ve seen. I specifically search for the 8 or 10-position harness with the 3-in-1 or 4-in-1 model (basically, the 4-in-1 can become a backless booster seat, while the 3-in-1 only can become a high-back booster seat).
  • Phones and Chargers
  • Birth Plan
    • I included things regarding umbilical chord cutting, lights, diffusers, guests allowed in the room, newborn procedures, etc. Whatever preferences you have regarding labor, delivery, and postpartum, include in a simple bullet list for your nurses to take and read through while you are resting, or you can have you or your husband discuss it with your nurse while she is in the room. Either way, it has been helpful for me to have it written down or typed up so that I can clearly relay what I have already decided on, rather than trying to remember and decide in a time of crisis and/or pain and/or excitement.
  • Nurse Gifts
    • I’m not sure how many have done this, and I wasn’t able to do it with my third baby, BUT bring your nurses something special. With my first two babies, I just bought like 8 of those little hand sanitizers from Bath & Body Works when they were on sale for 5 for $6 or something like that, and the nurses loved them! It was a really simple way to help them feel appreciated and thank them for all of their help in keeping me and my baby and husband safe and taken care of. I gave it to each nurse right at the beginning of their shift to sort of help motivate them to take care of me… haha maybe a little bribe-ish, but they always loved it and it was a great icebreaker!
  • Diaper Bag
    • Although the hospital has pretty much everything you need that you would have in a diaper bag (pads for Momma, diapers, wipes, formula bottles, pacifiers, nipple shields, nipple cream, etc.), I love to have mine packed and ready to go for the drive home. With my son, we had to make a quick stop at Walgreens for, I think, another nipple shield… okay I actually can’t remember and I might be mixing up a couple outings… anyways, it’s always nice to have a bag packed just in case.
    • Quick plug: I used this Fisher Price diaper bag for my son, but once I had my daughter and had two kids in diapers and formula and bottles and wipes and buttload of things, that diaper bag ripped and I needed something better for the two of their stuff. That’s where the JuJuBe B.F.F. Diaper Bag comes in. Literally the greatest diaper bag out there! I searched long and hard for the best diaper bag, and this was what I found! I even got to the point where I was like, “Man, I just need to make my own bag that has all the things I’m thinking I like from each of the different brands of diaper bags that I found.” But then reality set in again, and I realized I have no idea how to sew together a diaper bag with all the material and insulation and handles and hooks and everything that I wanted… So thank you JuJuBe for honestly being a “B.F.F.” when I needed you most. haha. but really, I LOVE my diaper bag, and it is serving its purpose still with my three babies in diapers.

Other Newborn/Baby Essentials

  • Graco Travel Lite Pack N Play
    • This is a favorite for sure. I have used the same one for all three babies. It works great to keep baby right next to my bed, while still getting them used to being in their own bed. My nursing journey is definitely a story for another post, but having baby close by in the newborn phase (first 3 months) makes nighttime nursing much more bearable.
  • Glider/Rocking Chair
    • As with most of the items on this post, my glider has been used with all three babies! My husband actually found it at Goodwill for like $25 (what a steal, man!), and I reupholstered it – well most of it 😂. Laziness at its finest. The top part and two pockets were finished before I had my first baby, and then I never got around to finishing the bottom ottoman part. Oh well. It still works wonderfully! It is perfect for leaning back and cuddling my baby as she lays on my chest, and it is very comfortable to nurse in.
  • Gerber Baby Washcloths
    • So my goofball Grandmother (Oh, I love and miss her ❤️) got me a pack of these for my baby shower for my son, and I have sought them out to grab a pack for the other two babies before I had them! They are very soft for sweet little baby skin, but they also have a slightly rougher side. I’ve used a few other washcloths, and they were way too rough, almost like kitchen rags. I don’t love that for a newborn baby. So I actually still use these washcloths on my three year old, and they still work great and have held up!
  • Dove Baby Soap and Lotion
    • I started out using Johnson & Johnson’s Baby Soap and Lotion, just like I used when I was a kid. Then I tried a few different types of Aveeno. I got a plethora of soaps and lotions (insert Nacho Libre clip) for my baby shower, so I kept them all to try because I really didn’t have much of a preference at that time. Well, my poor son had eczema, not too badly but it was there, and the ONLY thing that worked for him was Dove Sensitive Baby Soap and Lotion. Trust me, I tried a ton of different things that his pediatrician and others with eczema said to try. Nothing else worked. Well, except…
  • Aquaphor
    • This worked great paired with the Dove stuff, specifically when he had scratched or had a diaper rash. The 3-in-1 Aquaphor diaper rash cream worked well, but the Aquaphor Healing Ointment was a great all-around thing to have around.

TO BE CONTINUED…😄

By : Heather