Most of a hospital stay is short. You need documents, a few comforts, going-home clothes, and a car seat. Pack in three small bags — yours, your partner's, baby's — so nobody digs through one giant duffel at 3 a.m.
By 32 weeks — the essentials bag
Have this packed and findable, even if you add to it later.
- ID, insurance card, hospital paperwork, and your birth preferences if you have them written down
- Phone charger with a long cable — outlets are never near the bed
- A going-home outfit for the baby in newborn and 0–3 month sizes, plus a hat
- An installed infant car seat — get the base fitted in the car now, not on discharge day
By 36 weeks — your bag
- A long phone charger (yes, a second one — you'll want one at the bed and one your partner uses)
- Comfortable going-home clothes — loose, soft, roughly what you wore at 5–6 months pregnant
- Warm socks and slippers with grip, and a robe if you like one
- Toiletries — travel size: toothbrush, deodorant, face wash, lip balm, hair ties, glasses if you wear contacts
- Nursing bras or comfortable bras, and your own dark, high-waisted underwear (the hospital mesh ones are fine too)
- Long phone-charging cable, snacks, a water bottle with a straw
- Anything that helps you settle — your own pillow in a coloured case so it doesn't get lost, headphones, an eye mask
By 36 weeks — partner's bag
- A change of clothes and basic toiletries — labour can be long
- Snacks and a refillable bottle — the birthing parent may not be allowed to eat, but the partner still needs to
- Phone charger, a small blanket or travel pillow for the fold-out chair
- A little cash or a card for parking and vending machines
By 36 weeks — baby's bag
- The hospital provides diapers, wipes, and usually a swaddle — you mostly need the going-home outfit (two sizes) and a weather-appropriate layer or bunting for the car seat
- A muslin blanket or two
- An installed, correctly-fitted car seat — practise the buckle before the day
Leave at home
- Newborn toys, a full wardrobe, your own towels and sheets — you won't touch them
- Valuables and jewellery
- Big speakers, candles, anything the ward won't allow
Pack a smaller version of the same three bags anyway — transfers happen, and having documents, going-home clothes, and a car seat ready removes one thing to think about if plans change.
Nuga keeps the checklist with the rest
Track your hospital bag, birth preferences, and appointments in one place — and get a 24-hour heads-up before each appointment with your logged questions ready to bring.
Download on the App Store Available now