10 Little Known Items You WILL Want In Your Hospital Bag (and FREE Printable!)

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One of the only times I felt lost during my pregnancy with the Goof was when I was packing my hospital bag. Check out any post on packing or any baby forum and you will find that some people’s must haves are other people’s leave at homes. It left me a bit confused on what I would really want. I think with the Goof I packed way too much, and then left out stuff I really wanted or needed because I just didn’t know. Fast forward a few years and the Goof was diagnosed with a blood disorder which had us in the hospital a lot for the first two years until it was under control. While those hospital visits were awful, the silver lining was that I learned a lot about what I really needed and wanted in a hospital bag, so when it came time to pack for the twins, I knew exactly what I wanted in there. Since then, I have found there are about 10 items that most people are not putting on most hospital bag lists that you WILL WANT! So today I am going to share those 10 items with you, plus I have a cute printable at the end for you.

TIP: When packing for the twins and I needed to purchase items for my hospital bag, I headed to my local Walgreens, because let’s be honest, I was 7+ months pregnant with twins and large crowds and long register lines were not going to cut it. I knew by going there I could find everything I needed and avoid making my self cranky or getting worn out.

1. Chapstick. Okay, these first few are on about half the lists I have seen, but I think they are still worth putting on the list because you definitely want them. Hospital air is super dry. Which can lead to dry and cracking lips. Chapstick for both mom and dad is a must. You want soft lips when you kiss that little bundle of joy. TIP: A tinted chapstick for mom can make you feel like you have a little makeup on for pictures, etc.
2. Lotion. Again, dry air. I remember that while I was sweating buckets at night with the Goof, my hands were super dry. Also when I would stay with the Goof, my skin would get really dry, especially after showers. Lotion is a must have. Be careful to choose a non-scented or scent that you like. I personally preferred a calming scent in the hospital. I also want to mention- if your baby ends up in the NICU like my twins did (hopefully not though), you will find washing your hands every time you are in there, and several times during your visit, will start to really dry out your hands quick. The last thing you want is to be thinking how your hands hurt when you should be thinking about your little one. Lotion really helped us with this.
3. Body Cleansing Wipes. This one was a life saver for me after the twins. I had an emergency c-section in the evening, and I think it was probably not until 36 hours later (so 2 nights) where I felt like I could shower without my stomach killing me. Of course, those two nights I was sweating buckets, and having other after birth stuff going on that made me feel like I just needed to get clean (sorry, that was borderline TMI). These wipes aren’t perfect, but if you are not able to get a shower in they help you feel a little more fresh and a lot less stinky.
4. Snacks for mom. Everyone talks about having snacks for dad for while you are in labor, but you know what, put some snacks for mom in the bag. I am not necessarily talking about for during labor either. Look- you get to order meals from the hospital, but you just had a little person, you are trying to recover, and if you are nursing, you are burning tons of calories. You need food and sometimes the hospital meals can take a long time to get to your room after you order. While there is always the option of the vending machines I have found that having some quick, easy to eat snacks on hand is cheaper, easier and often healthier.
5. Gum. I found after having the babies that my mouth just felt kind of yucky. Even with brushing and drinking lots of water. Gum helped give it a fresh feeling, and also helped keep my mouth from drying out. At Walgreens they have these new Extra® 35-stick packs. These would be perfect. Not only do they give you enough pieces for you, your spouse, and anybody else you might want to share with, they also are in super durable cases, so you don’t have to worry about them getting squished and nasty in your bag. The packs also sit up really nicely so you can put them on a side table.
6. Hair ties and clips. Remember how I said you sweat? It was so nice to have extra hair ties to pull my hair back. And I made sure to have extras. They really came in handy. Not just for my hair either. For keeping things together, and more.
7. Sleep mask and ear plugs. These ones are especially useful if you are in labor and want to get some rest. (Or if you have a baby in the NICU or nursery at night and want some good rest.) The monitors, lights, and other strange noises can make it hard to sleep in a hospital room, so if you are trying to get some rest before you have the baby, or while the baby is in the nursery, these are great to have.
   
8. An extra, super long phone charger cord. This is seriously the number one item I always tell people to put in their hospital bag. This day in age, we end up being on our phones a lot, and the hospital will be even more so. From updating family, to pictures to message to Grandma, and more, that phone will get some good use. One thing I have learned is that hospitals have very limited numbers of outlets, and you want your charger to be able to reach that outlet, even if you still want to use your phone while it is charging. I always tell people to get a 6-10 foot charging cord (they are under $10 almost anywhere) for their phone. You will thank me. If you are like me, and say- taking midterms online the night after you have your babies- and you will be using a laptop, you might opt for a 6-10 foot extension cord instead.
9. Entertainment for older kids. Okay, this might not be important for first time moms unless kids will be visiting after you have the baby, but if you will be bringing siblings in to see the new addition, I strongly urge you to think ahead and have some fun (and new) items to entertain the kids at the hospital. Kids are usually pretty over holding or seeing the new baby really quick, so if you have something like a coloring kit, a toy, or a new book to entertain them it helps a lot.
10. A gift for the nurses. Now, this one is not necessary, but I will say this- Give Extra, Get Extra. Nurses are wonderful, and they will do their job no matter what. Even if you are completely rotten to them (but don’t be) they will still give you great care. But everyone knows that we are happier and more friendly to those who appreciate what we do for them. I will be honest, I have never brought nurses gifts in to my deliveries, but when the twins were in the NICU I definitely felt that those nurses deserved something extra. They took care of my babies when I couldn’t be there, and they listened to my concerns, emailed me updates, and let me call anytime day or night just to check in. I know they probably deserved a lot more, but bringing them a little treat was something nice I could do for them. It doesn’t have to be anything big. In fact, the Extra® new 35-pack of gum can be made into the perfect gift. The Extra® Gum Spearmint or Extra® Gum Polar Ice® are two great flavors that nurses will love. You don’t have to spend a ton either because the 35-pack can easily be placed at the nurses station for all the nurses to enjoy. And of course, there are some cute sayings you can make for gum gifts! I am even going to inlcude a printable down below- and it fits perfectly on the Extra® new 35-pack packages.

Did I miss any items that you always think should be added to the hospital bag packing lists you read online? Let me know if I did.

Free Printable Below!

I hope you love this printable. If you want it to fit perfectly on your gum you will need to first be sure to print it at “actual size” instead of fit to page if your computer gives you an option. Second, you will want to get the new Extra® 35-pack of gum at Walgreens from either the checkout line, or in the gum and candy section. I am including 4 on each page so you can pick up a couple of each flavor and make them for your labor and delivery nurses, maternity nurses, or any other group of nurses you may encounter.

Before you print- a few rules about printable on our page.

1. All printables on this site are for PERSONAL use only. Do not replicate them or sell them for profit. Not cool!
2. Do NOT remove the copyright (if there is one) or attribution to this site. Just don’t. Again, not cool. (This is in regards to sharing online – not cutting it out to make your nurses gift.)
3. If you do share this printable with others, please link back to this post for others to grab it.
4. When printing printables from the site, first click on the link, when the PDF pops up, click the download button, but then choose “Open with Adobe….”. Once you open it with Adobe on your computer, than you can print it. If you try and print it without this step it may not print correctly.
5. Enjoy!

You can grab your free printable by clicking HERE.

Who will you be sharing your Extra® new 35-pack gum with?

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