When to pack your hospital bag
Pack your hospital bag by week 36. Around one in ten babies arrive before 37 weeks, and labour rarely gives you neat warning. Having the bag waiting by the door — or in the boot of the car — turns one of the most stressful moments of a new parent's life into a non-event.
If you're planning a home birth, pack a "transfer bag" anyway. Roughly 1 in 5 first-time home births transfer to hospital, almost always for non-emergency reasons (slow progress, pain relief, tiredness). You'll be glad it's ready.
What to pack: the three categories
A useful hospital bag splits into three sections. Mentally — or literally, in three packing cubes — separate:
- Labour and birth — what you need from arrival until baby is born
- After birth (the postnatal stay) — usually 24–48 hours for an uncomplicated birth
- Going home — the outfit and items for the trip out
This is the same structure the Checkbloom Hospital Bag template uses.
For labour and birth
- Your maternity notes and any birth plan
- Photo ID and your insurance card
- A loose, comfortable nightie or oversized t-shirt you don't mind being ruined
- Non-slip socks or slippers — hospital floors are cold and slippery
- A hair tie and lip balm (rooms are bone-dry)
- Phone, charger, and an extra-long cable — the sockets are never close to the bed
- A small fan or cooling spray
- Snacks and squash or sports drinks for energy
- A pillow from home in a coloured pillowcase (so it doesn't get mixed up)
- Anything for your birth environment — playlist, focal point, affirmations
For your postnatal stay
- 2–3 changes of comfortable, loose clothing (dark colours)
- Maternity pads — bring more than you think you'll need
- Disposable underwear or old high-waisted briefs
- 2 nursing bras and breast pads (even if you're not planning to breastfeed, your milk will come in)
- A toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, dry shampoo
- A reusable water bottle with a straw (essential during feeds)
- A book, magazine, or downloaded shows on your phone
For baby
- A going-home outfit in two sizes — newborn and 0–3 months. Some babies are too small or too big for newborn
- A vest, sleepsuit, and hat for the first feed
- A muslin or swaddle blanket
- 2–3 nappies (the hospital usually provides some, but not many)
- A car seat — installed in the car before you go to hospital, not packed in the bag. Hospitals will not discharge you without one
For your birth partner
- Phone charger and snacks (it's a long shift)
- A change of clothes and a toothbrush
- Cash or card for the parking and the cafeteria
- A list of who to call, in what order
What to skip
A lot of "essentials" lists are sponsored or out of date. You can almost always skip:
- Multiple outfits "in case" — the hospital has laundry, and you'll wear the same thing for two days
- Special birth gowns — a free hospital gown is fine
- A baby book or souvenir — the staff won't have time, and you can do this at home
- Anything valuable — necklaces, watches, a laptop
The night-before sweep
When labour starts, you'll be too distracted to remember anything. Keep a sticky note on the bag listing the three things you can only pack at the last minute:
- Phone and charger
- Maternity notes
- Glasses or contact lens case
Save this as a working checklist
This guide pairs with our free Hospital Bag template in Checkbloom. Tap items off as you pack, share with your partner so they know exactly what's in the bag, and get gentle reminders as your due date approaches.