You’ll be thankful you packed these items in your hospital bag

You’ll be relieved you made room for these items which are practical, useful and a little luxe, in your hospital bag, writes Christine Stride.

When it comes to hospital bags, a good approach is to make a list of essentials and pack them first. Then make one of non-essentials and of these, pack what actually fits. If you’re a chronic over-packer, that’s okay – paring back from three sets of slippers to just one should make sense to you in this situation. If you’re an under-packer, we salute you – and wonder admiringly how you do it!  

Click here for the OHbaby! hospital bag checklist

Buy an extra toothbrush and toothpaste to keep in your bag so if you have to head to the hospital earlier than expected you’ll have one in there already.

It’s worth investing in some travel-sized toiletries because they don’t take up too much space. Find delicious-smelling body milk and shower gels in handy sizes; a dry shampoo will absorb oil and refresh your hair with a couple of quick pumps at the roots. Other handy toiletries include a good lip balm because hospital air can be incredibly drying, and perhaps a spritz bottle of hand sanitiser – ones with aloe vera and Vitamin E mean they’ll moisturise as well as get tough on bacteria.

After that first post-birth shower, the next thing that will make you feel more like yourself again is comfortable clothes. You’ll be glad to slip on a good breastfeeding bra, loose lounge pants, and perhaps a luxe bathrobe and slippers. And while we know that birth is beautiful, we have to be realistic about its effects: breast pads, and a five-pack of black cotton briefs are good, practical investments. Don’t forget some sleepwear - a cotton nightie will be much more comfortable than a hospital gown.

Hospitals do provide food… but we haven’t heard anyone raving about it. Ever. Do yourself a favour and pack something good to eat - anything wrapped that’s easy to pop in your bag: Little Bird breakfast cookies, dried fruit, crackers. And don’t forget chocolate. Believe us, having a baby makes you hungry!

One last point to note is, if you bring your own pillow, remember to use a coloured or patterned pillowcase so they don’t get mixed up with the hospital pillows. Taking your own pillow is a good idea – hospital pillows are notoriously minimal – but don’t stuff it in your bag or you really will end up looking like that tourist!