Free Customizable Hospital Bag Checklist
A Stress-Free Checklist for Expectant Parents
I’m a planner. Planning brings me peace. My husband is not a planner. Not planning brings him joy. But even my “fly by the seat of his pants” husband was impressed and commented multiple times how helpful it was to have this FREE customizable Hospital Bag Checklist and the accompanying labeled bags.
When I began packing my hospital bag, everyone told me, “Oh, I barely used anything in my hospital bag”. I’m here to tell you that I used EVERYTHING in my bag. The only thing I regret NOT packing was a pumping bra (worth every penny). Despite the afterglow of having a baby, I did not look or feel glamorous holding two suction cups to my chest all day long.
Free Customizable Hospital Bag Checklist
Firstly, let me share the link to my Hospital Bag Checklist. I spent hours researching exactly what I would need to make having and bringing home a baby as stress-free as possible. Here is the link to my Hospital Bag Checklist.
Sign into your Google account, then click on “FILE” at the top then “COPY”.
Alternatively, if you don’t have a Google account, you can download it as a Microsoft Excel File and open it with Excel.
Organizational Items
Now, let’s move on to the FREE customizable Hospital Bag Checklist and some organizational items. After I made the Hospital Bag Checklist, I used these zipper bags from Amazon to organize everything. These bags are amazing and I still use them in our son’s diaper bag to this day.
12 Pieces Black Zipper Pouch Zipper File Bags
We used these zipper bags when we traveled overseas and got married in New Zealand. They are see-through so you can see what is inside. I use them in my purse, diaper bag, and our hospital bag.
Additionally, the pink folder was a lifesaver for us (plus it’s adorable). The folder held all the documents the hospital gave us. Seriously, hospitals give you like 50 pages of stuff to go through. It also made it a breeze for my husband to find all the important papers while I was blinded by labor pain or recovering from my C-Section.
SKYDUE Expanding File Folder 5 Pockets
Expanding file folder has 5 expandable pockets and tab positions for labels. It comes in several beautiful colors.
For those interested, the labels on the zipper bags were made with an ancient Brother P-Touch label maker. If mine were ever to break, this is the one I would get to replace it.
Most Used/Loved Items
Now let’s move on to the most used/loved items. On a side note, the items I used the most were my personal fan (which is now attached to the stroller), the awesome hospital gown I bought on Etsy, and the battery-operated candle. I overheat easily and need white noise to sleep. Therefore, the amount of comfort that the little fan provided for me was indescribable!
While we appreciated the nurses checking on us every 2-4 hours (I had a rough labor/delivery), I hated the awful bright lights they would turn on that would disrupt what little sleep we were getting. As a solution, I left the battery-operated candle on my bed tray so I could labor and breastfeed by “candlelight” during the night. Most of the time, the hospital staff was able to do their checks without the need for additional light. There is something about candlelight in a dark room that makes everything a little bit better. Of course, it always depends on the hospital/staff, but our nurses loved the candle! I also had one in the bathroom. 100% would do it again!
Greatest Hospital Gown EVER.
Let’s talk hospital gowns. They are itchy, not flattering, and give me anxiety. However, while scrolling through tiktok one day, I came across Caitlyn Schollmeier’s video. Caitlyn is a midwife and a former Mrs. United States pageant winner (she won while pregnant with twins!) In the video, she showed the gorgeous maternity gown she created that allows access to monitors during labor, epidurals, and breastfeeding.
The video went viral and she opened an ETSY shop. I ordered two gowns and am madly in love with them. In fact, I received SO many compliments from nurses and staff. Nurses even came in to take photos of it and write down where I had bought it. The best part is they came with a matching swaddle and hat!
This is me the day after Henry was born. I am wearing the grey gown and he has the matching hat and swaddle (which is included for free!). We didn’t know if we were having a boy or girl so I had to go with a neutral color. Next time around if we have a girl, I am ordering the dusty rose one! I ate, slept, and recovered in this gown and it was amazing. It made me feel beautiful and was so comfortable! I gained 60 pounds with my pregnancy so I ordered the plus size. They have changed the sizing since then and now offer petite, standard, full size, and curve.
I am in no way sponsored by Caitlyn. She has no idea I even exist or how she made postpartum magical for me and my baby. Here is the link to her shop if you want to buy one!
PERSONALIZED BABY FOOTPRINT WOOD ANNOUNCEMENT
Before I end this post, I have one more honorable mention that is not on my list. I found these gorgeous wooden nameplates on Cadenlane.com.
If you give the nameplates to the nurses they can put the baby’s footprint right on it when they are born. Being a perfectionist, I kindly asked the nurse for an extra footprint stamp pad. However, I got ink everywhere…all over over my newborn child and me. So, I recommend letting the professionals handle it. But it still came out great and now hangs in the nursery.
Again, I want to emphasize that this post is in no way sponsored! I tell all my friends about Cadenlane which is why I am sharing them here. They also have the softest baby gown and sleepers! Now I will have to put a picture of Henry’s Cookie gown in this post. It is made of bamboo and comes with a little hat. When the nurse had to take him to the nursery for testing, they all went nuts over the cuteness! If you are having a little girl they even have little cookie bows!
Speaking of newborn clothes, pack multiple sizes. I was told my baby would be 9+ pounds so that is the size we packed. However, he was around 6 pounds by the time all the IV fluids left his system and was swimming in everything.
Congratulations and I wish you (or your loved one) a healthy, happy, pregnancy!
Expecting or have a little one? Check out all our FREE hand/footprint printables to capture those little hands and feet!
