Second Time Mom Hospital Bag Essentials

I am always an over packer. On long trips, short trips, and even in my hospital bag the first time around. This time with baby boy, I knew I didn’t need half of the stuff I took last time. I shaved it down to what I used the most at the hospital. There are the good things to remember that you would normally take with you on an overnight trip, toiletries, etc. but this list is my top hot items that I loved having.

Second Time Mom Hospital Bag Essentials

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Always Discreet Underwear

Adult diapers, lovely I know. Seriously though. These saved me. I bought granny panties last time and didn’t use them. I hated those mesh undies from the hospital but put up with them last time. I’ve read about taking adult diapers to wear, and I tried it. They aren’t glamorous, but they get the job done pretty darn good.  

Phone and Charger (Ipad or Tablet too)

Obviously you will want your phone, but you will need a charger. I would take your regular one and an on the go or portable charger like this one. That way you can still use your phone if needed while charging. Most of the outlets are too far from your hospital bed to reach. Yikes!

Dry Shampoo

My dry shampoo is a must always! I don’t love washing my hair and I definitely didn’t want to wash my hair while at the hospital. It is whole lot of work to wash, dry, and style. I used my dry shampoo in the hospital and saved my actual hair washing for when I got home from the hospital. My favorite brand is Batiste Dry Shampoo.

Makeup

I’m not a makeup guru or someone who wears a bunch, but I do like to wear my usual look everyday. It is nice to be able to freshen up after baby is here. I like to have a combination of natural and makeup faced photos with baby. I don’t want to look back and think I could have looked better. So play it by how you feel.

Comfy Clothes and a Robe

With my first I stayed in the hospital gowns the whole time. It might be better that way with nursing for the first time if you are breastfeeding. The hospital gave me a nursing gown after I showered this time (I’m sure the first time too), and it had two huge holes in the front. I was always worried I was hanging out or my visitors would be seeing more than they wanted. I’m so glad I had my cute robe (very similar to this one) to cover up. I finally decided to put on some comfy clothes and felt so much better. I wore loose jogger bottoms and long sleeve tops that I got at Kohl’s around Christmas time. I would opt for loose clothing and shirts that are easy to pull up or open to nurse if breastfeeding.

Socks

I brought slippers and wanted to love them, but I kept losing them under the bed or bassinet. So socks were so much better for me. I didn’t want to be walking around barefoot, and this helped. You might want flip flops for going to the bathroom or showering.

Snacks

Hospital food isn’t always the best. Snacks could help combat this. I failed on this one and was hungry sometimes in the evening or waiting for breakfast in the morning. Snacks are good for Dad too, since the hospital doesn’t provide him with meals. Bring your favorites and you will be happy.

Thank You Cards

My job before becoming a mom, was in healthcare and sometimes people aren’t very nice to nurses or staff at healthcare organizations. I wanted to really thank everyone who helped me. It was kind of funny when I was getting my epidural, the anesthesiologist told my nurse that I was the most polite woman in labor. I feel like if you treat others well, they will treat you better. I wrote one big thank you card to everyone who helped me, but I wish I would have wrote more individual thank you cards. It would have been easier to make sure everyone received their thank you.  

Sibling(s) Gifts

Depending on the age gap between your children a sibling gift might be helpful if this is your second (or third or fourth etc.) child. Miss JJ will be three in April, so this has been a bit of an adjustment. I think she sort of understood, but didn’t really. To help soften the blow and to add some sibling camaraderie baby brother got her a gift (we did this Big Sister Book and Drawing Board). And she went to Target with me before the baby was born and picked him out a little baby toy. 

Download Baby Tracker App

My last piece of advice is to download a tracking app. I used Baby Tracker because it was free and the ads aren’t too invasive. In my hospital they had us logging feeds and diapers on a paper and in the middle of the night that is hard! So I used my notes app on my phone, but what was even better is this app has a start and stop button for nursing. So much easier than looking and remembering what time you started and stopped when you can push a button and it records it for you. Or maybe I’m more sleep deprived that most, but it was so awesome ;).

And if you still want to overpack, check out all these great hospital bag checklists to make sure you have everything ;).

Featured Image: Photo by Erol Ahmed on Unsplash

Don’t miss my Birth Story for Baby Number Two!