A Minimalist Checklist for Your Hospital Bag

I’m getting ready to pack my go-hospital bag for my second child and let me tell you, the things that people say you NEED/HAVE to bring is ridiculous. Let me explain why I am choosing to pack a minimalist bag and my minimalist checklist I used for my hospital bag.

Now with my first born, I packed everything on all those lists you see on Pinterest and google search.

I walked into the hospital looking like I was checking into a hotel! I had multiple bags and the nurses must have thought I was moving in! It was ridiculous.

I had everything from clothing to toiletries, robes to hair dryers, makeup to baby gear. Literally anything I thought I might need, I packed!

And let me be the first to tell you-I didn’t use ANY of it.

Okay not entirely true, I may have used 5 items that I had packed.

I was way to preoccupied with my labor and family drama that I didn’t have time to think about blow drying my hair and re-applying makeup in between the contractions!

Granted yes, the makeup was mainly for the photos afterwards when people came to visit so I didn’t look like a total zombie, but by then I truly didn’t give a crap what I looked like because I had a beautiful daughter I was too busy staring at to care what I looked like.

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Back to the items; the main thing I used during my 3 day, 2 night hospital stay was my phone charger. That baby was a life saver.

I was on my phone the majority of the waiting period before the labor pushing began and I used it immediately afterwards to snap photos of my newborn.

I also brought along my big camera that I handed to my mom to photograph the classic newborn first arriving shots. Other than those 2 main items, and the change of clothes I went home in, I didn’t use ANYTHING else I packed.

The hospital gave me everything I needed for postnatal care and even a toothbrush was given to me. I didn’t shower at the hospital (gross ya i know, but I wanted the comfort of my own shower and I went home about 36 hours after giving birth).

Therefore I didn’t need the shampoo, conditioner, hair dryer, body wash, etc. that I had packed, apparently thinking I was going on vacation in Hawaii or something!

Items on my Minimalist Checklist:

• clothes for myself, my husband, and a “going home” newborn outfit
• phone charger
• camera

Those above items were all that I used. VERY minimalistic! I definitely did not need the overstuffed duffel bag I brought, another one for my husband, and a fully stocked diaper bag for the baby.

We went straight home therefore I didn’t need a fully stocked diaper bag for the 20 minute drive home.

This time around I am packing one bag. One bag for 4 people. I am packing these main items:

• clothes for 4 people (myself, my husband, my daughter, and the newborn outfit)
• toothbrush/paste/deodorant/hair ties/chapstick (delivering at a different hospital so I’m not sure if they provide toiletries like my first birthing hospital did)
• phone charger
• camera/charger

Thankfully we live close enough (30-40 min) from the hospital with plenty of shops around in case I need anything else but honestly I don’t think I’ll need much more.

Minimalist checklist hospital “go-bags” for the win!