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MY MINIMALIST HOSPITAL BAG MUST-HAVES

I held off on sharing this post until after returning home so that I could share what I truly loved having with me in the hospital. With keeping things to a bare a** minimum as the goal here, these are the essentials that I def recommend packing.


SLEEP

The hospital room is pretty chilly so I prefer long-sleeved jammies with buttons to make nursing more comfortable. All black everything is the move for any postpartum wear. The hospital will make you wear the no-slip socks but bring your own. The ones they give you aren't very luxurious. An eye mask is absolutely essential if you want any chance of real sleep and the sound soother really helps too. They'll block out the lights and sound from nurses coming in and out all night.


BATH & BODY

  • basic travel-sized toiletries like lip balm, toothbrush, hair brush, dry shampoo, simple skincare, bodywash, lotion and deodorant

  • minimal makeup & remover wipes

  • shower sandals

I keep a stash of product samples for travel and moments like this. Bring your higher end stuff. Little luxuries feel so amazing when you're recovering.


POSTPARTUM CARE

Bring nothing. Use what the hospital provides and ask for extra products to bring home. Once you run out, the Frida Mom line is good.


NURSING

  • (3) nursing bras & a stack of disposable nursing pads. These Bravado bras are easy to snap one-handed and are comfortable enough to sleep in.

  • a nursing pillow to give your arms a rest and put your body in a comfortable position.


FOR BABY

The Lou Lou and Co. knotted gowns that I linked are by far my fav. They're such good quality and their swaddles are big and stretchy which helps keep H from breaking free. We brought both black & white and color film for the camera. We did the same thing when Harlow was born and put the Polaroids in a baby book for her.


FOR DAD

  • a pillow and blanket

  • basic toiletries

  • cozy, warm clothes

FOR THE ROOM

  • long phone chargers

  • snacks, especially something easy on the stomach for taking meds. I brought partake gf cookies, almond butter-filled gf pretzels and perfect bars.


GOING HOME

  • an outfit for mom - again, go all black everything. I brought a Zella zip-up, joggers and the sneaks I arrived in.

  • an outfit for baby - we put Hunter in footie jammies so she was comfortable in her carseat. These Kyte Baby onesies are so stretchy and soft.

  • a carseat cover for protecting baby from people, light and wind on the way out - ours is from Copper Pearl


You'll feel pretty tired and banged up, but try to enjoy every moment of the hospital experience. In many ways, it's a peaceful sanctuary you can't recreate. You'll never forget that snapshot in time so soak it all in.

Xo, Kristen

©2017 by Kristen Marias, RDN/LDN