What to Pack for Baby, for When He Arrives in August???

Updated on June 07, 2009
G.M. asks from Peoria, AZ
10 answers

I had my first born almost five years ago. I'm a bit rusty on what to pack for my second baby for when we deliver and bring him home. What do I pack and take to the hospital for my baby? I know there's only a few things that I will need since the hospital will be providing a lot of things for him. I know a few items such as:

Take Home Outfit
Couple of Diapers
and Wipes
Burp Cloth

Hmmm....for the life of me, at this time, I cannot recall anything else. Can you all?

Thanks so much for your help. :-)

EDIT: Thanks for the reminder of the carseat, however I am looking for ideas on what to pack in the diaper bag! Carseat is and should be automatic and I already have that set up. That goes in the car...not the diaper bag. LOL

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D.W.

answers from Phoenix on

Hello!
Congratulations to your new family member!
I might bring a light blanket either to shield baby from draft or sun as you leave the hospital. Speaking of leaving, they will not let baby leave without an infant seat! They will want to see it. You will want to have the base installed some time before you go to the hospital, so you do not have to mess with that when you leave then or in case you get surprised by an early arrival.

For yourself:
Bring some snacks, though they will also have some in the hospital available for the new moms only. It may sound silly, but I had also a zip-lock bag for a sandwich from the snack area. My husband would prep it for me before he left for the night, in case I got hungry, which I did : )

If you mind the hotel-type tissues, bring a small box of your own.

If you have an Ipod or a portable radio, you might want that. I found watching TV more draining then just listening to music while I was recovering from my c-section.

Bring some comfortable shoes/slippers to walk your rounds in. The more you walk (within reason), the easier your recovery.

A good pen for all the papers you have to fill out over the course of your stay.

Charging cord for your phone. If you have a C-section, you will be there for 4 days.

Your own pillow if you want, though that gets a little bulky. The nurses will bring you as many as you need.

Some cotton leggins or something like it - here is why: As long as I could not walk around, they had my legs in these pumping plastic casings to prevent blood clots, which worked great from that end, but they are plastic, so after a while my legs got really sweaty, which was not comfortable. One nurse had the brilliant idea to wrap a pillow case around my legs before putting the casing back on, but stockings or leggings would have been less bulky or slippery.

An extra bag for all the stuff you will get there to take home.

A wrap or light blanket to cover your upper body. Sometimes the air conditioning got a little too cool for me.

If I think of anything else, I will add it on later : )

Good luck to you and your family!
D.

1 mom found this helpful
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L.B.

answers from Phoenix on

A couple things that haven't been mentioned:

Baby book
Camera

I packed the diaper bag with everything I wanted for regular use and brought that. You never know what you might need between the hospital and home. Of course I also had a 45 minute drive.

1 mom found this helpful
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T.J.

answers from Flagstaff on

That's all we needed when we brought our son home 2 years ago, and about all we're planning on bringing this time around as well. Of course, don't forget your camera! Have fun

1 mom found this helpful
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S.G.

answers from Albuquerque on

Hi G.,
I would also take... some onsies or easy on easy off one piece outfits for the couple days he will be in the hospital. I always liked to put my babies in their own clothes right away! Baby lotion. If your going to use a pacifier I would take some of the ones you prefer. If you don't care, be sure to ask for a few extra before you leave so he has the same ones at home.

Most of all, don't forget to pack for yourself. You want to be able to recover and get to feeling better ASAP. You always feel better when you are using things you like (your shampoo/conditioner, soap, lotion...)Plenty of clean pj pants, a candle, your pillow.

It all seems like a lot. I packed two bags. One for the delivery room that we took in with us right away. Another for things the baby and I would need later in recovery. Your husband (or anyone) can get that bag once you are in recovery.

Congratulations on your baby boy and good luck!!!

1 mom found this helpful
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R.C.

answers from Albuquerque on

Lots of good advice already :) I think the only thing no one has mentioned is a robe. :) It's nice because it fits over a still-pudgy belly, is cozy and is easy to open and close for nursing. Plus, maybe some of your favorite shampoos and body soaps, for that WONDERFUL first shower after giving birth. :)

Best wishes for a safe, easy delivery and a happy healthy little boy! God bless!

1 mom found this helpful
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S.D.

answers from Phoenix on

Hey there G....The hospital will provide you with diapers. I had enough for a couple of weeks when I left. One thing that a friend had mentioned to me and was glad she did was nail clippers. Most people don't think of this but your babies nails do grow when he's developing. Make sure you wash whatever clothes you get before ever putting them on your baby because there have been cases where babies have gotten really sick from the germs and stuff on the brand new clothes. And my son was really small so if you think you might have a small baby you might want to think about getting one premie outfit so that the clothes in the pictures fit him just right. I think I ended up getting my son 3 premie outfits and he wore them for a few weeks. maybe a lil over a month. Take a beanie and some lil gloves for him too. And maybe even a lil baby washcloth so you can clean his gums after feedings. It is a good idea of getting him used to brushing his teeth. Look for a book called "Baby Bargains" I bought this book when I was pregnant and it was a huge help and has lots of information.

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D.D.

answers from Phoenix on

I think all you need is a take home outfit, a picture outfit and maybe a blanket to lay him on when they take his picture if you are planning to have the hospital picture. You don't need diapers and wipes, the hospital will provide those. If you have a special burp cloth you want to take then do. Really there is very little you need to pack for him. Don't forget your carseat and maybe a couple of extra receiving blankets in case your baby is too small for the seat, you can pas him a little aaround his head. Congratulations.

1 mom found this helpful
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B.F.

answers from Phoenix on

Just don't foget to think about yourself too! When you are comfortable your baby knows that. God Bless and your new addition to your family. Oh and hand sanitizer.

1 mom found this helpful
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M.S.

answers from Albuquerque on

OMG!
No one even mentioned a CARSEAT!
That is the most important thing to take or you can't take your baby home!!!!

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L.B.

answers from Phoenix on

You have received many good responses so far. One thing that I had a problem with, if you can call it that, is that I came home with twice as much stuff as I took to the hospital. Between the freebie diaper bag you'll probalby get from the hospital and all the gifts/flowers/balloons visitors brought me, we had to make a couple trips to car when I left the hospital. One more bit of advice, stay in the hospital as long as you can. Especially having another child at home you'll get more rest at the hospital and you'll have the nurses for help. Congratulations!

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