We are currently still using it with our 18-month-old but will move her to a convertible car seat when her sister arrives. The infant seat we have is the SnugRide SnugFit 35 Infant Car Seat by Graco Baby. The two main reasons I went with this one with my first was because it was affordable compared to others and it only weighs 8 pounds! That is one of the lightest infant car seats on the market and I was all for that.

2) Pacifier

I may or may not use this in the hospital, but I want my baby to take one this time and want to have it with me just in case. I will see how her latch and everything with breastfeeding goes first before officially making that decision. The Paci's we use, and I will always recommend are by Ninnico, if you plan to breast feed these are the absolute best. This business was founded by 2 Christian's moms in the USA, and it is the only pacifier on the marked that is actually designed to look and latch just like moms' breast. It reinforces proper breastfeeding latch and will eliminate any potential for nipple confusion. Plus, they come in so many cute and esthetically pleasing colors you can't lose with these, they are worth every penny, and I don't think you should bother with any other brands. Not sponsored (although I would love an affiliate link someday) I just love them that much.

3) Muslin Swaddle

I am due in October so it might be cooler, or it could be hot on the day we bring baby home, but I want to have a little something to wrap around her after we pack here into her car seat anyway and a Muslin Swaddle is the perfect thing for this time of year. The one I have also matches her burp cloth so it will make cute props for if I want to take some photos with her all wrapped up while we're there.

4) Burp cloth

I doubt I will need this because I am hoping to be home before my milk comes in so there shouldn't be any spit up to worry about, but you never know how things will go so I wanted to have one just in case also like I said it matches the swaddle too so it will make a cute photo prop if I want that. They are both by Burts Bees which are my favorite for burp cloths, my first spit up a lot and these were the most absorbent of the different cloths we had. I had 5 different brands, and these were by far our favorites.

5) Baby book

I will also be bringing her baby book because I want to put her footprints and possibly her handprints in it and my hospital will do it if you ask while they have the stuff out for what they need it for, this is so I don't have to get ink myself and try to do it. They have a lot of experience with doing at least the feet so they will probably do a much better job than I could anyway.

6) Mittens

Some babies are born with long fingernails, and I would rather put mittens on her then try to clip tiny little newborn nails so that is what I am bringing in case they are long, so she doesn't scratch herself or anyone who is holding her. I'm bringing the white ones I got in this set from Amazon as well as the hat incase it's cooler.

7) Coming home outfit

In my family grandma always bought the coming home outfit so my mom for my last baby and this one got a special outfit for each one to come home in. This outfit is this cute floral Modern Moments sleeper, this cute pink Headband, and some matching Socks.

For Mom:

1) Clothes to wear home

I packed a pair of leggings, a nursing tank, a button front shirt sleeved shirt, a cardigan, socks, and underwear, with it being Fall in NY I know I will be comfortable in this; the leggings also have a higher waist to help with that Jello feeling and the nursing tank will make breastfeeding that day easier too. I'm not the kind of person who will change my clothes when I get home so this is the outfit I will wear for that whole day. 

2) Clothes to wear in the hospital

I bought a hospital gown with my first and will be bringing that this time too. The hospital has gowns, so you don't need this however I prefer the one I have because there isn't a possibility to flash anyone your butt if you want to walk around the hospital. I'm also not worried about getting it dirty because I will be getting into the bath as soon as I'm allowed when I get there so I will mostly be wearing it postpartum so the doctors can check me, but I'll still be in my own clothes. I also have 2 pajama shirts that button in front and another nursing tank, but I might not wear those. I packed them in case I want something a little less hospital feeling for when my mom and daughter come to see us and anyone else who might visit. I will probably throw my leggings on with those when we have visitors, or I may throw some bottoms in there I haven't decided on that yet.

3) Toiletries

I have a bag with travel containers of shampoo, conditioner, and body wash as well as a toothbrush, flossers, some Q-tips, a hairbrush and things like that which I always have packed. I've had this bag and it's been packed this way since I was a kid when we went camping regularly in the summer as a family, if you don't have duplicates of these things I would worry about going out and purchasing them you can just add them to a last minute grab list (I have one here with what I'll need to grab when we know we need to head in) and put somewhere you will remember and see it and also where your husband knows it is too.

I also have ChapStick, a scrunchie, and a small pack of tissues. If you wear makeup regularly you will also want some sort of makeup remover (I use a makeup eraser style towel) and any makeup, you will want in the hospital for pictures after baby is born or just to freshen up.

4) Snacks

This is a must, unless you have loads of money to spend on vending machine snacks, you'll want to bring your own. I have 2 flavors of Nature's Bakery oatmeal Crumble Bars as well 2 flavors of Clif energy bars. I also plan to pick up some snack mix type things from my local Amish store to have too. Pick things that don't need to be refrigerated but also that you eat regularly or at least know you enjoy, I made the mistake of bring stuff we don't eat often last time, and we wanted nothing to do with those snacks. My first was born at about 4 am and then due to some complications we missed breakfast so needless to say we were starving by lunch. It's also nice to have some snacks for those middle of the night feedings that start right away when baby arrives.

5) Shower Towels

I am bringing my own bath towel and I also use a hair towel to dry my hair so I'm bringing that too. The hospital has bath towels, but they are thin and scratchy (or so I've heard I brought my own last time too) so I want my own towel to feel a little more comfortable. I am also 100% planning to shower as soon as I'm able after baby is born. I remember that being the most refreshing thing to have that 30 or so minutes of time and also just how wonderful I felt to get clean after all the hard work of labor and delivery. I plan to use the hospital wash cloths though because I don't want to get blood all over mine.

6) Blanket

I'm bringing a little lap blanket I made in high school to have another piece of home with me. I want to be as comfortable and relaxed as I can be, and I want my environment to feel as little like a hospital as possible so these little comforts from home are important to me. The hospital does have plenty of blankets and they keep them in a warmer so they're nice and cozy for you too, so this isn't a necessity, but I like to have things like this with me.

7) Polaroid camera, film and tape

I'm bringing this to add some pictures to her baby book, but your phone will also work fine if you don't want them printed or if your good at getting them printed out unlike me. This is the camera I have if you're interested, my grandma bought it for me for Christmas several years ago.

8) Birth preferences paper

This is important to have because you never know who will actually be delivering your baby. My whole labor with my first from the start of noticeable contractions until her birth was only 5 hours, since I was a first-time mom no one expected that. My doula walked in when I was at 10 cm and just before my short 15 minutes of pushing and my midwife missed the whole thing so having a paper with your birth preferences is important for your team to know what you would like to happen if it's possible and safe.

I will add a little disclaimer though the simpler your list is the better and remember to be flexible, things should always be subject to change if something arises that you didn't expect so be open to other possibilities if they're needed and educate yourself on all the different things out there before you go in so you can make an educated decision when the time comes.

9) Epsom salt

Since I love to labor in the tub I'm bringing some Epsom salt to help sooth my muscles and aid relaxation, I used them last time too and I'm planning to do it again this time.

For Dad:

Before I get people asking why I'm packing my husband's bag, I know he is fully capable, and he did pack his own with our first since we had a scheduled induction but this time I'm not planning to be induced in any capacity if it's at all possible because I believe that is what lead to my complications after birth last time. That being said I want to be prepared for if I go into labor while my husband is at work and things move quickly again. This is because the office for my husband's job is 45 minutes away and there is a chance, he may ride in a coworker's van from there to the job site, since he is still considered an apprentice and has only been with this company a couple months, and then the hospital is 45 minutes in good traffic from our house. So, with adding all that up we're looking at close to 2.5 hours of driving in a worst-case scenario which was half my labor with my first. I want to be able to just hop in our vehicle and go as soon as he gets home instead of waiting for him to pack his bag and the car and all that, no thank you! Since my husband is not the type of person to pack it early, I decided to do it for my own peace of mind, all that being said this is what I've packed for him.

1) Pajamas

My husband will want something to sleep in since there will be people in and out of our room all night so I'm packing him a pair of gym shorts and a T-shirt.

2) 1 Change of clothes

He will likely stay in the same clothes most of the time we're there and just change the day we go home if he even does that, so I packed him another T-shirt and a pair and cargo pants (that is all he wears since he discovered them for work), socks and underwear.

3) Refillable water bottle

This is so he has something to drink during our stay. He won't have a meal plan like I will so he will need to provide all his own drinks so to keep from spending an arm and a leg on drinks from the vending machines I'm making sure he has something he can refill. This is just a random 18 oz bottle my husband got me several years ago from Walmart because it looked cool that I don't think they sell any more. If your husband has a favorite refillable bottle or cup bring that otherwise any should do.

4) Cash for vending machines or cafeteria

This goes right along with the last one, since he won't have a meal plan, he will also need to feed himself so he will need some money for that.

5) A source of entertainment

I'm probably going to pack our laptop and charger because we will be there for probably 2 days potentially longer (we ended being in the hospital for 5 days the first time) and you can only scroll social media so much. Yes, we will want to be spending time and bonding with our new baby but there still will probably be some down time for at least my husband.

Last Minute grab and go things:

1) 2 Phone chargers

You will want at least 1 really long one because the outlets are not always in good places in correspondence to your bed so there may not be one close to you. The second one is for my husband's phone.

2) Pillows

The hospital has pillows but again I like to have my own things because it helps me feel calmer and more comfortable. I brought my pillow last time and we didn't have any issues with it getting messy or dirty. I made sure to have a non-white pillowcase on both mine and my husband's so that we knew which ones were ours and also, so the hospital staff didn't accidentally take them or think we were taking there's.

3) Mom's water bottle

I'm bringing my big 32-ounce water Bottle with me this time. I don't remember if I had it last time, but my hospital only had little plastic cups of water and that definitely didn't cut it for me. I think this may have been a COVID thing though because everyone always talks about the big plastic straw cups the hospital gives you, there were a few things that were different in that regard when I had my first in early 2022 that may be different this time, but I want to be prepared just in case.

4) Mom's purse

This I think is an obvious one but it's mainly because my wallet is in there with my ID and health insurance card in there incase my hospital needs those things although all that information is already in their system it's better to be prepared with those things than not.

5) Dad's blanket

My husband has this red blanket that he got from his mom when he was like 16 that he is a little bit like Linus from Charlie Brown with so that we will need to grab before we leave too but your husbands comfort item might be something different, you know your husband best and what he will want and need at the hospital. My husband definitely could sleep without it, but he will be way more comfortable with it.

6) Devotional/Bible

I will grab my devotions right before I leave because I try to do them every day so I will want them out until I need to go and then I will want them in the hospital with me too.

I hope this list was helpful and feel free to grab the free download below! Leave a comment if there is anything you would pack that I didn't or anything I packed that you would defiantly leave home.