Packed and Ready to Roll
This weekend I packed Gracie’s hospital bag. And then I jumped up and down and squealed because I was so excited.
(That’s a true story, by the way…)
When I packed Bean’s bag, I went overboard. Like most new moms, I wanted to make sure he had everything he needed at the hospital. I also wanted to use everything that was new in the first 5 days. His diaper bag had toys in them (note: newborns ain’t so interested in toys), diapers and wipes (note: the hospital gives you these and it saves you lots o’ dough), bibs (note: newborns aren’t teething), blankets (hint: the hospital blankets are better for swaddling than anything they sell in stores), and his entire newborn wardrobe (hint: the hospital staff prefers babies to be in simple clothing so they have easy access to them for testing, feeding, diapering, etc.).
This time, I streamlined.
Even my diaper bag is smaller this time. I loved the diaper bag I had for Bean, but it was really big. Which I really liked at the time. But with two babies now, I’m ready to lighten whatever load I can and so I started with my diaper bag. My sister picked this one out actually and gave it to me for Christmas. I don’t think she meant for it to be my main diaper bag. I think it was really more like an extra Mom Bag to use for miscellaneous things. But I love it! First of all, you can’t tell by looking at it (you can’t even tell in person), but the entire thing is protected in a plastic-like fabric that can be wiped down super easily. I also love that it’s so open. There’s pockets on the ends of the bag that are the perfect size for a cell phone or a couple binkies and there are one or two pockets on the inside if you needed them. But that’s really it. The rest of it is very open, which I love. Super fast access when you’re fumbling around with a newborn in your arms in search of an emergency burp cloth.
You know what I love the most though? My sister had it embroidered with Gracie’s name on it.
(Incidentally, if you’re interested in this diaper bag, shoot me an email. My sister sells them, along with a billion other hand bags and accessories, through a company called 31 Gifts. They come in all kinds of prints and colors.)
My sister also gave Gracie her little lamb. This lamb is made by the same company who made Mr. Bear and it even has the same noise box in the back of it that Bean listened to when he was little bitty. It makes all different kinds of noises – rain, ocean waves, white noise – but the one that always put Bean to sleep was the heartbeat sound. We had Mr. Bear in his little bassinet in the hospital from the day he was born and we’ll do the same for Gracie.
Another thing that we found so useful with Bean was a Boppy pillow. Because I had a c-section, I was in the hospital for five full days. That’s a long time. And I didn’t want Bean to be in his little plastic hospital container that whole time, but I also had trouble holding him for too long because of my c-section incision. My Boppy pillow became a lifesaver. It allowed Bean to snuggle up right there on my bed with me even with my stitches.
This time around, we’re using Bean’s Boppy pillow, but my sweet friend, Sarah, sent me her daughter’s much more girly pillow covers. Bring on the pink and purple!
Also in my diaper bag this time is a little Ziplock bag of newborn binkies. I sterilized these this weekend and then put them in a baggie to toss into my diaper bag. I don’t know if Gracie will take a binky, but Bean loved his. I threw them in the bag just in case. You never know what the wee princess is going to prefer. I really don’t need to bring this many, but they are so small I just threw what I had into the diaper bag. If you’re planning for your own diaper bag, you probably just need one or two.
One of my favorite things in my diaper bag is this small-sized blanket that my mom crocheted. I love it because of it’s size for one thing. It’s just the perfect size for a newborn and it fits perfectly in a car seat or stroller. I love it also because the fabric is so incredibly soft. It feels like a fuzzy little duckling. But I love it mostly because it is the same exact size and pattern as the one she made for Bean. Only Bean’s was blue, green, and yellow.
Now, Gracie has a pink, green, and white blanket to match and we’ll bring her home in that blanket, just like we brought Bean home in his.
That’s not the only thing that my mom made that we’re bringing to the hospital this time. I packed a huge stack of her burp cloths to bring, too. The last time we were at the hospital with Bean, we just used what the hospital gave us and there was nothing wrong with that. They were plentiful and free! And at that time, I had no preference yet for burp cloths. It was my first time using one! But this time around, I know what I prefer and I prefer my mom’s. She makes these giant, over-sized, super soft burp cloths that I just adore. (By the way, she sells them for $4 on her Etsy shop, if you want to stock up…)
I also threw in one of my mom’s homemade receiving blankets. Though the hospitals are really the best ones for swaddling, my mom’s are way softer and much better than the ones I have found in the baby stores. These are slightly over-sized, so they are great for swaddling. And the fabric – though softer than the hospital ones – are still a wee bit stiff, which is actually ideal for swaddling. If the blanket is too floppy or soft, it’s easier for the baby to wiggle their way out. Which really irritates both Mommy and Baby. (Mom sells these in her store, too, by the way…)
When we were in the hospital with Bean, it was freezing! I remember not having socks for me, Chris, OR Bean when we were there the first day. I made Chris go home and get us all extra socks for the rest of our stay. This time, I’m more prepared. I packed at least one pair of socks for the full five days that they might keep us. Some hospitals will provide these, too, (Bean’s did) but I wanted to make sure I had some soft, cozy ones for Gracie. Plus, these are way cuter than white bobby socks!
When Bean was born, the hospital stuck him in this ridiculous looking hat that made him look like a pirate.
So, we switched it out for one of our own that made him look like a gnome instead.
Truthfully, I’m not a fan of babies in hats. But newborns have trouble regulating their body temperature and so those little stupid looking hats actually serve a purpose. This time though, I’m coming prepared. I’m actually bringing THREE hats! Two of them go with little outfits (I’ll get to those in a minute), but one of them will be the hat she just kind of hangs out in.
Are you ready for this?
Are you sure?
Cause it’s pretty cute…
Isn’t it the cutest thing in the world? Look at those ears! This was a gift from a friend at church and I adore it. It’s from a little shop called Nugget Baby Beanies. They are sold primarily through Facebook, if you’re interested. I think they are adorable!
When I packed for Bean the first time, I was hesitant about bringing along my own clothes for him. I didn’t want the nurses to make fun of me for dressing him up right out of the shoot (…literally), but I also had all these super soft, super clean, super cute onesies that were just sitting at home. Why not bring them to the hospital? This time, I’m definitely bringing our own onesies and I’m not worrying about it at all. I want my little girl in my little clothes smelling like my little house. Even while we’re in the hospital. I packed three cute ones and three plain white ones. That is way more than we’ll need, but you never know. Plus, those white ones are so useful that it’s nice to just have them on hand. I love the Little Sister one, too. I want to put Gracie in that one when Bean comes to meet her for the first time!
The next two things are new this time and so I have no idea if I’ll use them or not. I decided this time to bring along three little lounging outfits. We’ll have lots of people visiting and as I was packing tonight I thought, “Maybe I’ll put her in cute little PJs when I know we’re having visitors. Though Gracie will most likely be all bundled up and her clothes won’t even be seen, at least I’ll have them if I want them.
Isn’t this one so sweet?
I love the little elephant and the little bows.
I also packed this little ducky pajama set that I think is so sweet. I actually think Bean had this same outfit when he was a newborn. Maybe that’s why I love it.
And this one has a matching hat to keep her little head warm.
The last thing I packed was, of course, Gracie’s coming home outfit. I have known this is what I’ll be bringing her home in from the minute I laid eyes on it. This little outfit was actually the inspiration for her shabby chic, rose-filled nursery.
I love the dainty ruffles and roses.
And I love the 3/4 length sleeves!! To die for!
Don’t you just want to snuggle with whoever is in this outfit? I wish they made them in my size. Or in Lucy’s size. I think Lucy would look lovely in this little high collared ruffled number. Though her growling might be a bit distracting.
So, that’s it. That’s what we’re bringing to the hospital. Not too much, but I’m certainly not skimping either. From what I remember, this should be all that she’ll need to be comfortable and then a little extra, too.
What about you? What did you bring to the hospital that you found useful for the baby?
32 Comments
Michelle @ Mambo Gook
That little hat with the ears is my favorite! One of my favorite pictures is from the day when my big brother (who was 2 at the time) came to see me in the hospital for the first time. I’m all bundled up and my mom is holding me and he’s in green OshKosh overalls standing on his tiptoes trying to peek over the cloth to see me. It’s so adorable and I’d have it framed in a heartbeat if we had an extra copy!!
Make sure Chris documents when Bean Man sees Gracie for the first time!
Heather Ben
Aden and anise swaddle blankets are the Best Thing Ever!!! I agree that the hospitals blankets are much better for swaddling than most of the blended you can buy, but these are that much better. You can get them at target or amazon 4 for about 40. But you can use them for so much more than swaddling you really get mileage out of them to make up for the expense. Beware – I bought these for my second and my first (3 months older than bean) adopted the monkey one for herself. Seriously, look over all the reviews on amazon – out of 92 people it has 5 out of 5 stars.
Alaina
Aw, such cute stuff! I love the little pink hat and her lamb. Can’t wait to meet Gracie!
Nate's Mom @ NateisGreat
Best things we brought: our laptop and DVDs. That hospital teevee had so few channels and we were up all the time! Also, if I had known, I would have brought my own pads. Those one-size-fits-all ones were so huge on me. I was definitely wearing a diaper! I am *in love* with Gracie’s outfits. The sweet, sweet clothes for girls! Ah! Someone really needs to catch on and make equally dapper outfits for boys. Countdown is on! Keep growing, Gracie, so we can all oooh and aaah over your beauty when you come on out!!!
Deepa
Too cute! I love all the pink! We went the opposite direction when packing. I had no idea what I needed, so I went with a “let’s show up with the minimum and play it by ear”. I brought some PJs and a little Bliss travel kit for me, some onesies for Rohan for the trip home, and some fun books (which got a laugh from the nurses). I was only in the hospital for two or three days, so it was less of an issue. Next time, I am will probably bring some of my own personal things (pads, clothes, slippers, etc), but leave most of the baby things to the hospital. I do like the idea of bringing clothes that smell like our house, though. Def a very thoughtful idea.
rebecca
The only think that I can remember bringing is the bobby (priceless) and her coming home outfit …a blue onesie that said, “Gator est. Day 1” with an orange and blue headband, and Gator socks. And we had our laptop, video camera and Canon…which were what we found to be the most important things we packed. I made sure I had lounging clothes and makeup, and we because we live 5 minutes from our hospital we brought the receiving blankets Zoe was in home to our dogs so they could sniff her. Btw..that hat is AWESOME!
Andrea
It’s posts like this that make me want to have another baby, I better not let my husband hear me say that! We didn’t bring all that much for our first but still managed to over pack. The extra item I brought the second time around was and extra bag. We got so much paperwork and lots of little stuffed animals and gifts that it was nice to have the extra bag to put things in. Even a paper shopping bag works great! Can’t wait to meet the little girl, I cant believe it so close where did the time go! And I love that diaper bag, wish I still needed one.
Jes Cady
This is perfect. I have been racking my brain about what to actually bring to the hospital when my daughter is born. It sounds like socks, boppy, and pads (for me) are top priority. Good to know. Thanks for the info. I appreciate it.
Ann G-B
OMG! I want a girl, I want a girl, I want a girl………. I brought way too much the hospital as well. But I wish I had brought real wet wipes and baby nail cutters….
Jenn
Brings back so many memories, M had so many of those same cute outfits when she was little!
GirlyGreenGirl
Very helpful post! I’m not due until June but I will definitely be referring back here to pack my bag. Thanks!!
~ GGG
Sarah
I think I brought way too much stuff when my daughter was born. I think next time I will definitely streamline. For me, in addition to all the baby stuff, I think I will bring empty bags, so I can steal (or reappropriate!) stuff from the hosptial. When my daughter was born, we took those pink and blue baby blankets (great for wiping up baby throw up and later good for dusting!), diapers, suction bulb, mesh underwear, pads, ice packs, pretty much anything that was not nailed down. My favorite thing I took is a giant water bottle. I still use it!
Abby @ They Lend Me Their Hearts
Ann G- B mentioned baby nail clippers and I couldn’t agree more! When my first was born her nails were so long and I wanted to clip them (I hate the little mitten things) but the hospital wouldn’t get me a clipper so it drove me nuts until we got home and I could clip her nails. With my second and third babies I had a nail clipper ready to go. Also SNACKS! A special little gift for the big brother, and battery chargers for the cameras and stuff. I brought a journal, but I imagine you’ll use your laptop for that.
Jen at Caved In
I definitely overpacked for Sullivan. He had several outfits which he promptly peed on because they gave us newborn diapers for a 9 lb baby. I did bring our Swaddle me blanket because he has been a Houdini since birth, escaping from everything. I loved my face and body cleansing cloths. After a c section I didn’t feel like hopping up to wash my face and showering was horribly painful. At least with these, I didn’t feel too gross. Dry shampoo was also a plus. Can’t wait to meet Gracie (via Internet of course)!
Lindsay (Young Married Mom)
I brought WAAY too much stuff to the hospital the first time, too–especially clothes for me. Things can be kind of . . . messy and I quickly realized I didn’t want to go home with a bunch of gross laundry. I think the #1 thing we brought was our camera. After Jacob was born, I remember looking around and thinking, where’s the person who takes the first baby and family picture? Oh right, that was us! We’re definitely bringing half the stuff we did next time around. And oh my goodness, that bear hat is adorable!!
Heather
Love it. I am going for my 4th c-section in 3 days (!!) for my 4th little boy, and I actually stood in front of the diaper bag wracking my brain figuring out if I could think of enough stuff to put in it! (LOL) Congratulations from one excited momma-to-be to another!
Jess @ Diary of a Misplaced Kiwi
Great items for Gracie, my list for Eilidh (born 9 weeks ago) was much the same except the clothes had to be warmer cause its a little colder in the UK thank Florida (v.jealous).
My key items were actually for me, extra pillows, iphone to spread our news, and most importantly, a box of home made biscuits to munch on at 3am when neither of us were sleeping.
My friend had her 2nd baby last week and suggested a gift for the older child from the new one to make them feel included.
I’m getting very excited for you!
Kate
What do you bring for Mommy and Daddy though? That’s what I’m really struggling with. How much gear will the adults needs?
laurenbtrain
we have the same outfit you are bringing Gracie home in and it is adorable! she will look so sweet, snuggly and feminine in it! yay!! what about YOUR hospital bag?? i hope it includes a laptop so that you can blog and keep us all up to speed 🙂 when i went into labor it was early and i was so bored. i know you are having a c-section but here is the post i blogged in the middle of my labor:
http://laurentrain.blogspot.com/2010/09/labor.html
Mama Bub
I LOVED packing my hospital bag and packed way early, both times. I had the same rose outfit for my daughter and it’s adorable. The one thing that we had that was a lifesaver was a huge basket of snacks that my MIL brought. It wasn’t always convenient for my husband to leave to get food for himself, and it was nice to have snacks for visitors, too.
Rachel
I have no idea when I need to start packing my hospital bag. We have 3.5 months to go till this baby comes. I am taking notes on what you did, so it could make the process easier for me! 😀 I love the out fits you picked out for Gracie. 😀
Kelly H.
We have the ducky outfit too…in fact that’s what our little boy will be coming home in!
brenda
I love the bag. Do you know what style of bag it is? I am actually invited to a 31 party in a couple of weeks and would love to be able to get the same one. (That isn’t too stalker-ish is it?!?!
Rachel
That’s great! Thank you…it’s helpful to see what other moms are packing in their hospital bags. I’ll be packing mine for the first time in a few (hopefully short!) months.
We have the sleep sheep too! My parents got it for our little girl (due in June!). That’s a good idea to bring it to the hospital…we may do that too!
Lori @ I Can Grow People
Katie. Your blog is making me want a baby girl right this minute. I may to take a break from reading for a while. Too. much. pink. girlie. cuteness. Trying…to…resist…!
Sue C
Oh – so sweet! You are so organized, and your things for Grace are beautiful. The one addition that I had tucked into my bag was a small gift from the baby to my older daughter. She still remembers, and it was a nice way for the two of them to bond. Wishing you all the very best!
Angie
Katie – I love your mom’s Etsy shop! I am going to buy one of those cute little sets for my cousin who is due right after you! I also just wanted to suggest that she update the “about me” section to include more information about where the money is going & how it is helping! I think that will encourage a lot more sales, people love buying something that gives back 🙂
Kim
Question about Gracie’s name. You said you were naming her Caroline Grace – does that mean you’re just referring to her as Gracie on the blog, but she’ll go by Caroline in real life. Kind of of like Michael vs. Bean or will you call her Grace? Why not name her Grace Caroline. No judgement at all, merely curious. My second daughter’s name is Grace – so clearly I like that name. Although she’s definitely a Grace, not a Gracie. She’s 8 and really get’s peeved when called Gracie. Funny how they are. Best wishes, glad you’re in the home stretch now. I was not a fan of being pregnant either, so I really understand how you’re feeling at this point.
sarah
the cutest clothes ive every seen!!! i didn’t know they let you dress the baby in whatever clothes you bring, that is so nice. thanks for sharing:)
Carrie
Katie, I love your diaper bag. I too am a 31 consultant and have pretty much one of every bag them sell. I would love to pick Ginny’s brain sometime and share some fabulous ideas we have up here in NY!!!
Holli
Now I want another baby, dangit!!! If you ever need really REALLY cute hats, there’s a lady that has a fan page on facebook called “sweet pea hats”. She makes a ton of props for newborn photographers, but her hats and headbands are the cutest I’ve ever seen and reasonably priced. You definitely have to check her out!!
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