You’ve spent hours getting your baby’s nursery ready and you’ve mastered how to properly install a car seat, but there is one more pre-baby task you’ll need to tackle: If your due date is getting closer, it’s time to prepare a hospital bag checklist for mom and baby. Packing the items that you must have and the items that you should leave back at home is really helpful.

Hospitals vary in their policies about allowing you to bring items from home. . But most of what you'll need for yourself you'll need to bring yourself.

The items that you need for yourself are:

• Comfortable footwear
• Your medical records.
• Toiletries (hair brush/comb, toothbrush and toothpaste, shower gel, shampoo, hair accessories)
• Massage oil or lotion to be used for massage during labour
• Snacks and drinks (if permitted by the hospital)
• Mobile phone and charger
• An extra cushion or breastfeeding pillow to make you more comfortable during labour and to use it as a support while feeding your baby
• A going-home outfit
• Socks if the weather is cold
• Comfortable clothes for the days at the hospital
• Nursing bras
• A towel
• Comfortable panties
• A dupatta or a stole to cover yourself while breastfeeding in front of others
• Maternity sanitary pads

What should you pack for your baby?

• One set of clothes for each day, plus two extra
• Sweaters for winter babies
• A pair of baby gloves to avoid them from scratching their own face as babies have long nails
• Cap
• Soft cotton sheets for baby’s bed
• Nappies, nappy pad, and diapers per day
• Baby blanket
• Soft towel
• Toiletries (a baby cleanser, shampoo, massage oil, hairbrush, nail clippers)
• A car seat to go home safely

What should your birth partner pack?

• A change of clothes and toiletries
• Snacks if permitted by the hospital
• ATM or credit card
• Mobile phone and charger
• Comfortable footwear
• Camera (if you’re not satisfied with your mobile camera quality).

Print out our handy checklist to tick off all these essentials when you pack! Once you've got your hospital bag organised, remind yourself of the first signs of labour so you know when it's the real thing!

Image source: Google