Check the place before you pack
Your birth setting may provide some items and ask you to bring others. Look up its packing, arrival and visitor guidance before turning a generic list into your list. Keep identification, insurance or admission paperwork, contact details for your care team and any birth preferences in a place you can both find. If a requirement is unclear, ask the facility directly.
Make space for both of you
Ask your partner which clothes, toiletries, glasses, chargers or comfort items they actually want. Your own change of clothes, phone cable, essentials and a notebook belong in the plan too. Check what food or drinks the facility allows. For the baby and the journey home, use the facility’s instructions and your local rules for traveling with a baby.
Leave room for items you still use every day
The phone or charger you use every day may not be in the bag yet. Write down each item and where it lives. Choose a packing date, a place for the bags, a travel route and a backup plan. Before leaving, use the short page for your last check instead of trying to remember everything in a rush.
Common questions
A little more clarity.
When should we pack the hospital bag?
Choose a date together that fits your circumstances, then write it on the page for your last check. The useful part is agreeing what is already packed and what you will grab later.
Do we need every item on a checklist?
No. Cross out anything that does not fit your family and add the items your care team or birth setting requests.
From the First-Time Daddy companion pages
Put the next step on paper.
Download the Hospital Bag Checklist as a fillable PDF. The three checklists are free to use, with no email address required.
Download the checklist Explore the book