What’s in My Hospital Diaper Bag

We’re down to the wire! I’m 2 weeks (and three days) away from my due date, and maybe it’s just me but I really feel that baby might be a bit early. So of course, we’re packing everything we’ll need for the “big event”: hospital bag for mom, hospital bag for dad, hospital bag for Genny, overnight bag for Genny, and the diaper bag. As all parents know, the diaper bag is something that is going to become a part of our every day life once again. I wanted something durable, spacious, and cute. What’s in my diaper bag will change as baby grows, but for the initial birth and bringing her home from the hospital, there are just a couple of essentials we will be packing.

I’ve partnered with Whirlwind bags to create this post AND to provide you with the chance to win your very own Whirlwind bag ($129 value)!

What’s in my hospital diaper bag

The hospital or birthing center provides you with the essentials that you will need: diapers, wipes, swaddles, even bottles and pacifiers in some cases. Bringing your own diaper bag to the hospital is not a requirement. However, if you are someone like me who wants to always feel prepared, you can bring your own things.

Diapers & Wipes

Most likely, we will use the hospital’s supply of diapers and wipes while we’re at the hospital, but again, I like to feel prepared. I’ve packed my super cute Baby Bumco Diaper Clutch Bag. This fits neatly into any diaper bag, or even a large purse if you need to just grab something while heading out the door.

I’m not using any brand of diapers and wipes exclusively, but if you want to use products for sensitive skin, you might want to pack your own diapers and wipes.

Diaper Cream

Before I had Genny, a mom recommended to me that I use diaper cream with every diaper change to prevent diaper rashes. This was an AMAZING mom hack!! Genny has always been prone to getting diaper rashes, and sometimes they would get really bad, even with careful maintenance. During one particularly bad rash, my sister in law recommended Weleda Diaper Rash Cream. With just a couple of applications, I already began to see a difference! Even the extra high-in-zinc oxide diaper cream the pediatrician gave me didn’t work that well!

Since that incident, I’ve never looked back. Always having diaper cream on hand is a must for me!

 Pacifier

Yes, I know, there are so many mixed views on this. Phrases like “nipple confusion” and “self soothing” seem to befuddle every conversation surrounding the pacifier. For Genny, I was one of those parents who wanted to do everything right (I mean, who doesn’t?) and was terrified of messing something up (okay, that may just be me). So we didn’t give her a pacifier for two weeks.

I don’t know if it made her a better nurser, I don’t know if she would have had “nipple confusion”, but it was what it was. And in the end, she didn’t really like the pacifier. At two months, she found her fingers, and nearly three years later she still sucks on them to go to sleep every night. Sometimes I wish I had just given her the pacifier, but again, I don’t know if it would have made a difference.

All that to say, I have not yet decided about giving Nora a pacifier, but I’m bringing two (one with a pacifier clip, one with a WubbaNub). I reserve the right to make my decision in the moment! However, I have also resolved to not freaking out about every little decision as well.

I’ll let you know how that last part goes…

Nursing cover

When I was pregnant with Genny, my mom got me a nursing cover by Copper Pearl, and it quickly became my most used item as a new mama. Everywhere we went, that nursing cover went with us. It doubles as a carseat cover (and later on even a grocery cart cover), and it can also be worn around the neck like a scarf. Eventually I ended up with three of them!

There are lots of different nursing cover brands out there, but this one beat all in my book because these covers are breathable, stretchy, offer full coverage, are easy to carry around or store, and serve so many different purposes! They’re also longer than a lot of other nursing covers I’ve seen, so I found them to be more comfortable.

Swaddles and baby blankets

Wherever you decide to give birth, they will have baby blankets available for you. But if you want a specific one for pictures, or just because you like it, then by all means! This is your show, you do what you want! I’m going to be bringing my Clementine Kids swaddle blanket simply because I’m obsessed with it, and we might use it for pictures.

Onesies, bows, and pretty accessories

We haven’t decided firmly on a “going home outfit” (partly because it’s likely that the weather will be around 98 degrees despite this being the “autumn” month), but I have decided on a couple of bow headbands to bring along. There will almost definitely be picture-taking of a semi-professional nature, so I want to have some of these things on hand just in case.

Along with her going home outfit, I’ll be bringing some socks and maybe some mittens. Not to protect from the cold (ha! I wish) necessarily, but from germs, scratching her own face, and cuteness reasons.

A durable, spacious, cute diaper bag

Last but not least, you will need to have a diaper bag! Hahaha duh, I know.

I’ll be bringing my new Whirlwind backpack diaper bag (in “Fog” color). This bag is not only adorable and portable, but it’s made of genuine leather and easy-to-clean canvas. The backpack feature makes it easy to carry around wherever you’re going – I seriously don’t know how I made it through the diaper days with a backpack diaper bag!

This bag is made for the “modern mom”, so there is an easy-access slot in the front for diapers and wipes, a changing pad included inside, AND even extra space to slide your laptop of tablet in behind everything else! This is going to save us some space when packing for the hospital as well because I’m definitely going to be bringing my laptop.

Win your own Whirlwind diaper bag!

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Love, Emily XOXO