If you are on this page, it means you are expecting a baby. Congratulations, mum-to-be!

Packing your hospital bag often comes with joy, excitement and a touch of panic. You don’t know where to start or whether you have everything you need... In short, one precious tip: don’t leave your shopping until the last minute. Start during the second trimester instead, as it is usually the calmest stage of pregnancy: you are not tired yet, you have the energy to go shopping and, above all, you have time to choose calmly and without pressure.

The most common way to pack your hospital bag is to prepare two bags: one for baby and one for mum. What goes in each bag, and how many items, depends on several factors, including the type of birth (vaginal or caesarean) and any complications.

Below, we cover everything to pack in mum’s bag and baby’s bag:

Mum’s bag

• First of all, a diaper bag
• Paperwork: national ID cards for both parents, your health insurance card (mutuelle or private insurer), all your test results and scans since the start of your pregnancy, your blood group card, your family record book or marriage certificate
• 3 soft, comfortable pyjamas suitable for breastfeeding
• 1 dressing gown
• Slippers / house shoes / socks
• 4-5 disposable or large-size knickers (your size +2)
• Several packs of maternity pads (not adult incontinence pants)
• 2 nursing bras
• 3-4 nursing vest tops
• Your toiletry bag (if you plan to shower, add a towel, preferably a dark one, and your bath products)
• a bag for dirty laundry
• 1 going-home outfit
• For breastfeeding: a nursing pillow, a nipple cream for cracked nipples, breast pads, a breast pump to relieve your breasts when your milk comes in on day 3)

Baby’s bag

• 4-5 bodysuits
• 4-5 sleepsuits
• 2 hats
• 2 scratch mittens
• For washing and changing: water-based wipes, cotton wool, liniment for diaper changes, diaper cream, a comb, saline solution. (If you plan to bathe your baby at the clinic, add a towel and a wash gel suitable for newborns)
• 1 pack of newborn or size 1 diapers (depending on your baby’s weight)
• A blanket
• A padded snuggle wrap or similar for going home

If you think that is too many clothes, think again! Even if you plan a vaginal birth, you never know what might happen before then. So it is better to have too much than not enough!

IMPORTANT! What you will be asked for in the delivery room, right after your baby arrives (ideally packed in a small separate bag):

For you:

• 1 pair of pyjamas
• 1 bra + 1 vest top + 1 pair of knickers
• Eau de toilette + cotton wool OR wipes
• Sanitary pads
• Socks
• Slippers or house shoes

For him/her:

• 1 towel
• 1 bodysuit
• 1 sleepsuit
• Scratch mittens and a hat
• 1 diaper
• 1 blanket
• (Ideally, no toiletries and no bath straight after birth)

Don’t forget to bring a few things for the room:

• A hand towel for visitors
• Liquid soap
• Tissues

One last tip: pack all these things neatly in the bags so the person with you can easily find each item. At home, too, everything should be easy to find, in case you need something fetched from your house.