Source: Amazon
5. Formula
If you are going the formula route, you will be provided with all the ready-to-feed bottles for your stay. Ask for more before you leave! As you’ll soon find out, formula ain’t cheap, and those ready-to feed bottles are the most expensive, but definitely the most convenient. Even if you’re just planning to use formula until your milk comes in, this will save you from having to buy your own.
Source: Amazon
6. Disposable Underpads
If you haven’t been exposed to the underpads yet, you will when you make it to the hospital. These are lovely absorbent and disposable pads that will be placed under your rear end anytime you’re laying down. They come in handy when you give birth and postpartum when your bodily fluids get moving. If you have any left in your room that are unused, take them with you! They are excellent to protect your own bed sheets and are great under baby, especially if they are spitting up a ton.
Source: Etsy
7. Baby Hat
While you usually can’t take those cute pink and blue blankets with you (Good news is on the horizon however. Medline, the company famous for its hospital swaddles is bringing their blankets to Amazon this year for resale!), you CAN take your babe’s knitted baby hat. Some of your first memories of your new baby are in that adorable hat, so don’t leave it behind. You can stow it in a time capsule, make an ornament or put it in a shadowbox for years to come.
8. Pacifiers
Not all hospitals even allow baby’s pacifiers (some “Baby friendly” ones) but if yours does, be sure to take them home with you. You may have your own stash at home but your infant may take a liking to the ones they had in the hospital. Plus, you can never have enough pacifiers! You’ll soon find out they tend to disappear when you need them most.
Source: Amazon
9. Ice Packs
If you are still in pain down there, then ask your nurses for a few extra snap ice packs. If you’re in pain, it will be hard to get the much needed rest you deserve, so there’s no harm in asking for something that will provide you with relief!
Source: @JuhanSonin via Flickr
10. Baby Bracelets and Other Keepsakes
You won’t be able to take any “high-tech” baby Lo-Jack’s with you, but you should be able to take home your baby’s basic hospital bracelets. Usually you are required to wear them until your nurse cuts them off as you are leaving the hospital, so just throw them directly in your purse. You can also take any other special keepsakes like stuffed animals provided by the hospital.