Packing a maternity hospital bag for the arrival of your baby can be overwhelming at the best of times, particularly for first time mums. There is so much to think of – from clothes for you and your baby, to snacks and swaddles - depending on what you want the list could be endless.
Even on my fourth baby I still managed to forget the all-important charger for my phone. Despite always forgetting something for my maternity bag, there is no way I would let my husband pack it. So I wasn't surprised to read in a Babyboo.ie survey that 9 in 10 mums declared they would not trust their partner to pack their maternity hospital bag.
Obviously, preparation is key and tips from mums in the know are always the best. And this recent survey to see what the ultimate hospital bag for expectant mums should be was filled with great tips and sensible advice.
Mum and co-founder of BabyBoo.ie, Vicki O'Callaghan said: "We often run Q&A sessions on various baby topics to allow mums to share their collective knowledge, after all it takes a village. So when the question of what to pack in the maternity hospital bag during Covid kept coming up over and over again, we felt we had to do something more to help."
Some of the results found were:
- Nine in ten mums declared that they would not trust their partner to pack their maternity hospital bag on their behalf.
- The most popular, yet unusual items as essential for their hospital bag, according to the BabyBoo community, were soft toilet paper roll and a four-socket extension lead.
- Over two-thirds of mums (68%) agreed that pandemic expectant mums should start packing their hospital bag from as early as 24-30 weeks of pregnancy. This is mainly due to the closure of non-essential retail outlets and online order home delivery delays.
- The one thing that mums who have birthed during the pandemic wished they had packed in their hospital bag for themselves was: more snacks for a third of mums, their own pillow from home for a fifth of mums, and an eye mask with ear plugs for one in ten mums.
- The most common items that the mums surveyed wished they had packed in their hospital bag for their baby were zipped cotton sleepsuits for over a quarter of mums, while a fifth of mums wished they had brought a pre-wrapped swaddle for their newborn.
