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It's in the Bag

A Dad's Guide to Packing for the Hospital

By Jennifer Savedge

It's getting down to the wire, and you and your partner are finishing all of those final preparations. Mom has her bags packed and waiting by the door, so how ready are you?

Don't leave it up to your partner to make sure that you'll have everything you need at the hospital. "You definitely have to take care of yourself, because it could be a long labor and you have to be there for it," says Armin Brott, author of The Expectant Father: Facts, Tips and Advice for the Dad-to-be.

And don't assume you'll have time while she's in labor to get a bag together.

Paul Oswald from Conyngham, Pa., and his wife, Mary Joan, rushed to the hospital one Sunday evening sure that the baby was on its way. But her labor was progressing slowly, so with his wife's blessing he left the hospital around midnight to get some things together at home. "The nurses later told me that they could literally see my shadow getting on the elevator when my wife screamed out in pain," he says. Oswald got home to find a message on his machine announcing the birth of his son, Jack.

You'll want to coordinate the things you need with the things your partner has already packed. According to Brott, you should try to get everything into one bag if possible. "Streamlined is better," he says.

Don't forget, you may have to move this stuff out to the car, into the hospital, between delivery and recovery rooms and then back again. So with all that in mind, here's a list of items you'll want to have ready for your trip to the hospital:

Want to see more?

• The Expectant Father: Facts, Tips and Advice for the Dad-to-be
• Helping With Labor, Delivery and Baby's Homecoming
• She Won't Break! New Dads With Newborn Fears
• Talk about it!

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