What to pack for labour and delivery

Listen to this text

MP3

Not sure what to bring to your birth location? The following checklist can help.

Items for the mother

Health insurance card and hospital card (if applicable)
Birth plan
List of medications (if applicable)
Comfortable labour clothes (if you don’t want to wear the hospital gown) and warm socks
Dressing gown, sleepwear, and slippers

What should you pack for labour and delivery? Download our list to make sure you don’t forget anything.

Underwear
Clothes for the trip home
A maternity or nursing bra and nursing pads
Large, extra-absorbent sanitary pads
Toiletry kit: toothbrush, toothpaste, hairbrush, comb, lip balm, etc.
Tissues
Snacks
Cash for the vending machines, cafeteria, or parking meters
Books, magazines, and a pencil and paper
Cellphone and charger
Contact list with phone numbers

Items for the baby

Diapers and wet wipes
Pyjamas and undershirts
Blankets
Baby bonnet
Weather-appropriate clothes for the trip home
Infant car seat (mandatory for leaving the hospital)

Items for the mother’s partner

Sleepwear, a change of clothes, and a pillow (if they plan to stay overnight)
Food and drinks
Camera
Books or magazines
Toiletry kit
Cellphone and charger

Research and copywriting: The Naître et grandir team
Updated: February 2018

Sources

Please note that hyperlinks to other websites are not updated regularly, and some may have changed since publication. If a link is no longer valid, use search engines to find the relevant information.

Doré, Nicole, and Danielle Le Hénaff. From Tiny Tot to Toddler: A practical guide for parents from pregnancy to age two. Quebec City, Institut national de santé publique du Québec. www.inspq.qc.ca/en/tiny-tot.
The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada and Best Start. Healthy Beginnings: Giving Your Baby the Best Start, from Preconception to Birth, 4th edition, Canada, 2009.