Hospital Bag Checklist for Delivery in India: For Mom and Baby

The bag sits on a chair in the bedroom for weeks, half packed, while everyone offers an opinion on what should go in it. Then labour starts at 2 a.m. and nobody can find the insurance card.

A hospital bag is one of the few parts of birth you can fully control in advance. Packed well, it is one less thing to think about at the moment you least want to think.

Indian hospitals, insurance and homes add a few items that overseas lists leave out, and leave out a few that overseas lists include. Here is a checklist built for a delivery in India, and a way to pack it so anyone can find anything in the dark.

When to pack it

The NHS advice is to have your hospital bag packed at least 3 weeks before your due date, in case your baby arrives early. Keep it by the door or in the car, and make sure your partner and one other person know where it is.

Before you pack, ring the hospital. Ask what it provides for mother and baby, what it expects you to bring, and whether there are rules about visitors, food from outside or what the baby wears. Answers vary widely between a government hospital, a nursing home and a corporate hospital.

Documents and money

• Hospital registration or admission papers and your doctor's contact details
• Photo ID such as Aadhaar or passport for both parents
• Health insurance card, TPA details and any pre-authorisation paperwork, or the cash or card for a deposit if you are paying yourself
• Your pregnancy file: antenatal notes, recent scan reports, blood group and test results
• A birth plan if you have one, and a list of any medicines you take
• Some cash for parking, pharmacies and the canteen, plus a payment card

Photograph every document on your phone as a backup.

For the mother

• Loose, comfortable clothes for labour: an old kurta or nightie you do not mind marking
• Front-opening nightwear or kurtas for feeding, two or three sets
• Three changes of comfortable daywear for the stay, loose at the waist in case of a C-section
• Five or six pairs of comfortable underwear; disposable ones are useful, and high-waisted ones sit above a C-section scar
• Two or three comfortable bras, including nursing bras, and breast pads
• Two packets of super-absorbent maternity pads
• Slippers or flip-flops, socks and a light shawl, stole or dupatta for cool wards
• Wash bag: toothbrush and paste, hairbrush, hair ties, lip balm, mild soap, a small towel, hand sanitiser
• Healthy snacks, drinks and a water bottle, ideally with a straw
• Phone, a charger with a long cable or a power bank, and something to read or listen to
• Your own pillow and an eye mask if bright wards keep you awake
• Spare glasses or contact lenses, and any regular medicines

For the baby

• Soft cotton vests, bodysuits or jhablas, four to six
• Sleepsuits or pyjamas, two or three
• A cap, scratch mittens and socks
• An outfit for going home
• A soft blanket or swaddle and three or four muslin cloths
• Newborn-size diapers, 20 to 30, and fragrance-free, alcohol-free wipes or cotton wool
• A soft towel for the first wash
• A car seat, fitted before the day, if you are going home by car

The diaper count surprises people. Young babies may need changing 10 to 12 times a day, and a two-night stay can use most of a small pack. Our guide on how many diapers a baby needs per day explains the numbers, and our step-by-step changing guide is worth reading before the first change on the ward.

For your birth partner

• A change of clothes and basic toiletries
• Snacks, a water bottle and a phone charger
• A list of people to call or message, and the hospital's rules on when
• Cash and a card for parking, pharmacy runs and the canteen
• Spare glasses or lenses, and any regular medicines

What to leave at home

Jewellery, valuables and large amounts of cash. More than three sets of baby clothes in newborn size, because babies grow out of them in weeks and gifts arrive fast. Full-size toiletries. Anything the hospital has already told you it provides.

The three-pouch system

This is the part to remember. Pack in three labelled pouches or small bags inside the main bag: Mother, Baby and Documents. Put the partner's things in a separate small backpack.

At 2 a.m. anyone, including a relative who has never seen the bag, can find the insurance card, a clean vest or a maternity pad without unpacking everything. Keep a printed copy of this list in the Documents pouch and tick it off as you pack.

Once you are home, the bag becomes the outing bag. Our newborn essentials checklist picks up where this one ends, and our diaper size guide explains when those newborn diapers will need replacing with the next size.

This guide shares general information for parents and is not medical advice. Speak to your baby's doctor about any persistent skin irritation or health concern.