A useful hospital bag holds enough for four to five days, not a week’s holiday. In France, the average length of stay in a maternity unit was 4.6 days in 2023, according to DREES (the statistics office of the French Ministry of Health). That is the benchmark that should decide how much you pack, and it is enough to rule out half the lists you will find online.
This article offers a pared-back list, organised by use rather than by shop category, and above all a list of what can stay at home. Maternity units provide some of what you need, but not the same things everywhere: the only list that really counts is the one your maternity unit gives you.
When should you pack your hospital bag?
Towards the end of the seventh month, around 32 to 34 weeks of pregnancy. The idea is not to prepare for a premature birth out of worry, but to avoid packing a bag in a rush when you are exhausted.
A simple method is to prepare two separate bags. The first, a light one, holds what you will need during labour and should stay within easy reach. The second stays in the car boot or at home, and comes up to your room after the birth. That way, you will not be rummaging through a big suitcase in the delivery room.
What the maternity unit provides, and what it does not
This is the question that determines everything else, and the answer varies from one hospital to another. France had 457 maternity units in 2023, for 639,500 births, and their practices are far from uniform.
Many hospitals provide nappies, formula if you are bottle-feeding, and sometimes the newborn’s toiletries. Others ask parents to bring everything. Some provide baby sleepsuits, others do not.
Ask at your eighth-month antenatal appointment or during the maternity unit tour. One question can save you two unnecessary bags.
The bag for mum
For labour and birth
- A loose garment you feel comfortable in, or a nightdress that opens at the front.
- A water mist spray, lip balm and hair ties.
- Socks: feet often get cold during labour.
- Your documents: carte Vitale (French health insurance card), blood group card, pregnancy notes, and your birth plan if you have written one.
For your stay
- Three to four comfortable daytime outfits, front-opening if you plan to breastfeed.
- Disposable knickers or underwear you will not mind throwing away.
- Maternity pads, unless the maternity unit provides them.
- Two or three suitable bras, one size up from your late-pregnancy size.
- A simple wash bag, a towel and closed slippers.
If you plan to breastfeed, a few breast pads and a soothing nipple cream are enough to start with. Everything else can be bought later, once you know what you really need. Our article on breastfeeding covers the common difficulties of the first few days and where to turn for reliable support.
The bag for baby
The principle: few items, in two sizes, in simple fabrics.
- Six to eight bodysuits and as many sleepsuits, in newborn size and one-month size. There is no guessing a baby’s birth weight.
- Two or three cardigans or little jackets, depending on the season.
- A thin hat, socks and a pair of scratch mittens.
- Two muslins or small towels, useful for everything.
- A going-home outfit, which does not need to be any different from the rest.
- An approved car seat, fitted and tested in the car before you set off.
The car seat is the only non-negotiable item on this list: without it, you cannot travel home by car. Test the fitting without the baby, several days beforehand. Our tips for getting ready for the homecoming explain what needs to be ready before the birth.
What can stay at home without regret
This is the most useful part of this article, and the part that shop-led lists leave out.
Baby equipment
The baby bath, the play mat, the bouncer, the playpen: none of these belongs in a hospital bag. They can wait at home, and some do not even need to be bought before the birth.
The baby bath, for example, can be chosen at your leisure during your stay: the first baths at home can perfectly well be given in the sink. If you have already made your choice, a foldable baby bath with a stand folds away and opens out in seconds, which matters when space is tight. In the same way, a play mat is not needed for several weeks: there is no rush.
Too many clothes
Eight bodysuits are enough for five days. Any more and you are just carrying dirty washing around. A maternity unit is not a place where you change outfits three times a day.
“Just in case” purchases
Breast pump, bulky nursing pillow, steriliser, full skincare ranges: all purchases that are best decided later, once you know what you need. It is the same reasoning we apply to the whole minimalist baby list, and more broadly to choosing products that grow with your child rather than buying more and more.
And the other parent’s bag?
It exists, and it is almost always forgotten. A birth partner who stays for several hours, or even several nights, needs the basics: a full change of clothes, a wash bag, a charger, and something to eat and drink.
Hospital vending machines get switched off, and cafés close too. Packing two bottles of water and a few non-perishable snacks saves you leaving the room at the wrong moment.
The most commonly forgotten items
- A phone charger with a cable long enough to reach the bed.
- Closed slippers: hospital floors are cold and slippery.
- A pen, for the surprising number of forms to fill in.
- Coins or a card for the car park and vending machines.
- A notebook or an app to note down feeds and nappy changes, which the team will often ask about.
A word about the first few days
A stay in a maternity unit is short, tiring and rarely what you had imagined. Emotions run high, and a dip in mood in the days after giving birth is common and well documented. If it lingers or gets worse, talk to a health professional about it without delay.
Our article on the baby blues and postnatal depression explains how to tell one from the other and who to turn to. This article does not replace medical advice or the support of the maternity team.
Key takeaways
A hospital bag is packed at around 32 to 34 weeks, for a stay of four to five days. It holds only a few things, in two sizes for the baby, and leaves all the baby equipment at home. The only list that really counts is your maternity unit’s: ask for it, as it will save you space and give you peace of mind.
Sources
- DREES, “La naissance : les maternités”, in Les établissements de santé en 2023, 2025 edition, fact sheet 18: average length of stay of 4.6 days in 2023, 457 maternity units, 639,500 births.
