A “Hospital Bag” For My Toddler

Once I go into labor—if I go on my own this time instead of being induced—I’m guessing things will be kicked into high gear (in regards to my anxiety level, at least). The number one thing on my to-do list, once it’s go-time, is figuring out what to do with Julia.

We have several people on stand-by to watch her—everyone from a neighbor who can come over in the middle of the night, a babysitter she knows well, to friends who have offered to watch her last minute if we need anything. Without family around, these are our best options, and while I’m nervous to leave her for so long (this will be the longest span I’ll be without her), I’m thankful people have stepped in and offered their help.

Since I’m not sure who will watch her, when she’ll be with them, or how long she’ll stay, I realized that she needs her own “hospital bag.” Right now, along with her bag, we also have our pack ‘n play and our spare car seat already loaded in the car so we can drop it off whenever we need to. In addition to all the things I’m putting in her bag, I also wrote out a rough draft of her daily schedule so whoever is taking care of her can have a gist of what her routine is like; I also included a sheet with emergency contact numbers (our phone numbers and her pediatrician’s info). She’ll be out of her comfort zone, but hopefully things can stay slightly on track.

I shared my hospital bag last week, but here’s a peek into what’s packed in her bag:

+ Clothes. Big sister shirt to wear to the hospital, several extra tops, several pants, and panties.
+ Diapers. She’s potty trained (more on that soon), but she still wears diapers during naps and at night.
+ Shoes. Just a pair of sandals. (I’m hoping I’ll have time to put her in boots since it could be cold?) Also, a couple of pairs of socks.
+ Books. A few of her favorites.
+ Lovies. She has a little stuffed animal that she loves, and I put her favorite blanket in there, too.
+ Extra sippy cup. She still gets a cup full of milk a few times a day, so I packed her sippy cup and her water bottle in the bag.
+ Her travel “potty” bag. This will be in another post when I talk about her potty training, but this basically has her portable potty seat and a few extra potty essentials in case they need to leave the house.

We’re thinking that my husband will come and get her, wherever she is, and if I have to stay in the hospital more than a night or two, he’ll stay home with her and come over to see me and the baby in the
morning. That’s our guess, at least. We won’t know what will actually happen until we’re in the thick of it. Also, all of the places she may end up will have toys, so I can thankfully leave those out of her bag!

The nice thing is that her needs are pretty simple at this point—a pile of blocks, some crayons or a pen and some paper, or Curious George on TV is enough to entertain her and keep her busy…and hopefully not missing me too much!