Hospital bag checklist: three bags, ready to pack
Most lists pack one bag. A birth needs three: one for the parent giving birth, one for the baby, and one for whoever is with them, a partner, a friend or a parent. These are the starter lists every Syncry family gets.
In short
- 29 things in three bags: 11 for the parent giving birth, 9 for the baby, 9 for the partner.
- The lists are based on the NHS hospital bag checklist; your maternity unit may ask for more.
- The documents differ by country: in Germany the Mutterpass, in France the carte Vitale.
What goes in each bag?
Based on the NHS hospital bag checklist, written as the app’s starter lists.
For the parent giving birth · 11 items
- Birth plan + maternity notes
- Comfortable labour clothes
- Going-home loose outfit
- 2 nursing bras
- Disposable maternity pants (pack)
- Maternity pads (pack)
- Water bottle + snacks
- Phone charger (long cable)
- Toiletries
- Shower flip-flops
- Thick socks
For the baby · 9 items
- 3 newborn outfits
- Going-home outfit
- Newborn nappies (pack)
- Baby wipes
- 2 muslins
- Car blanket
- Mittens
- Hat
- Nappy rash cream
For the partner · 9 items
- Phone charger + powerbank
- Snacks and water
- Change of clothes
- Basic toiletries
- Wallet with cards and cash
- Documents: IDs and health cards (by country below)
- Camera or charged phone
- Small pillow
- Book or entertainment
Which documents should you pack?
The documents line is the one item that depends on where you give birth, not on your language. This is what the app lists for each country.
| Country | Pack |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom | Documents (IDs, NHS card) |
| Spain | Documents (DNI or NIE, tarjeta sanitaria) |
| Italy | Documents (IDs, tessera sanitaria, pregnancy tests and scans) |
| France | Documents (IDs, carte Vitale) |
| Germany | Documents (IDs, Mutterpass, health insurance card) |
| Austria | Documents (IDs, Eltern-Kind-Pass, e-card) |
| Switzerland | Documents (IDs, health insurance card) |
| Belgium | Documents (IDs, health insurance card) |
| Luxembourg | Documents (IDs, health insurance card) |
| Portugal | Documents (IDs, health insurance card) |
| Ireland | Documents (IDs, health insurance card) |
What does the app add?
In Syncry the three bags are shared: one of you ticks the charger, and it is ticked on the other’s phone. Each bag shows how far along it is, you can add your own items, and it counts each time a bag has been fully packed. Travel and day-to-day bags sit beside the hospital ones.
Questions parents ask
Is this the NHS list?
It is based on it, written as short starter lists. Your maternity unit has the final word and may ask for more, so check its own list too.
Do I need the partner’s bag if I am on my own?
It is the bag for whoever comes with you, a friend, your mother or a sister, so it is worth packing if anyone will be there. If no one will, skip it.
What about twins?
In the app the baby bag is one bag for the babies of the pregnancy, named after both. Add what you need twice, such as outfits and nappies.
Pack the bags together
In Syncry these three bags are already waiting, in your language and with your country’s documents, ticked off live on both phones or just yours, and counted each time a bag is fully packed.