If you havent already read my mummy edition of this post head yourself over to last Wednesday post..
Today I'm going to be talking about what I packed in Baby's Hospital bag, as I mentioned in last weeks post, I decided I wanted to pack 2 separate bags, just so it was easier to have all of my stuff in 1 bag and all of the stuff for little miss in another bag.


Again there are so many different ideas about what the best things to post in a hospital bag are for baby and I decided to take a little bit of inspiration from all the places.
I havent taken pictures of the majority of the things in the bags, mainly because the bag is mostly made up of packets of things! However heres a list:

• A pack of Size 1 Baby Nappies - we decided to go with Aldi ones as heard they are the best
• A pack of water wipes 
• 2 Muslins
• Hooded baby towel 
• Blanket - We packed a disney one she had for christmas from my aunty and uncle
• 2 outfits in newborn size 
• 2 outfits in 0-3 size 
• Coming home outfit 
• Slightly thicker cardigan (rather than a coat)

And thats it. Loads of people online suggest packing the SMA ready made bottles however when we went for our antenatal classes the midwife suggested that if we were determined to breast feed not to pack these as it can mean you may give up easily. I am really set on giving breast feeding a go and the midwife said if all else fails they would give you either a breast pump to express if baby really struggles to take to the breast or have formula on hand however as they encourage breast feeding they offer you as much help as needed before using these as a last resort. For the same reason I decided not to pack my breast pump either.

One of the best tips I had seen online was from Charlotte who has a Youtube channel (Charlotte Taylor) and a blog over at Write like no one is watching - Ive been following Charlotte on her blog and Youtube forever and love her colabs with the Channel Mum Youtube channel. In one of her recent videos Charlotte mentioned about putting baby outfits in zip lock sandwich bags and labelling them.  What a genius idea and one I soon took to. I used the ikea sandwich bags which I am obsessed with and quickly took to organising each bag with a sleep suit, vest, hat and pair of scratch mittens labelling them according to size. We've got 2 in newborn size and 2 in 0-3 size so we have a variety of sizes depending on how big she is! She also has a special outfit ready for coming home.




I decided not to pack lots of lotions and potions in the bag. They don't recommend using products on baby straight away anyway and advise just water. Apparently its even optional now that baby has their first bath at the hospital and instead they encourage you (if you feel confident enough) not to have a demo and leave baby up to a week before their first bath instead opting for cotton wool and water to top and tail as this encourages the oil in their skin. I decided to pack water wipes rather than cotton wool for ease (another tip I picked up online) as these can also be doubled for nappy changes too.

Its hard to believe we are almost at the point that we will be grabbing this and off to the hospital!!! What essentials did you pack for baby in your hospital bag??

Heres a breakdown of what is in there:

• Nighty 
• Dressing Gown 
• PJ's 
• Slippers
• 4-5 pairs of underwear (old ones that I am not bothered about) 
• Towel 
• Toiletry Bag  - Flowery Ted Baker (see below) 
• Other Bag - Spotty Cath Kidston  (See Below) 
• Sponge 
• Maternity Pads - Have packed a whole pack

In here I have:

• Moisturiser (Forever Living Aloe Moisturing Lotion from Travel kit) 
• Soap and Glory Dry Shampoo 
• Face Cloth 
• Tooth Brush 
• Colgate Mouth Wash 
• Sanctuary Exfoliator 
• Clinique Mild Face Wash
• Liz Earle Facial Toner Spritz 
• Deodorant 
• Tooth Paste (Forever Living Aloe Tooth Gel from Travel Kit) 
• Shampoo and Conditioner (Forever Living Aloe Jojoba range from Travel Kit) 
• Body Wash (Forever Living Aloe Bath Gelly from Travel Kit - Figured best as all natural) 
• Elizbeth Arden 8 hour cream 
• 2 bobbles 

In the spotty Cath Kidston bag I decided to pack all things medicinal so again they were all in one place.

Not all these are things for me (just to point out) as it may seem pointless packing Paracetamol and Burfen when I'll be at the hospital but I figured I would pack some for Adam (who suffers from headaches and my mum (who suffers from a bad back) so i figured it would be worth having them on hand especially as it is likely they will be sitting round for a while!
In here we have:

• Hand Sanitiser 
• Nipple Cream 
• Forever Living Aloe vera Heat lotion - for my back during labour if i get any pain 
• Forever Living Aloe vera sachets - particularly good for after birth especially if stitches are needed or apparently good on maternity pads for those sore lady parts! 
• Tissues - because lets be honest there will be tears
• Breast Pads 
• A flannel - packed a separate one so Adam can mop my brow during labour! Haha 

So on Thursday last week, I turned 29 and I thought I would share with you what I was lucky enough to receive for my birthday. I really struggled this year when asked what I wanted this year.. luckily my lovely family know me very well :)

From Adam I had this gorgeous Cath Kidston backpack from their Micky Mouse collection. I have loved this range since it was launched and eyed up quite a few of the different things on offer however never picked anything up. I'd seen the backpack a couple of times and have been toying with the idea swapping a handbag to a backpack before baby is born... 1 because it spreads the weight of stuff carrying and 2 because once she is born it will let mean I aren't jugging with a handbag and a changing bag. Plus when she becomes a toddler we can just add a change clothes without taking up lots of space. I love that this has 2 handy pockets at the side (handy for holding an umbrella and a water bottle) and a zip at the front where I have popped all things beauty such as lipsticks. There is also a handy pocket at the back too which is good for holding small things. On the inside there is a handy slot which holds a laptop as well as the main compartment.
From my mum and dad, I got lots of little crafty bits because what craft nut doesn't love some hobby craft goodies :) I also had some very practical presents from them. Me and mum had a girly day in town on Wednesday last week to do a bit of pre birthday shopping and we picked up some bits perfect for my hospital bag including some new PJs, a Nighty and a thinner dressing gown.
The night dress is from peacocks and is available here for £8. The idea was that I could wear this during labour. I love that it says I make my own magic on it as with the unicorns I thought this was really cute! What I also didn't realise is that Peacocks have started doing some plus sizes. I picked this up in a size 26-28 which is way too big for me (I am normally an 18-20) however I wanted something with lots of room in it, plus it gives me room for baby growing over the next 10 weeks.

Another thing we picked up was some new PJs from Marks and Spencer. I love their nightwear and these little beauties were £12.50 - available here. Again I will be packing these in my hospital bag just in case we need to stay overnight or so I have something comfy to change into after baby is born.

I had lots of other lovely presents including some lush goodies from my brother in law and his fiancé, some money from my Nanna and a voucher for afternoon tea at my favourite place in town to use as a pre baby treat for me and Adam on one of our days off together before little miss arrives which will be lovely :)

I had a lovely birthday - Adam and I went out for a meal in the evening with my mum and dad which we really nice.
My 29th year is set to be an exciting one and I have been thinking about everything I want to achieve over the next 12 months before I turn 30... I may do a whole separate blog post on this one :)