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Getting ready

The hospital bag, accounted for

What goes in, what stays home, and why you pack it a month early.

5 minute readExpecting · T3Newborn · 0 to 3mo

Published by Dad Reckoning · Editorial standards and corrections

From the Dad Reckoning manual. General editorial guidance, not professional advice. Follow the sources linked in this guide for specialist and current information. About the manual.

Pack the bag at 32 weeks. Not because the baby will come early, but because you will not want to think about it later.

What goes in

  • ID, insurance card, birth plan. Top pocket.
  • Two phone chargers. One lives in the bag.
  • A change of clothes for you. Dark colours. Babies leak.
  • Snacks that do not need a fridge. You will be there a while.
  • Toiletries. A shower changes a man.

What stays home

The laptop. The notion that you will catch up on emails. The nice jumper.

The bag goes by the door. It stays there. When the time comes you pick it up and walk out. That is the whole plan.

More for this stage

Pass it onFM 99-1

Someone you know is about six weeks behind you. Send it to him.

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While you’re here

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