Hospital bag checklist and what to buy before SMP changes
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Most of what goes in a hospital bag is bought in the last couple of months of pregnancy, which is also the stretch just before your pay changes. This page sets out what the NHS suggests packing, which items are worth buying new, and how the timing fits with what Statutory Maternity Pay pays once your leave starts.
It is a shopping and planning guide. For anything about the birth itself, your midwife and the NHS pages are the place to go.
When to pack
The NHS says to pack at least three weeks before your due date, because only 1 in 20 babies arrive on the due date. The aim is to be ready to go if the baby arrives early.
That gives you a practical deadline for buying things. If you plan to stop work at a set point, working back three weeks from the due date gives you the date by which the bag should be done.
Why the timing matters for money
SMP is paid for up to 39 weeks. For the first six weeks it is 90% of your average weekly earnings, with no upper limit. For the remaining 33 weeks it is £194.32 a week or 90% of your average weekly earnings, whichever is lower. Those are the 2026/27 rates on GOV.UK.
Take an example. Say your average weekly earnings are £500. The first six weeks pay £450 a week, and weeks 7 to 39 pay £194.32 a week. Across the 39 weeks that comes to £9,112.56 before any deductions (6 x £450, plus 33 x £194.32). If your pay before leave was £500 a week, the weekly figure falls by more than half after week 6.
You can work out your own figures with the SMP calculator. The practical point is that purchases made while you are still earning your normal wage come out of a bigger weekly budget than purchases made in week 20 of leave. Buying the bag contents early, and spreading them over a few pay packets, is easier than a single large spend later.
What the NHS suggests packing
The NHS list is long, and not all of it needs buying. Most people already own the toiletries, towels and clothes. These are the categories where a purchase is more likely.
Charging and entertainment
The NHS lists a phone, a charger and an extra-long cable or a power bank, plus things to pass the time such as books, music or podcasts. A socket may not be next to the bed, so a long lead is more use than a standard one. Look for Ad an extra-long phone charging cable of two or three metres that matches your phone's connector. A Ad portable power bank is the alternative, and it also works in the car park and the waiting room.
Something to wear and wash with
The NHS suggests a dressing gown, slippers or flip-flops that can also be used in the shower, loose nightwear (front-opening if you plan to breastfeed), and a wash bag with toiletries, a hairbrush, a flannel, lip balm, hair bands and hand sanitiser. If you do not already own a gown that works for this, Ad a lightweight dressing gown is worth a look. A Ad hanging wash bag with several compartments keeps the toiletries together and can hook on the back of a door.
Drinks and snacks
The list includes snacks, drinks and a water bottle, and a fan or water spray for cooling. Ad An insulated water bottle with a straw is easier to drink from lying down than one with a screw cap. A Ad small handheld fan covers the cooling item. Check the battery type before you buy, because spare batteries are one more thing to remember.
For the baby
The NHS list for the baby covers bodysuits, vests and sleepsuits, an outfit for going home, a hat, scratch mittens, socks or booties, a snowsuit if it is cold, nappies, cotton wool or wipes, muslin squares, a car seat for the journey home, and a blanket or shawl.
Newborn sizes are outgrown quickly, so buy few and buy a mix of sizes. Ad Muslin squares are on the NHS list and easy to add to the order.
A bag to put it all in
Two bags often work better than one: one for labour and one for afterwards. Ad Packing cubes let you label what is for whom, and a partner can find things without unpacking everything. The NHS also lists a spare bag for dirty laundry, which any carrier bag will do.
What the NHS says to bring for your birth partner
The NHS includes a list for a birth partner as well: a change of clothes, toothbrush, toothpaste and deodorant, a phone and charger, snacks and drinks, any regular medicines and spare change for parking and vending machines. If a birth pool is planned, swimwear is on the list too. Putting those in a separate small bag means the partner is not digging through yours.
What can wait
Plenty of items on baby shopping lists can be bought after the birth. If you are unsure about a purchase, wait. Things you need in the first fortnight are the items in the bag. Things you need in the third month can be bought once leave has started, or borrowed, or given to you.
Ask around before buying. Clothes in the smallest sizes are the most likely to be passed on, because they are worn for weeks, not months.
Paperwork to put in the bag, or near it
Bring your hospital notes and birth plan, as the NHS list says. Keep your MATB1 certificate somewhere you can find it as well. GOV.UK says doctors and midwives give it no more than 20 weeks before the due date, and your employer needs proof of pregnancy within 21 days of your SMP start date, or as soon as possible if the baby is born early. If you have already handed it over, a photo of it on your phone is worth keeping.
If your SMP is not yet confirmed, ask your employer to confirm it in writing. GOV.UK says they must tell you within 28 days how much SMP you will get and when it starts and stops. There is more on timing in the maternity leave timeline.
A short order of work
- Work back three weeks from your due date and set a date for the bag to be packed.
- Check what you own against the NHS list, and write down only the gaps.
- Buy the things you will use daily first, like the long cable and the water bottle.
- Pack the baby's items last.
- Put your MATB1 and notes in a front pocket.