My Pink Lining Hospital Bag Checklist

Three babies in I think I now have a clear idea of what you really need to take in your hospital bag when you head in to give birth, or if you're packing a 'just in case' bag for a home birth.


First up, the bag. With Bud and LM I used a small suitcase but it's amazing how bulky they are. This time the lovely people over at Pink Lining sent me their beautiful Navy Bows on Cream Holdall (exclusively available at Mothercare) to use as my hospital bag this time around, which made packing lots more fun!


I'm a huge fan of Pink Lining and still love my Queensdale Tote which also featured the Pink Lining iconic bows, although they were multicoloured. In many ways I was expecting the Holdall to be similar to the changing bags but it isn't really. It's very definitely a holdall, an item of luggage, rather than an outsized changing bag. Dimensions measure L55xW30xH33cm and you'll find a pouch pocket, an inside pocket and one on the outside too, alongside a solid cream and red striped shoulder strap which gives you the option of carrying the bag over your shoulder or using the two shorter carry handles. The bag is made from laminated lightweight canvas so it's wipe clean too.

This bag was really perfect for hospital as it's softer structure meant it could be tucked away much more easily than a traditional case. It received lots of comments from other mums and the midwives, one in particular was very taken with it as she didn't realise that Pink Lining had a wider range than their changing bags. It's worth pointing out that the large interior compartment of the bag can sometimes make it a little difficult to find things in a hurry so I used little cotton bags to separate the contents into different sections - my toiletries bag, for labour, for the ward, for baby, snacks and drinks etc - which made it easy for Ian to locate things when I was asking for them. The interior pockets were a useful place to keep smaller items like my phone, hair bands and loose change where I could easily find them. The bag was large enough to include everything we both needed for a one night stay in hospital following Little E's birth and I was so pleased with it.


As you'd expect from Pink Lining you'll see all of their usual design features in the bag. The trademark hot pink lining is there alongside the woven handles and carry strap and cute little stitched heart details. It's a high quality, chic holdalll.

The Pink Lining Navy Bows on Cream Holdall really is a super stylish bag for travelling and I'll be using it the next time we go away in the car. I think the only way it could be improved would be the addition of a handle and wheels to pull it along as an option, as I think I would struggle to carry it on my own if it was fully loaded. I am a bit of a weakling though! I think I could probably pack both mine and Ian's belongings for a weekend away in there.

I thought I'd share the contents of my hospital bag with you. The Pink Lining holdall contained all of these items in style (except the Infant Carrier of course).