The Ultimate Guide to Your Birth Center Bag Checklist
Last updated on January 24th, 2025 at 04:32 pm
Prepare for your birth with our essential birth center bag checklist! Discover everything you need for a smooth and stress-free experience.

Preparing Your Birth Center Bag: A Comprehensive Checklist
The internet is saturated with hospital bag checklists, but is severely lacking in birth center bag checklists. With the rise in birth centers, I want to offer our free printable birth center bag checklist!
We had our third child at our local birth center. It was an amazing experience! We had hoped to have our fourth there as well, but unfortunately, I was high risk and had to be induced due to ICP (cholestasis). With baby number five just weeks away, we are hoping for another magical water birth experience. I do need to be prepared for both though.
Essential Items for a Smooth Birth Center Experience
My birth center gave me a list of items to bring. They ended up giving me several of the items following birth anyways. Still, I think it’s a good idea to not assume your birth center will have the exact items you are looking for. You can always leave some of these items unopened and return them if you don’t even up using yours. Here is everything I included in my birth center bag:
Mama’s List
- Comfortable clothing for labor, delivery, and going home (I wear just a bra in the tub)
- Toiletries (shampoo, deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste, etc)
- Hair ties and a hair brush
- Healthy, high protein snacks and drinks
- Camera, phone, and chargers
- Important documents (ID, birth plan, insurance cards)
- Nursing bra
- Comfort items from home (blanket and/or pillow)
- Postpartum Undies or Mesh Undies
- Bluetooth speaker (if you want a playlist during labor)
- Perineal bottle
- Dermoplast
- Overnight maxi pads with wings
- AfterEase
- Arnica or other pain reliever
Baby’s List
- 2 pairs of zippered PJs
- 4 diapers and a pack of wipes
- Baby hat
- Warm blanket
- Car seat
Daddy’s List
- Snacks and drinks
- Phone and charger
- Swim trunks or shorts if he’s getting in the tub with you
- An extra pair of comfy clothes
What Makes our Birth Center Bag Checklist Different
Some birth center bag checklists seem to be lacking when it comes to preparation. There is always a chance you may need to be transferred to a hospital and I want to be prepared for that, even if it’s just a couple of items. Then there are some, which are bringing everything but the kitchen sink. I like to be prepared, but also minimal. We only live about 10 minutes away and the hospital is directly across the street from our birth center. So I don’t feel the need to over or under prepare.
How to Get the Free Printable Checklist
To get your free copy of our birth center bag checklist, simply fill out the form below. Once you confirm your subscription, you will immediately be taken to the PDF so you can download and/or print the checklist. Then, it’s time to start packing!
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