Kids Hospital Bag

Husband and I have been working on packing a bag for Elise, Henry, and Georgia in case they need to come to the hospital with us when I go into labor with Clark.

In an ideal world, I will gradually begin having contractions and I'll know "This is it!" I'll have time to call family to come into town and they'll arrive, ready to watch some toddlers, before I have to leave for the hospital. But I know from experience that labor is not always like that. My water broke with Elise and so we had to go to the hospital straight away. If that happens again, we're taking the kiddos with us until family can arrive. Which means we need to have a bag ready just for them, knowing that they could be stuck at the hospital with us for hours and hours.

The bag is mostly packed. Here's what we're bringing:

1. A few DVDs. There's a DVD player in all of the birthing rooms, so we're bringing some Sesame Street and a couple of other kiddie shows and movies along with us. I don't know if TV will hold their attention at all, but it's worth a shot.

2. Enough diapers for each child for 24 hours, and a pack of wipes.

3. A snack.

4. Sippy cups. I don't want to deal with kids spilling crap everywhere while I'm in labor.

5. Pajamas for each child.

6. A change of clothes for each child.

7. A few toys.

All of that will fit into one tote bag. We're also going to fold up and bring Elise's pack&play. I figure that the girls can both sit and play in it (to help keep them contained) or sleep in it, and Henry can sleep on the foldout couch that comes in each birthing room.

I really hope that we don't have to bring the kids to the hospital, but it does feel good to know that we have a plan, just in case.