What we wish we packed in our hospital bags

Adorned with a soft and lovely watercolor painting of an elephant, these adorable cards are the perfect fit to thank anyone who has helped you on your journey to motherhood.

This option already has pretty fitting wording for thanking the medical staff who saw you through your labor, but you can also choose to personalize your order too.

Simple and sweet, these baby footprint thank you notes are a fitting choice to show your appreciation to anyone who has been by your side through this journey. Customizable by color and name, these can double as baby shower thank you notes, making them a sensible and easy choice.

Make sure you toss some of these delicious, nutrient-packed snacks from Nunona into your hospital bag. Your body will thank you as you give it good, healthy fuel to feel stronger during these first few days postpartum.

Plan ahead and grab some of these super-healthy sachets full of plant-based super-food proteins. Tejari and Co. has all the recipes you’ll need to pre-make muffins, cookies, breads, or any other delicious snacks you might crave from the hospital room.

All-natural energy-boosting bars from Verb are a must for your hospital bag. They’ve got a ton of tempting flavors that you can mix and match, including cookie butter, s’mores, and hot fudge sundae. The texture is soft and crunchy so they satisfy in a real food kind of way with the addition of caffeine from green tea to put some pep in your step.

Ritual’s postnatal is formulated to include key nutrients for moms postpartum with added support for lactation. Each capsule is packed with 15 traceable ingredients—including vitamins A, D, C, E, B12, zinc, magnesium, and iron, among others—all of which will help keep Mom healthy during this exciting, but often very challenging time in her life.

This mom multi support pack from Perelel is a must for your hospital bag as it will provide all sorts of vitamins you’ll need—including collagen, an anti-stress blend, an omega DHA + EPA blend to help with brain development and mood support, and a beauty capsule for hair, skin, and nail health.

Made without AZO dyes, formaldehyde, phthalates, or other harmful chemicals, Pear’s compression socks are also anti-odor and moisture-wicking for optimal comfort and improved circulation.

Bombas makes it their mission to help you feel more comfortable, and to help others in need. For every pair of socks purchased, Bombas donates a pair of socks to a homeless shelter, as they know that socks are the #1 most requested clothing item. Making this purchase will make your legs feel better, and you’ll be helping someone in need as well.

This option is friendlier to your bank account and provides endless choices of colors and patterns so you can really pick a style that works for you (while increasing circulation and reducing discomfort in your legs). Who said compression socks weren’t cute and trendy? We sure didn’t.

There are endless options out there for earbuds and the Apple AirPods are just one of them, but they do tend to be among the most popular. This set of 2nd Gen AirPods isn’t the latest Apple product to hit the market, but they’ll work just fine (and you’ll rest easier knowing you didn’t drop hundreds of dollars on something that will likely get covered in spit up).

Also, no need at this point to drop a ton of cash on noise-canceling earbuds because you’ll want to make sure you can hear baby’s coos and cries. This affordable option from Heyday by Target is a great choice to ensure you can listen to your Adele, or your Beyonce, or your favorite audio book and practice a little self-care while also being the fab mom that you are.

Milk Hand Cream is a popular choice due to its creamy, non-greasy, light-weight feel and an ingredient list that includes glycerine, squalane, and jojoba as well as multiple soothing plant-based milk products. (And pssst! They have an amazing body lotion too!)

Vegan and cruelty-free, this hand cream by alo also has squalane, as well as shea butter and skin-soothing arnica to nourish your skin. Free of parabens, phthalates, and artificial colors and dyes, this choice will give your hard-working hands the soft, natural hydration they need.

Looking for a classic brand that’s been around since our moms were having us in the hospital? And that’s super affordable? Gold Bond has stood the test of time as one of the best hand creams out there and it’s easy to see why. It works. Grab a tube (or, at this price, a few tubes) and toss them into that bag for some quick and easy skin relief.

Sometimes, you just go with a tried-and-true classic that you know works. Burts Bees is one such product. You can do the more traditional route with their standard beeswax lip balm, or switch it up and try their Superfruit Lip Balm 4-pack. But either way, you’re getting the famous, natural, cruelty-free Burts Bees lip balm we’ve all loved for decades.

Another brand our moms and grandmas swore by—because it works—is Vaseline. This cute pink tin is basically just that. It’s a Vaseline lip balm with a tint to make lips a little more rosy, but it’s the same Vaseline hydration we grew up with that still works wonders for dry skin.

How about a little sugar for Mom after she’s delivered another human into the world? She definitely deserves it! This lip sugar scrub exfoliates your lips with grains of sugar and leaves them soft, glossy, and with a natural pink glow. Perfect for when you want a little glamour as you take your first “Mommy and Me” selfie.