What to pack in an emergency hospital bag for your child

Having an emergency ride to hospital in an ambulance with your child is an experience that no parent wants to go through, but it’s one I found myself in last week. Thankfully, my son is more or less back to his usual self now, but there are a few mental notes I made if (God forbid) I ever end up in the situation again. 

When I was told an ambulance was on its way, I decided to pack a few things into a bag in case we were taken to hospital. We were indeed rushed off to hospital, and the paramedics were impressed that I’d already prepared a bag – I pointed out that as a parent of twins, it’s second nature to me to be over prepared for any situation! 

Although I had everything we needed, there were a few things that would have made our time in hospital just a little bit easier. Here’s a packing list of bits to take with you if you ever need to go into hospital with your child;

• nappies & wipes (this is an occasion when I made a conscious decision to take disposable nappies rather than cloth. As much as I advocate for cloth nappy usage, there is a certain time and place in my eco-conscious life for disposables, and this was one of them)
• Lots of drinks and snacks
• More than one change of clothes (if your little one is poorly there’s a much higher chance of them going through multiple outfits, so pack a few and make sure they’re comfy)
• A bag to put soiled clothes in (I use wet bags as they’re designed to contain smells)
• Pyjamas (my son was in hospital over night and I hadn’t thought to pack PJs – when we were discharged he went back to bed at home and I wish he’d already been dressed for bed!)
• Toys / books (I had a few, but no favourites. Definitely pack a favourite toy!)
• A warm layer (another one I forgot, meaning we were chilly when we were discharged and needed to walk to the car!)
• Mummy stuff – phone charger, book in case there are long waits and little one is sleeping, spare t-shirt, something to help you feel fresh like a toothbrush or some body spray, snacks and a drink (I took my Klean Kanteen and it was a lifesaver), and any meds you might need to take if you’re in overnight! 

That’s my list, and I think that would make any emergency trip to hospital a little bit more bearable. If you’re ever in this situation then my heart goes out to you, it’s not nice!

The only other thing I will say is that if, like me, you get car sick and end up in an ambulance, ask for the air con on! 

Having an emergency ride to hospital in an ambulance with your child is an experience that no parent wants to go through, but it’s one I found myself in last week. Thankfully, my son is more or less back to his usual self now, but there are a few mental notes I made if (God forbid) I ever end up in the situation again. 

When I was told an ambulance was on its way, I decided to pack a few things into a bag in case we were taken to hospital. We were indeed rushed off to hospital, and the paramedics were impressed that I’d already prepared a bag – I pointed out that as a parent of twins, it’s second nature to me to be over prepared for any situation! 

Although I had everything we needed, there were a few things that would have made our time in hospital just a little bit easier. Here’s a packing list of bits to take with you if you ever need to go into hospital with your child;

• nappies & wipes (this is an occasion when I made a conscious decision to take disposable nappies rather than cloth. As much as I advocate for cloth nappy usage, there is a certain time and place in my eco-conscious life for disposables, and this was one of them)
• Lots of drinks and snacks
• More than one change of clothes (if your little one is poorly there’s a much higher chance of them going through multiple outfits, so pack a few and make sure they’re comfy)
• A bag to put soiled clothes in (I use wet bags as they’re designed to contain smells)
• Pyjamas (my son was in hospital over night and I hadn’t thought to pack PJs – when we were discharged he went back to bed at home and I wish he’d already been dressed for bed!)
• Toys / books (I had a few, but no favourites. Definitely pack a favourite toy!)
• A warm layer (another one I forgot, meaning we were chilly when we were discharged and needed to walk to the car!)
• Mummy stuff – phone charger, book in case there are long waits and little one is sleeping, spare t-shirt, something to help you feel fresh like a toothbrush or some body spray, snacks and a drink (I took my Klean Kanteen and it was a lifesaver), and any meds you might need to take if you’re in overnight! 

That’s my list, and I think that would make any emergency trip to hospital a little bit more bearable. If you’re ever in this situation then my heart goes out to you, it’s not nice!

The only other thing I will say is that if, like me, you get car sick and end up in an ambulance, ask for the air con on!