Our friends are our biggest influencers – the ones who pave the way and help guide us so we feel prepared when it’s our turn.

Packing my hospital bag for the birth of my child was both exciting and nerve wracking.

There were so many scenarios to consider; “How many days will I be there for?”, “Will I need all my shower supplies?”, “What items will the baby need?”, “What should I pack for my husband?” Many times in the night in the weeks leading up to my delivery, I would get out of bed and add one more little thing to my bag. Out of a half-sleep slumber, I would think,“Chapstick!”, then shoot out of bed to rummage around in the dark to add it right then so I wouldn’t forget. These midnight disruptions became a nightly routine as my due date approached.

The nesting phase, the bag packing, the prep — all leading up to that moment I was waiting for.

I remember asking my friends with babies for their hospital bag checklists. Some were minimalists, some were definitely not, and some could only remember a few essentials they used. I spent hours searching for packing lists on Google, Pinterest and Instagram, but ultimately, my friends were my most trusted sources.

They taught me what I would need and, equally as important, what I wouldn’t need. They explained there was no need to pack my breast pumps because the hospital will supply me with them. That the hospital has everything you will need for the baby so you only need to pack cute outfits for them if you want to. They told me that I will receive medication as needed but if my husband has a headache, they can’t actually give him anything since he isn’t a patient, so to pack any daily meds or Tylenol that he might need. They gifted me this advice as I braced myself for labor.

Our friends are our biggest influencers —the ones who pave the way and help guide us so we feel prepared when it’s our turn.

When I finally sat down to ensure I had all these pieces of information added to my hospital bag checklist, I was overwhelmed with the task of locating each of these conversations in my screenshots, texts, DM’s, e-mail history and little notes I jotted down. I found myself scrolling through endless conversations, opening and closing browser windows, and navigating back to my notes section on my phone, just to find the one essential item my friend mentioned to me weeks ago. It’s safe to say my eyes were burning.

I just needed one place to store and find this information. One place where I could read these precious suggestions from my loved ones, and later, a place to share my new packing list that I would write soon after I had learned from my own personal experience, with my other expecting friends.

Bumpdate is a one-stop solution for this text searching scramble.

Not only can I create a product list and share it with my friends, but I can view their personal lists right on their profiles. In one click, I can purchase the exact pajama set my sister loved wearing in the hospital that buttoned in the front for easy access as she learned to breastfeed her newborn son. Recommendations from those we trust are everything.

Here is a quick list of 12 essential items for your hospital bag checklist that helped the Bumpdate team when we were delivering our little ones.

We hope it helps you or someone you love!