Petite Siesta baby bodies
Petite Siesta bodies and baby pyjamas were the nicest on a newborn for me. Soft, crossed, no wrestling the head. Their baby line is what I pack when I can.
Image source: Petite Siesta
Tips
The Hospital Bag
A packing list, with numbers. What I took in Dubai. What I would pack again.
This is my opinion and my experience. There are a thousand other lists. If this helps you, I am glad. Take what serves you. Leave the rest.
Most hospitals in Dubai already give you what you need. If you have brands you trust, bring those. The bag is not the important part.
What matters most is your intuition, your calm, your peace, and the connection with your body and your baby. A good person beside you. If you have chosen a hospital, look for a team that respects your will, your criteria, and talks to you with respect and love at every step. If they think something is medically better for you and the baby, they should say so clearly, and kindly. Look for people you feel a connection with.
Any way of bringing a baby into the world is LIFE. Caesarean or physiological birth. We are incredible. If it is a caesarean, I wrote a quieter note.
Papers, before anything pretty
Do this first. Then pack.
- Passports for both parents
- Emirates ID
- Insurance card
- Phone charger (and a spare, if you have one)
- Marriage certificate and family book, if your hospital asks
- If you are banking stem cells, the kit from your company. I used CellSave Arabia.
For the baby, counted
This is the list I actually packed. Mix newborn and 0-3 months. The air conditioning in Dubai hospitals is cold.
- 5Zipper sleepsuits, long sleeve. The ones you pull up in one move, in the dark.
- 4Crossed bodysuits, short sleeve. Easy over the head. No fight at 3 a.m.
- 4Crossed bodysuits, long sleeve. For the AC.
- 3Day outfits. For photos, for going home, for a change if milk or meconium finds everything.
- 3Hats. Enough for the hospital. You do not need a drawer of them.
- 3Mittens. Same. Three is plenty.
- 3MAM pacifiers, different types. Flat teat only. Not cherry-shaped.
- 2Small bibs.
- 6Muslins, for burp cloths, shade, a little wrap.
- 1Soft blanket that smells like home.
- 1Doudou. If you want one waiting in the cot.
- 2Organic swaddles.
- 1Pack of washcloths. After every nappy I dried the bottom with a clean muslin cloth. Not the wipe. A towel.
- 1Nappy cream. Bepanthen Nappy Care Ointment, 100 g.
- 1Soft night light for nappy changes without turning on the room.
- 1Portable changing mat, and a small care set if you like things in one place.
- Put socks in one GINGI pouch. Hats and mittens in another. You will thank yourself at 4 a.m.
- Hospitals have nappies. Take a small stack of the ones you prefer anyway. I like WaterWipes and Eco by Naty, size 0 and 1.
Clothes I would buy again
Crossed bodies were the easiest to put on. Zipper sleepsuits for the night.
Petite Siesta baby pyjamas
The pyjamas match the bodies. Same cotton. Same ease. For those first nights this is what I reach for.
Image source: Petite SiestaPetit Bateau
Petit Bateau crossed bodies
These felt almost too easy. Wrap, popper, done. A set of two on petit-bateau.ae. Mix with the long-sleeve ones for the AC.
Petit Bateau
Molis and Co sleeping bag
For going home and for the first nights. Legs, cotton, a TOG that matches the room. Simple.
Image source: Molis and CoPacifiers, muslins, the small kit
Flat teat. Dry the bottom with a cloth. One doudou is enough.
MAM, flat teat
I always try for a flat pacifier. It lets the mouth close more. Better tongue posture. The flatter the teat, the less it fights the teeth. Not cherry-shaped. MAM makes a symmetrical flat teat. Supreme is the extra-thin one. I took three, mixed types, so we could see which one stayed in.
Image source: MAM
Bonpoint rabbit doudou
One small comforter. Soft. It can wait in the cot. I liked this Bonpoint rabbit on Ounass.
Bonpoint / Ounass
Paul James cotton blanket
A cotton cable blanket. Light enough for Dubai, warm enough for the AC. Something that smells like home in a plastic cot.
Image source: Paul James Knitwear
GINGI pouches
This is how I keep the suitcase from becoming a mess. Socks in one pouch. Hats and mittens in another. Open the right bag. Close it. Sleep a little more.
GINGIMuslins
Organic muslins
Muslins for everything. A burp cloth. A little shade. Under the chin. I packed organic ones. You will use more than you think.
Amazon.aeWashcloths
Muslin washcloths
This was a mania of mine. After cleaning the nappy, I always dried the bottom with a towel. A small muslin washcloth, clean, then cream. The skin stays happier.
Amazon.ae
Bepanthen Nappy Care
The cream I used. A thin layer on a clean, dry bottom. Pharmacies in Dubai have it.
BepanthenNext
Organic swaddles
Two organic swaddles. For wrapping, for a layer in the cot, for a spare sheet if you need one.
NextChanging, washing, the night
Cam Cam changing mat
A portable mat for the hospital room. Folds. Goes in the bag. I liked this Cam Cam blueberry one.
Cam Cam / Ounass
Cam Cam care set
A small care set that keeps cotton pads and the first bits together. Pretty, and actually useful.
Cam Cam / OunassNight light
A soft night light
For the hospital, to change a nappy without turning the whole room into day. Low light. You both stay calmer.
Amazon.ae
WaterWipes
Almost only water. No perfume. Then dry with the washcloth. Then cream.
Image source: Mumzworld
Eco by Naty
Chlorine-free, no perfume. Take a small stack. Hospitals have nappies. These are if you have a preference.
Image source: Mumzworld
Washes I like
You may not bathe much in hospital. Still pack a gentle wash. I like Aveeno, Pipette tear-free, Childs Farm, and Nala’s. Fragrance-free if the skin is new.
Image source: AveenoThe umbilical cord
Follow your hospital first. This is what I did.
- The first two days, I used alcohol on sterile gauze.
- After that, moisten a clean gauze or cotton swab with water.
- Clean gently around the base and underneath the cord.
- Dry it carefully with a clean gauze. Clean and dry mattered more than any product.
For you, counted
Cotton, buttons, nothing to tie on your feet. Take the rings off before your hands swell.
- 2Nightgowns with buttons at the chest, for feeding. Cotton. Petite Siesta did this for me.
- 2Pyjama sets, same idea. Soft, opens easily.
- 3Nursing bras, already washed. I like the M&S Flexifit, no wire.
- 1Pack of crop tops to cover yourself when people come in. Seamless, no wire.
- 1Going-home outfit. A comfortable dress with buttons. EVA sandals. Nothing to tie. Your feet will not want laces.
- 1Jacket or cardigan with buttons. For the AC. I was in Dubai in September and I was cold. Destemplada. A wool sweater saved me.
- 8Postpartum underwear. Frida Mom, or a maternity brand. High waist if it is a caesarean.
- 1Pack of postpartum pads. Frida, or Maternity. The hospital has some. Bring the ones that feel better on you.
- 1Nipple cream. Mebo, or Puritan. Your own milk also helped me heal.
- 1Pair of Medela nipple shields, in case latch is hard. You may not need them. Better in the bag than not.
- 1Box of milk storage bags. Standing ones, so they do not spill in the fridge.
- 1Necessaire: soft-bristle comb or wooden baby brush, lip balm, travel shampoo, mini dry shampoo. I almost never used the hair things. I was glad they were there.
- 1Pair of shower slides and room slippers.
- 1Water. I drank coconut water in hospital. Harmless Harvest, organic, from Grandiose.
- Take off rings and bracelets before you go in. Hands swell. Metal that was fine yesterday will not come off tomorrow.
- Perfume, never on the baby’s skin. Not on the chest you feed from. If you want a little for you, I love Bvlgari Petits et Mamans, Picu Baby in the blue tin, or Tartine et Chocolat. On your wrist, away from the baby.
- AirPods, if you need to close your eyes and meditate for ten minutes.
- A disposable camera for the small moments the phone will miss, or that you will not want to film.
- Lip balm, a small speaker, snacks. Hospital air is a desert. Cut fruit and dates when you cannot leave the bed.
- If it is a caesarean, Epixelle gel and high-waist underwear. I wrote that here.
What I packed for me
Petite Siesta nightgown and pyjamas
Cotton that opens at the chest without a fight. Shirt-style nightgowns and pyjamas. Buttons. Soft. Easy to nurse in.
Image source: Petite Siesta
M&S Flexifit nursing bra
Wash them first. Three is enough for those days. No wire. You will live in these.
Image source: Marks & Spencer
Crop tops, to cover
When someone walks in and you want something over the bra. Light. No thinking.
Image source: Marks & Spencer
A button jacket, or this sweater
The AC is no joke. September in Dubai and I still needed this. Buttons help when you are feeding. I was destemplada. I was glad I packed it.
Image source: Mango
Postpartum underwear
Hospital mesh exists. Frida Mom disposable underwear was more comfortable for me. High waist after a caesarean. On Mumzworld in the UAE.
Image source: Frida / Mumzworld
Postpartum pads
I used Maternity pads, or Frida. Ice pads if they feel good. Take more than you think. You will not want to send anyone out at midnight.
Frida / Maternity
Medela nipple shields
Only if you need them. If latch is hard, or nipples are cracked, Medela Contact shields can help for a while. Ask the lactation team in the hospital to fit the size.
Image source: Medela
Mebo, or Puritan
Mebo, or a purified lanolin like Puritan. And your own milk. A drop, let it dry. It helped me heal.
Image source: MeboMilk bags
Standing milk bags
For storing milk. The standing ones do not flop over in the fridge. Write the date. Freeze what you do not use that day, if that is your plan.
Amazon.ae
Elvie pump
The Elvie went very well for me. Quiet, in the bra, hands free when the room is full of people. Charge it before you go.
Image source: Paper Planes Dubai
Epixelle intimate gel
Wonderful on stitches and on a caesarean scar. Gentle wash, then pat dry. Follow your hospital too.
Image source: Epixelle
Coconut water
I drank this in hospital. Cold. Easy. You will be thirsty in a way that is new.
Image source: Grandiose
A little scent, for you
Never on the baby. Never on the chest. A drop on you, if it makes you feel like yourself. Picu in the blue tin, Bvlgari Petits et Mamans, or Tartine et Chocolat. That is my list.
Image source: Picu BabyThe bags, the seat, the ride home
Delsey Paris
A small Delsey Paris
I took a small Delsey. Light, wheels, enough for those days and not a mountain in the hallway.
Walking Mum hospital bag
For the baby I used Walking Mum. Other hospital bags I like: Gabis, Minicotton, Mimae Kids. Pretty, and made for this week.
Image source: Walking Mum
BeSafe, with Sophie
I always call Sophie at Safety On Board for the newborn seat. My favourite brand is BeSafe. Rear-facing. She will fit it to your car. Find her as @safetyonboard_middle_east.
Image source: Safety On Board
BIBS glass bottle
I do not want plastic bottles if I can help it. BIBS makes glass with a natural-rubber teat. Mumzworld and My Little Thieves in the UAE. For pacifiers, I pack MAM, not a cherry shape.
Image source: MumzworldFor the person beside you
Little. Enough. Then they can look after you.
- 1Toothbrush and toothpaste.
- 1Phone, charger, and a comb.
- 1Travel gel and shampoo.
- 1Shower slides and room slippers.
- 1Pyjama.
- 2T-shirts, two trousers, underwear. That is enough.
- The truth is they need very little. What they need is to be with you, and to help with everything. The bag, the questions, the water, the light at night.
- And when you are allowed, they should not forget the things that were forbidden for months. Sushi. Cheese. Raw. Cold cuts. All those things you have been wanting. For me, sushi is Itadaku.
Later, at home
Not for the suitcase. For the week you walk back through your own door.
Baby Brezza
At home, the Brezza took the 3 a.m. maths away. Only useful if formula is part of your story. Goat formulas like Kendamil and Bubs were the ones I trusted, with your paediatrician’s say.
Image source: Baby BrezzaTommee Tippee
Tommee Tippee nappy bin
The bin that closes the smell. Unromantic. I was grateful every day.
Stokke
Stokke bath and chair
The Flexi Bath folds. The Tripp Trapp I still use, because it grows.
Changing mats
Disposable changing mats
A pack of disposable mats by the changing table. Less laundry. More lying down.
This is one mother’s bag, from our home in the UAE. Product images are for identification. All rights belong to their brands. GINGI illustrations are original. If your birth is a caesarean, there is a quieter note next.
I was once a kid. Never forget to be a kid!
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