What to Pack in an Emergency Hospital Bag

By Lydia Haile Fassett, BSN RN

When we lived in tornado country, everyone in my family had a “go bag” in the room where we went to shelter from tornadoes. The go bags had what we’d need if we had to leave quickly: change of clothes, toothbrush, snacks, power banks and cables for the adults’ phones, and toys for the children.

We never ended up having to deal with a tornado hitting us, but, between a new asthma diagnosis, a mystery anaphylactic allergy, appendicitis, a broken arm, and a bead shoved up the nose while getting ready for bed (and then pushed farther by the preschooler’s panicked attempts to remove it), we ended up knowing the local emergency rooms very well. After needing various things that were in the go bags during ER visits, I started grabbing them while heading to the hospital.

If you find yourself heading to hospital for unexpected visits due to a family member’s illness or injury, you may want to make an emergency hospital bag too.

What is an Emergency Hospital Bag?

An emergency hospital bag is a pre-packed bag filled with all the essentials you may need for an ER or hospital visit. It contains personal items, toiletries, chargers, and a change of clothes to wear during your stay. A hospital go bag should also be stored in an easy to access and convenient location.

Why Pack a Go Bag for the Hospital?

Why have an emergency hospital bag? A hospital go bag can save you time and stress if you find yourself frequently and/or suddenly making hospital visits due to your child’s cancer or severe illness. Having a bag packed and ready to go means one less thing to worry about. Just like when preparing for labor and delivery, it’s always good to have everything ready in advance. You’ll know that you have a spare phone charger, hair ties, and things to entertain your kid, so you’re not left scrambling in the waiting room or as you rush out the door.

Even in normal times, having a bag like this ready can be useful. I keep these supplies in the trunk of my car and the change of clothes and toothbrush were helpful when one of my kids was hit by a stomach bug at an activity. I’ve used the phone charger and cables multiple times. And the snacks are great when one of my kids gets hangry while running errands. Having the supplies to handle common problems can make a tough time much easier.

What to Pack in an Emergency Hospital Bag

What do you pack in a hospital go bag? Everyone’s needs are different, but below you’ll find a list of things I’ve found useful as a patient and parent. I’ve also included items I’ve seen as a nurse that people have needed during their hospital stay.

Use your best judgement and personalize your bag to fit your family and situation. For example, if you or your child has dietary restrictions, you may need to bring along additional food. Or if you tend to stay for long periods, you’ll want more clothes in your bag. Think about a recent ER or hospital visit and what you were glad you brought and what you wish you’d had on hand. Add these items then check with your child to see what’s important to them.

Hospital Packing List

Electronics

• Headphones: Letting a worried child listen to music can help keep them calm while you wait.
• Charging cords and battery: Phones always know the most inconvenient time to run out of battery. If you have a battery and charging cord, you can top up and stay in touch with other people. A power bank that can plug directly into the wall and be used to charge is the most useful kind.
• Phone lanyard: Phones have an uncanny ability to burrow under blankets just when you need them or land on the phone with an expensive thud. Putting the phone on a lanyard can help avoid either of these problems.

Hygiene/Personal Care

• Toiletries: Hospitals usually have basic soap and shampoo, but having to figure out what to do with your contacts before falling asleep is the last thing you need to deal with. If you need something specific for contacts, a retainer, or anything else, put a bottle of it in the bag.
• Hair care: Long hair tends to tangle during a long time in bed, so having a bonnet or a way to put hair in a protective style can prevent a long detangling session. If you or your child have specific needs, you may also want to pack your own products.
• Feminine products:Hospitals sometimes only have maternity pads, not normal pads or tampons, and even those may have to be sent up from the birth center. Add a few if this is relevant to your child or yourself.
• Caregiver medications: The hospital supplies medication for the patient, but not for the caregiver. Having daily prescriptions in their original packaging and some of your chosen headache medicine can make things much easier.
• Lip balm:Hospitals often have very dry air. The closest thing to lip balm available may be packets of medical lubricant, which are not a good substitute. Consider throwing some in your bag, as well as face and/or body lotion.
• Masks:If you have a preferred type of mask, bring some. Especially in the winter, hospital mask policies can change frequently.
• Complete change of clothes for child and yourself:Having to leave the hospital in oversized paper pants and a hospital t-shirt can be embarrassing. Having normal clothes to wear after the clothes the child arrived in were cut off or soiled can save a child’s dignity. If you anticipate an overnight stay, pack comfy pjs for yourself as well. And don’t forget warm socks! The hospitals always seem to be freezing.

Comfort

• Shelf stable snacks: When a child breaks a bone right before dinner, is told not to eat anything in case she needs surgery, and then spends a while in x-ray and waiting for orthopedics, having a granola bar to give her as soon as the NPO order is lifted makes everyone’s day better. And since you likely won’t want to leave the room, make sure to include snacks for yourself.
• Entertainment (for you and child): Having something to distract a child while waiting for scans or triage helps time go by and saves phone battery. For young children, a notebook with crayons and a new dollar store toy can be distracting. For older children who do not have devices, a graph paper notebook lets them play Dots and Boxes,Sprouts, and similar games or draw.

Paperwork

• List of your child’s medications allergies and medical issues: Have a list of medications your child takes, allergies, and dates of surgeries or other important medical information. If the hospital needs to enter these details, it’s much easier to hand over a piece of paper than give a nurse your phone or read off a long list in a noisy place.
• Child’s class schedule: Knowing what day of the week a child has gym can help with getting the school note you need.

What NOT to Bring

• Sharp things (multitool, razor, even scissors): Depending on the hospital, these may be confiscated. If you need a cutting tool for knitting/crocheting/embroidery/sewing, there are special pendants that can be used to cut thread or yarn. The cutting edge on a dental floss container or nail clippers can also work. If you need something to open clamshell packages or boxes, there are TSA friendly multitools that can do this without an edge.
• Valuables: You may be leaving the room for scans and procedures, and things can disappear. Best to leave anything that can’t be easily replaced safely at home.

**Statements on this blog reflect the author’s personal opinion and do not represent the views of Ryan’s Case for Smiles. They are also not to be viewed as personal medical advice, but rather for the purpose of general knowledge. The reader should speak to their healthcare team, or their child’s, for medical advice.**

About the Author: Lydia Haile Fassett, BSN RN, is an oncology nurse. She is working on her MSN with education focus at the University of Maryland, Baltimore. There, she is a research assistant who is working on moral distress in families of children with medical complexity.

She is also the mother of twins and a Girl Scout leader. And, yes, she is the one who always has a band-aid and a phone charger ready.