Today Monday 8th March, online baby retailer BabyBoo.co.uk launch their Ultimate Pandemic Maternity Hospital Bag & Packing Guide for expectant mums. Created with valuable input from over 1,400 pandemic mums who have experienced or are due to give birth in hospital with Covid restrictions, the hospital bag checklist is now available to download from BabyBoo.co.uk.
Following an online survey, the BabyBoo research revealed several interesting insights:
- 85% of the mums surveyed said getting organised early for a pandemic birth saves a lot of unnecessary stress during an already uncertain time.
- Over two-thirds of mums (68%) agreed that pandemic expectant mums should start packing their hospital bag from as early as 24-30 weeks of pregnancy. This is mainly due to the closure of non-essential retail outlets and online order home delivery delays.
- Nine in ten mums declared that they would not trust their partner to pack their maternity hospital bag on their behalf, giving even more reason to be organised.
- Despite all the Covid and Brexit complications in sourcing mum and baby essentials for hospital and home, just one in ten mums (10%) are still too superstitious to be overly prepared, buying just the bare minimum before baby is born.
- The most popular, yet unusual items cited by mums as essential for their hospital bag, according to the BabyBoo community of mums were soft toilet paper roll and a four-socket extension lead.
- The one thing that mums who have birthed during the pandemic wished they had packed in their hospital bag for themselves was: more snacks for a third of mums, their own pillow from home for a fifth of mums, and an eye mask with ear plugs for one in ten mums.
- The most common items that the mums surveyed wished they had packed in their hospital bag for their baby were zipped cotton sleepsuits for over a quarter of mums, while a fifth of mums wished they had brought a pre-wrapped swaddle for their newborn.
- 50% of the BabyBoo.ie mum respondents have spent up to £200 kitting out their maternity hospital bag with all of the essentials, while a further 23% spent up to £300. One in ten first time mums spent between £300 - £500.
- With the additional Brexit customs and delivery charges by couriers, 99% of mums have said that they will be more likely to source their baby essentials from Irish brands with online retail stores.
Commenting on the launch of the 'Ultimate Pandemic Hospital Bag Checklist & Packing Guide', mum and co-founder of BabyBoo.co.uk, Vicki O'Callaghan said:
"We have a really engaged online community of new mums on our BabyBoo social platforms. We often run Q&A sessions on various baby topics to allow mums to share their collective knowledge, after all it takes a village. So when the question of what to pack in the maternity hospital bag during Covid kept coming up over and over again, we felt we had to do something more to help."
"We were amazed at the response to our online survey, from which we collated all of the insights and feedback from real pandemic mums attending Irish hospitals to create our 'Ultimate Pandemic Hospital Bag Checklist & Packing Guide'. There are items there that expectant mums simply might not think to pack, like an extension lead or extra snacks because you can't have visitors to bring you your favourite foods."
"We were delighted to see our BabyBoo organic cotton newborn swaddle listed as a firm favourite for the hospital bag. It's so hard to swaddle a newborn the way the midwives do it. Certified for hip health by the International Hip Dysplasia Institute, the adjustable velcro wings allow parents to quickly wrap and secure their newborn baby. While the lightweight breathable organic jersey cotton means parents don’t have to worry about their little one overheating. It also has an innovative pocket feature which means the swaddle doesn't have to be removed in order to change your little one's nappy."
Parenting Expert, Laura Erskine praised the huge effort that went into creating the all-encompassing maternity hospital checklist:
"Knowing what to pack in your maternity hospital bag can be overwhelming for first-time mums, never mind in a global pandemic. The BabyBoo hospital bag checklist makes it easy for mums to start purchasing their essentials regardless of the birth plan or baby feeding route they intend to follow. What's unique about this checklist is that it also encompasses a packing guide to help mums to create a plan with their partner who may be required to drop-off extra supplies."
"I know I wish the BabyBoo zipped cotton baby sleepsuits had been around when I had my babies. I'll always remember those high-pitched cries of my newborns when they had to get dressed. Lining up all those popper buttons is so fiddly. Anything to make baby changing process quicker and easier, especially in the middle of the night is a lifesaver for new mums.
