35+ Easy and Delicious Snacks For Your Hospital Bag

Choosing The Right Snacks To Pack in Your Hospital Bag for Labour & Delivery

The thing with the snacks you pack in your hospital bag for the big day is that it’s not as simple as just throwing together a few things.

Because the whole idea with a hospital bag is that it is packed beforehand and ready to go once your labour begins, it’s important to choose foods that will keep well in your pre-packed hospital bag for a few weeks and that won’t require refrigeration.

Add to that, the list of food aversions that almost every preggo mama-to-be ends up with, and you’ve got yourself a bit of a challenge.

 

Here is my ultimate list of healthy snacks to pack in your hospital bag – 

The Best Snacks For Your Hospital Bag

1. Granola Bars

A tried and true, quick and easy snack that will provide you with a great little boost of energy without weighing you down or upsetting your stomach. The strawberry granola minis and banana granola bars by Made Good are my go-tos, but they have a wide selection of flavours.

• Made Good bars
• Fibre One bars
• This Save Lives crispy rice bars

2. Fresh Fruit

When it comes to packing fruit, it’s best to stick with whole pieces of fruit that keep for longer and don’t require refrigeration.

• Apples
• Mandarin oranges
• Pears
• Banana

3. Healthy Snack Mix

4. Crispy Chickpeas

Baked chickpeas come in many different flavours and are available at most grocery stores. These crunchy little snacks will provide a great, even energy thanks to their protein and fibre.

5. Beef or Turkey Jerky

A good portable protein option, beef jerky is also high in sodium, so be mindful of portion sizes, pack other snacks alongside the jerky and be sure to stay hydrated.

6. Healthy crackers

Wholegrain crackers can be portioned into baggies and easily tucked away into your bag. Pair with a few individually wrapped cheese portions, or on on their own.

• Triscuit whole grain crackers
• Flax crackers
• Bitsy’s Vegetable Crackers

7. Homemade Cookies

These Healthy Apple Pie Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies are one of my all-time fav recipes. Keep a few in the freezer and transfer to your bag when you’re ready to go!

8. Cheese Snacks

• Whisps or Moon Cheese
• Cheese strings (if packing day of and eaten right away)
• Babybel individually wrapped cheese portions (if packing day of and eaten right away)

9. Energy Bites

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Have you ever even used Pinterest if you haven’t made Gimme Some Oven’s classic No Bake Energy Bites? Store them in an airtight container or sealed baggie in the fridge until it’s time to head out, then pop these into your hospital bag when you’re on your way.

10. Dried Fruit Bars

Pack your favourite type of fruit leather or natural dried fruit bars, perfect for a little boost. I love Peaceful Fruits natural fruit leather.

11. Flavoured Nuts

12. Nuts

Opt for pre-portioned nut packs or make your own mix.

• Pistachios
• Cashews
• Almonds
• Walnuts
• Peanuts

13. Nut Butter

These delicious little nut butter packets are great on their own, or pair them with a piece of fruit like an apple or banana.

14. Popcorn

Sweet or salty, popcorn makes for a great snack that will provide you with both carbohydrates and fibre to fuel you while soaking in all the baby snuggles.

16. Chips & Pretzels

17. Veggies + Dip

When it comes to veggies, I recommend opting for choosing things like snap peas and cherry tomatoes because they don’t need to be cut or prepared.

Once you cut into a fruit or vegetable, the potential to introduce bacteria from the knife into the fruit or vegetable is a consideration.

If left out at room temperature for too long (as in, a hospital room) they could begin to grow bacteria.

• Snap peas, cherry tomatoes or baby bell peppers
• Single-serve containers of ranch, hummus or guacamole

20. Oatmeal

Oatmeal is great because it can be easily prepared, even at the hospital, by simply adding boiling water and letting it steam in it’s own bowl, or a quick zap in the microwave.

Throw a couple packs of your favourite instant oatmeal into your bag and call it a day, or try one of these delicious, well-balanced Daily Harvest oat bowls.

The slow-burn carbs provided by the oats, along with the fruits and nuts they include in their oat bowls make for a great little snack that will give you long-lasting energy while you work to welcome baby.

21. Kale Chips

22. Healthy Muffins

Throw together a batch of your favourite healthy muffins and wrap them up individually. Here are a few of my favourite recipes:

23. Trail Mix

• Shar’s Impossibly Good Trail Mix – a deliciously addictive mix of almonds, blueberries, cashews, cherries, cranberries, dark chocolate chips, pecans, pistachios & coconut flakes
• DIY Monkey Mix – almonds, cashews, banana chips, and M&Ms
• DIY Mountain Mix – almonds, pecans, walnuts, dried cranberries, dried raisins, white chocolate chips

24. Fruit Sauce Packets

These handy little packets are the close cousins of apple sauce, but with tons of exciting flavour combos like apple banana strawberry and chocolate banana & peanut butter.

25. Apple Chips

26. Baked Oatmeal

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Baked oatmeal is such a simple and nutritious meal, and can actually be packed in a hospital bag pretty easily. Simply whip up a batch a few weeks before your due date, cool, slice and store individual slices in the freezer. When it’s time to head out, throw a few in your bag!

27. Seedy Snacks

• Seed bark (Costco)
• Bark Thins snacking chocolate with pepitas, coconut, or almonds

28. Wasabi Peas

Spicy, snacky, freeze-dried peas. Eat ’em on their own, or try them in this mix – Beer Nuts Mix with Wasabi Peas. This one’s even Dad-approved.

29. Protein Bars

30. Dry Cereal

• Apple Cinnamon Cheerios
• Frosted Mini-Wheats
• Life Cereal
• Magic Spoon Cereal (grain-free high-protein cereal)

31. Dried Fruit

• Date snack packs
• RIND dried fruit mixes
• Organic dried mango
• Dried apricots
• Banana chips

32. Rice Cakes

Pack some yummy mini rice cakes in a savory flavour, or try switching it up and opting for the sweeter apple cinnamon flavour.

33. Veggie Straws

Veggie straws are nice because they are lighter than potato chips, actually have some vegetables in them and are good and crunchy, which is totally satisfying.

34. Peanut Butter & Jam Sandwiches

This classic go-to is a great way to pack in some nutrition, doesn’t have to be refrigerated, and a great way to get some sustenance in while soaking in those newborn baby snuggles.

35. Yogurt-covered Pretzels

These super yummy strawberry yogurt-covered pretzels are so yummy and would make a great hospital bag snack.

36. Chocolate-covered Banana Bites

These dried banana bites are coated in chocolate and a “healthier” sweet treat.

Where To Buy Snacks for Your Hospital Bag

The Best Snacks for Your Hospital Bag – TL;DR

When packing snacks for your hospital bag, the most important things to keep in mind are that you are going to need something that ideally can be packed a week or two in advance, that is mild enough on your stomach, and that will give your body the energy it needs for labor.

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