Hospital Packing List

We want our patients and their families to feel at home at CHOC. We provide children and their families with many of the comforts of home—from age appropriate toys, games and art supplies to access to personal electronics and laptop computers. We also provide patients with hospital gowns, slipper socks, diapers, soap, shampoo and linens, although children often enjoy having their own clothing and personal items from home. Items from home bring children comfort during what can be a stressful time.

Pack the following for patients of all ages:

• The patient’s medical records and treatment binder.
• Comfortable clothes, like pajamas and sweats, that are loose fitting and allow doctors and nurses easy access to the child’s central line and to perform assessments.
• Slippers or shoes.
• Personal hygiene items (toothbrushes, toothpaste, hair brushes, brushes, etc.).
• A few simple decorations.

For infants and younger children:

• Any security items the child needs or wants, such as a favorite stuffed animal, blanket or pacifier. The familiarity of such objects can provide children with comfort and reassurance during their hospital stay.
• Bottles and sippy cups the patient prefers to use.

For school-age children, teens and young adults:

• Favorite toy or item from home.
• Personal MP3 player, tablet or handheld game device with headphones.
• Laptop computer. (Please note that anything that needs to be plugged in must be approved by CHOC staff before use.)
• Books and magazines.
• School work.
• Bathrobe.
• Pictures of friends, families and favorite places.

For caregivers:

• Phone numbers of friends and relatives.
• Things to do to pass the time, such as a book or magazines, knitting or other craft project, crossword puzzles, etc.
• Snacks for the caregiver. Patients may be able to have some comfort foods from home, but all foods should be cleared by the patient’s physician prior to consumption. Food, with the exception of fast food, may be stored in a refrigerator in the patient’s room.
• Change of clothes and personal toiletries like deodorant, toothbrushes, toothpaste, hairbrushes, etc. CHOC is unable to provide personal care items for patients’ visitors and family members.

We kindly ask that families do not pack the following items:

• Toys and decorations that make noise or music of any kind.
• Radios, MP3 docks, and other devices that play music without headphones.
• Large decorations, toys or stuffed animals that could take up too much room and restrict access in and out of the room or access to the patient.
• Live plants.
• Perfumes and body sprays. Please also limit the perfumes and body sprays worn by visitors.

Other things to consider while packing:

• If the child will be in the hospital for a lengthy amount of time, some families opt to bring decorations for the patient’s room. While the decorations look great and can provide patients with a sense of normalcy and comfort, having a lot of decorations in the room can lead to a lengthy discharge, as it may takes family members a long time to pack all of the decorations and personal items and take them to the car.
• Patients’ families are responsible for all of their personal belongings. Occasionally, the cleaning staff may mistakenly grab personal items (stuffed animals, personal linens, and other small items) that are in the bedding as they change the linens. Once these items are gone, it is very difficult to track them down and they could be lost for good.
• If a family forgets personal items after discharge, we are unable to store the items until the patient’s next visit because of very limited storage space.