9 Best Mom-Tested Postpartum Kits for Care and Recovery
In a nutshell:
Based on advice from a postpartum doula and feedback from our team of independent product testers, we chose the Bodily Care for Birth Box as the overall best postpartum kit due to its postpartum recovery products, breastfeeding essentials and thoughtful extras.
In this article:
Between stocking up on diapers, bottles and the billion other things you’ll need for a new baby, it’s easy to let your postpartum needs get lost in the shuffle. It doesn’t help that the sheer number of products designed to support recovery is dizzying, particularly for first-time parents who might struggle to anticipate what they’ll be reaching for in the days that follow delivery.
Luckily, there are plenty of curated postpartum kits, full of recovery-boosting items that range from essential to extra. According to postpartum doula Jada Shapiro, one of the best ways to sift through the many postpartum kit options is to consider the comprehensiveness of its contents. Keep reading for our breakdown of what to look for in a postpartum care kit, as well as our picks for the best kits on the market, including this year’s Best of The Bump winner.
For more than 10 years, The Bump has been recognizing the absolute best baby and pregnancy products on the market through our awards series. To help you find the best postpartum kits on the market today, The Bump editors extensively researched the most complete and highest-quality kits out there. Then, we put them to the test. Here’s how we did it:
- We chatted with a postpartum doula to understand exactly what you’ll need in the fourth trimester, and what you should look for in a postpartum care kit.
- We enlisted the help of 10 independent product testers to try out the best postpartum kits on the market. These new moms used them in the days following their deliveries, and carefully assessed each one for quality of products, choice of products, effectiveness, style and design and value for money.
- We surveyed over 300 new and expectant parents in The Bump community for additional insight on the ins and outs of specific postpartum kits.
- We leveraged our familiarity with leading postpartum care brands and trusted online retailers and combed through dozens of options.
- We considered several factors when sourcing postpartum care kits, such as the type and quantity of products included and value.
- We read user reviews to see how these postpartum kits have worked for new moms, and didn’t consider anything with less than an average four-star rating.
Editorial integrity is at the heart of everything we publish. Read about how The Bump develops and reviews all articles, including product reviews.
Overall best postpartum kit
- Postpartum guidebook for both partners
- Comes with stool softener
- You may need extra pads
- No ice packs or perineal healing products
Earning a top score of 5 out of 5 from our product tester across all categories, including choice of products, quality and value for money, the Bodily Care for Birth Box was the clear choice for this year’s Best of The Bump award for best postpartum kit. (Head here to see all of this year’s winners.) This kit ticked every box for both childbirth recovery and breastfeeding support: “There’s nothing I needed to go out and buy and add to make the kit complete,” reported our product tester. “Each product served a purpose to aid my recovery and [they all] worked well together.”
The 11-item kit includes the essentials: A peri wash bottle, 14 giant maxi pads for heavy bleeding and three pairs of mesh boyshorts designed to keep pads in place. It’s also stocked with stool softener, which many take to avoid constipation and the discomfort of the first few postpartum poops.
To make the early days of nursing more comfortable, you’ll find two nipple creams, soothing hydrogel pads that adhere to your bra and grippy bamboo nursing pads to sop up breast milk leaks without slipping out.
The icing on top—or perhaps, we should say “bottom”—is cozy socks to keep your toes toasty in the hospital. Perhaps most helpful, though, is a pair of postpartum guidebooks—one for you and one for your partner, so everyone is up to speed on what the days after delivery will entail.
Number of items included: 11 | Organic items: Nursing pads and nipple creams
Our product tester says:
“‘Each product is made for a specific need and actually worked for that need. The kit made my recovery so speedy and easy.”
Best practical postpartum kit
- Cute carrying case minimizes bathroom clutter
- Simple instruction booklet for clarity
- More disposable underwear could be included, according to survey respondents
Frida first made their name in the US by offering simple but highly effective products that parents didn’t even know they’d need, and their postpartum recovery kits are no exception. The Labor and Delivery + Postpartum Recovery Kit is ready to help from the moment you arrive in the hospital, starting with comfy socks and a delivery gown that goes above and beyond the usual paper hospital fare: It includes snap access for nursing and skin-to-skin contact, and even pockets!
The effectiveness, quality and choice of products impressed our product tester, with 5 out of 5 ratings across all categories. “I love the amount that comes in each pack,” she told us. “I used everything in my postpartum kit! It’s all practical!” Between an upside-down peri bottle (so the water doesn’t run down your hand), four pairs of disposable postpartum underwear, four ice maxi pads (pads with built-in ice packs—genius!), 24 perineal witch hazel pad liners (long strips, not round pads, so they actually fit in your underwear), perineal healing foam and even a carrying case, this postpartum recovery kit covers the bases with elevated basics to get you through the acute postpartum period. Our tester even gave it a 5 out of 5 for style and design, noting that the included storage caddy kept everything organized and accessible right on the back of the toilet. “You get excited instead of dreading using the bathroom!”
Number of items included: 8 | Organic items: None
Our product tester says:
“I’ve used this kit for both of my kids postpartum and have loved it both times!”
Best budget-friendly postpartum kit
- High-quality products at an affordable price
- Recovery essentials for the delicate perineum area
- No pads included
- Minimal products
New parents have so many new expenses; whenever you can find an effective product at an affordable price, it’s a welcome breath of fresh air. The Lansinoh Postpartum Recovery Essentials Kit received a 5 out of 5 for value for money from our product tester, who told us, “I think this kit is the best bang for your buck in terms of the available products and their usefulness postpartum.”
The kit includes an upside-down peri bottle with an angled spout to rinse the hard-to-reach perineum area after vaginal birth, a 99 percent natural herbal postpartum spray made with soothing witch hazel, aloe and calendula, and two reusable hot and cold therapy packs to relieve any ache you’ve got, from hemorrhoids to c-section scar pain and postpartum uterine cramping (used with 12 included disposable sleeves). It’s an impressive lineup that our tester gave a 5 out of 5 for choice of products, all clocking in at under $40.
Number of items included: 5 | Organic items: None
Our product tester says:
“Very good quality products, and much cheaper than some of the other postpartum kits I’ve seen on the market.”
Best postpartum kit for breastfeeding moms
- Nursing products can be used throughout your breastfeeding journey
- Gift-worthy herbal teas
- Contains an array of organic item
- May not be helpful for those who delivered via c-section
The postpartum journey doesn’t just happen below the waist; breastfeeding can throw new parents for a loop, but products that can help smooth this transition aren’t always included in postpartum kits. The Earth Mama Organics Postpartum Collection takes care of that: Like a seasoned mom who thinks of everything, it includes a series of products designed to ease you into nursing, including a non-GMO and lanolin-free nourishing organic nipple butter, an herbal tea made with fenugreek, fennel, milk thistle and other galactagogues to help boost milk supply and two Booby Tubes, which are organic flax-filled cotton pads that can be warmed to help get milk flowing or cooled to reduce tenderness and swelling. These inclusions definitely made an impression on our product tester, who gave the kit a 5 out of 5 for choice of products and effectiveness. “I breastfeed, so the nipple cream is a must, and I love the teas,” she said. “Every product has been helping my postpartum recovery go smoothly!”
This is all on top of the kit’s perineal spray, perineal balm to treat pain and swelling and six organic herbal sitz baths. It also includes a second herbal tea that promises to reduce both initial postpartum cramping and discomfort down the road when your period returns.
Number of items included: 7 | Organic items: Sitz bath, herbal teas, perineal balm and nipple butter
Our product tester says:
“Overall amazing products. It’s the perfect kit for everyone—it made postpartum much easier. Worth it!”
Best organic postpartum kit
- All items are organic and vegan
- High-quality pads
- Contents offer physical, emotional and mental support
- May not be helpful for those who delivered via c-section
Made entirely from certified organic and vegan ingredients, the One Tough Mother Postpartum Care Kit contains 10 essentials that can be personalized with a hand-written note and sent as a welcome gift to a new (and probably too exhausted to shop!) mom. It contains a holistic mix, including four heavy pads, a peri bottle, vegan, paraben-free perineal spray, six disposable nursing pads, four reusable nursing pads, two pairs of mesh underwear, an herbal sitz bath, nipple balm, an aluminum straw for staying hydrated and even a postpartum handbook.
The scope of products in this box is pretty wide, but the quality of the products is what stood out for our product tester, who awarded it 5 out of 5 and told us, “The pads were an incredible quality I’ve never seen before. They provided me with so much comfort when I really needed it. They were very comfy. I sprayed the perineal spray on them and it felt so good on my healing stitches.” And this wasn’t even her favorite item in the box! “The [peri] bottle was my favorite; it’s a great tool and works way better than the one at the hospital.”
Number of items included: 10 | Organic items: All products
Our product tester says:
“Almost everything was way better quality than the products they give at the hospital and the products I’ve seen in drug stores.”
Best c-section postpartum kit
- Created specifically for c-section recovery
- Thick, comfortable high-waisted underwear
- Supportive belly band
- Some say the belly band was too snug
You can’t always know how delivery is going to go. But whether your c-section was planned or not, moms recovering from an incision will find the Frida Mom C-Section Postpartum Recovery Kit “very impressive,” as our tester put it. Like many kits, it includes an upside-down peri bottle, grippy hospital socks, a carryall bag and four pairs of latex-free, microfiber disposable underwear. But this kit goes the extra mile for c-section moms, with a postpartum abdominal support binder, 10 “Skip The Shower Wipes” and four silicone scar patches.
Our tester rated this kit 5 out of 5 for the effectiveness and quality of products, especially the thickness and comfort of the high-waisted underwear, and the support offered by the belly band. As she puts it, “The convenience of having exactly what you need for recovery in one box is extremely valuable to a new mom.” And as far as we’re concerned, that goes double for any mom dealing with an extra challenge in their recovery.
Number of items included: 7 | Organic items: None
Our product tester says:
“Each product seemed extremely well-made and thought-out.”
Best postpartum kit for body and mind
- All products are organic, free from phthalates, non-toxic, cruelty-free and sustainably sourced
- Underwear and wraps come in two sizes
- For every box sold, similar afterbirth care products are donated
- No pads, perineal healing products and ice packs
- High price point
There’s no question about it: Childbirth is physically grueling. But the Fourth Phase Every Birth Box is one of the only postpartum kits on the market to acknowledge that bringing a baby into the world takes your mind for a real ride too.
The box includes a whopping 13 items, including a peri bottle, two pairs of postpartum panties and a belly wrap for core support. For the skin, there’s a belly birth balm to treat c-section scars and a shea butter lotion to reduce stretch marks. For lactation, you’ll find an herbal loose-leaf tea made from fenugreek, rooibos and ginger, a flaxseed and lavender hot/cold compress, a gua sha rose quartz massager to help release clogged milk ducts and a coconut oil nipple salve for dry, cracked nipples.
And all of this is well and good for the flesh, but Fourth Phase knows the spirit needs a little recovery too: The set includes digital download instructions for a series of daily affirmations, a journal and, just because, a floral elixir and an essential oil blend—because don’t you deserve to feel pampered after birth? “Everything about these products is great,” proclaimed our tester, who swears by the nipple salve and disposable underwear, and gave the whole kit 5 out of 5 for quality of products. “The scents and packaging are over the top.”
Number of items included: 13 | Organic items: All products
Our product tester says:
“I feel like this box brings everything you need right after you give birth. I used almost every product already and it’s only been a week since I had my baby. ”
Best postpartum kit for relaxation
- Stretchy boxer-style postpartum undies
- Cute, reusable zip pouch
- 20% of proceeds from this kit are donated to help end the Black maternal health crisis
- You may need extra pads
- Underwear could be softer, according to our product tester
Mother Mother is a brand dedicated to clean ingredients and eco-conscious packaging, so it’s no surprise that they designed a postpartum kit that includes organic pads and an organic herbal sitz bath. But they didn’t stop there: The kit also includes an ergonomically designed peri wash bottle and five pairs of mesh underwear designed to accommodate postpartum pads and a changing body. Our product tester gave the Postpartum Recovery Bundle 5 out 5 for the choice of products, telling us, “I can’t think of anything else that I needed that it didn’t have.”
The sitz bath can also be used in a peri bottle, bathtub or as a facial steam, in a way that our product tester found “so relaxing,” giving the kit 5 out of 5 for effectiveness. “It gave off spa vibes to help me relax, which was exactly what I needed postpartum.” And recovery is hard work; if a product can help you unwind, we say you deserve it.
Number of items included: 4 | Organic items: Pads and sitz bath
Our product tester says:
“All of the products worked well and I loved the aesthetic.”
Best basic postpartum kit
- Five-step postpartum recovery regimen
- Convenient storage caddy
- You may need more pads and ice packs
While an overflowing box with a multitude of products can be nice, sometimes all you really need is a little TLC from the basics. The Frida Mom Postpartum Recovery Essentials Kit comes with the staples you’d expect from a good recovery box: Four pairs of disposable postpartum underwear, four instant ice maxi pads, 24 perineal witch hazel cooling pad liners, perineal healing foam and a toilet-top storage caddy. “I love how it comes with a cute container that you don’t mind keeping on the back of the toilet not only for ease but also for looks,” our tester shared. “It’s nice that everything you need is included and that it’s all contained in a way that is easy to use.”
Number of items included: 5 | Organic items: None
Our product tester says:
“I’d recommend this kit for first-time moms to help them understand what’s needed for recovery care.”
Our community says:
"I loved all of the products included." – Sarah, new mom
Shapiro says the most complete postpartum kit will include the following:
- Perineal care products
- Maternity pads
- Disposable underwear
- Nursing pads
- Stool softeners
Additional nice-to-haves include OTC pain relievers, soothing herbal teas or supplements, and anything else that promotes healing, alleviates discomfort or provides support during the postpartum period. But don’t be surprised if you have to fill in here and there. After all, everyone’s postpartum needs are unique. You’ll also want to consider quality, value for the money, educational resources provided and—of course—reviews from other parents.
But why bother buying all this stuff ahead of time when most hospitals and birthing centers supply at least some of these supplies for free? “You’ll be prepared, which will alleviate some stress in the days leading up to delivery,” says Shapiro. You can also expect these kits to contain higher quality items than hospital freebies, she says. But the best part: Stocking up on everything you need ahead of time will let you focus on your baby (and on recovery!) once you get home—no last-minute pharmacy runs required.
About the writer:
Elizabeth Narins is a Brooklyn-based freelance writer who has previously held staff positions at Women’s Health and Cosmo. A mother of two, she delivered her first child in March 2020, when unexpected pandemic store closures and supply chain issues taught her the value of being prepared.
Interested in becoming a product tester for The Bump? Head here to apply.
Please note: The Bump and the materials and information it contains are not intended to, and do not constitute, medical or other health advice or diagnosis and should not be used as such. You should always consult with a qualified physician or health professional about your specific circumstances.
Plus, more from The Bump:
Jada Shapiro is a postpartum doula and the founder of Boober, a platform that connects parents with doulas, lactation professionals and other postpartum care providers.
The Bump May 2023 Survey. Editors conducted a survey of 300 new and expectant parents from among The Bump community, and asked whether they used a postpartum care kit and what type they used.
Learn how we keep our content accurate and up-to-date by reading our medical review and editorial process.
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