As a pregnant mom, you might debate whether to pack an extra pair of pajamas or your own pillow for the delivery room, but there's one hospital bag item in particular that has parents-to-be divided: Is it okay to bring gaming consoles to the labor and delivery wing?
"My [boyfriend] insists on bringing his PlayStation to the delivery room to play games when it's time for me to be admitted," wrote one What to Expect Community mom. "He did for our first birth, and although he wasn't 100% glued to it, it still felt so unnecessary … It just rubs me the wrong way completely."
Fellow moms-to-be sounded off in the comments with a lot of feelings. "Tell him absolutely not," one advised. "You are going to be going through labor and he's worried about being bored?" questioned another.
Many moms were eager to tell this mom's partner to grow up, but what's the etiquette here? What to Expect polled parents and spoke with two OB/GYNs to learn more about this controversial decision.
- About 1 in 7 partners pack or plan to pack their gaming system for a hospital delivery.
- If a partner wants to bring a gaming console, you should discuss it beforehand and get the mom-to-be's approval.
- Plan to put the game away when labor intensifies so you can be present together.
15% of partners bring gaming systems to the delivery room
A recent Everyday Health Group poll revealed that about 1 in 7 partners packed or planned to pack their gaming system for a hospital delivery. Interestingly, another 0.5% said their hospital provided a gaming console for moms and partners to use during their stay.
This isn't a new phenomenon, says Aimee Eyvazzadeh, M.D., M.P.H., an OB/GYN, fertility specialist in San Ramon, California, and member of the What to Expect Medical Review Board. She's seen parents gaming in the hospital for at least 15 years.
However, the trend might be growing: Christine Greves, M.D., a board-certified OB-GYN at the Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women and Babies in Orlando, Florida, reports seeing more gaming going on in the labor and delivery department in the past few years.
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Should you bring a gaming system to the hospital for labor and delivery?
Quite a few moms feel strongly that gaming consoles don't belong in the delivery room, even some who like gaming themselves.
"My husband and I are gamers, and I still say ABSOLUTELY NOT," one mom said. "It's not about him. Boohoo if he is bored — that doesn't compare to the stress women go through at this time."
"I'd honestly bring another support person to the hospital, and he could stay at home with his precious games," another shared.
However, others had a different take: "With my first [baby], my husband brought his PS4," one mom shared. "We both are gamers, and we played together until active labor started. Sometimes men need a little distraction because they're nervous as well."
"We brought a [Nintendo] Switch with our first and had the best time playing games," wrote another.
Dr. Eyvazzadeh has first-hand experience with gaming devices in the delivery room — she’s had four children, and her husband brought one for all of their births.
"There's a lot of downtime during labor, especially in the early stages, so I think having something to pass the time can be a great idea," she says. "I don't see it as an unnecessary distraction at all."
If you want to bring a gaming system, here are some tips
"In most cases, when the couple has discussed it ahead of time, it doesn't cause conflict," Dr. Eyvazzadeh says. "If a partner wants to bring a gaming console, they should discuss it with the laboring parent beforehand and get their approval. It's essential to be respectful of the labor experience and ensure it aligns with what the birthing person wants."
Aside from preparation, here are a few other mom- and expert-recommended ideas if you or your partner decide to pack a gaming system:
- Be mindful of the noise. Not everyone wants to participate in the game, which is why Dr. Eyvazzadeh highly recommends bringing headphones and keeping other sounds at a minimum. "It's not just gaming consoles," she says. "Partners often bring iPads as well, and the repetitive tapping can be surprisingly irritating, especially in a high-stress environment."
- Have fun, but don't let gaming stress you out. "Try not to win the game during this one," Dr. Greves says. "Look at it simply as a stress relief."
- Tune into a shared show or movie. As one What to Expect mom points out, you can usually use gaming consoles to stream content on Netflix, YouTube or Hulu. A favorite comfort watch could prove soothing when you're in early labor.
- Consider non-electronic distractions. Reading a magazine or book might provide a calmer environment that won't feel overstimulating for the laboring mom or medical providers.
- Know when it's time to stop. "I was induced with my first baby, and we brought our Switch," one mom said. "The nurses thought it was a good passing of time, and it helped me focus on something else. I, however, made my husband put it away once I got the epidural and contractions got worse; then it was focus-on-me-and-baby time."
- Be present with your partner. One mom shared that while her partner did bring a gaming console, which they both used, he never allowed it to distract from his purpose. "I never had to ask for anything from him," another mom shared. "He was advocating for me, running around getting me things I didn't even know I would need or want, and was present the entire birth and aftermath."
As Dr. Greves points out, "Having a baby is the priority."
Methodology
Everyday Health Group – Pregnancy and Parenting conducted a poll on February 20 and 21, 2025 of 615 people.
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