Preparing for a new baby can be both exciting and overwhelming.
Here’s a checklist of must-dos to help ensure you’re ready when your little one arrives, divided into must-haves, good-to-have and not necessary items.
Must-Haves
- Buy Essentials at Least a Month Before: Ensure you have all the must-haves bought at least a month before your due date. My baby was born two weeks ahead of time, so it was great that we had everything ready.
- Set Up the Nursery Room: Have the nursery room fully set up and organized. All products are available above.
- Crib or bassinet with a firm mattress
- Changing table or station with diapers, wipes, and creams easily accessible. Read more on how I setup my changing station room
- Rocking chair or comfortable seating for feeding and soothing
- Clothes organized by size
- Baby monitor
- Do not: put any covers, blankets, pillows, toys in the crib/bassinet. No need for a lot of clothes, just get the onesies/footies/PJs first.
- Pack a Hospital Bag: Have your hospital bag packed and ready to go with essentials for both you and the baby.
- Important documents (ID, insurance card, birth plan)
- Comfortable clothing for labor and after delivery.
Tip! Because I was induced I retained a lot of water hence I was substantially larger than when I was admitted. Bring larger and stretchy clothes! - Nursing PJ (something with buttons infront – if you don’t want to wear hospital gown). I had this one and every nurse was surprised how nice it was.
- Toiletries
- Snacks and drinks.
Tip! If you plan to take the epidural, bring liquid food because you can’t take in solids. And if the labor takes many hours you will need some food in. I got chicken soup broth. - Water bottle with a big bendable straw (you will need a straw as most of the time you’ll be laying down in weird positions)
- Phone and charger
- Clothes for the baby to come home in
- Postpartum recovery essentials (for natural birth). This kit has everything. But before you buy it make sure your hospital doesn’t offer it for free. I got everything from them for free.
- Install Car Seat: Make sure the infant car seat is properly installed in your car. Many local fire departments or hospitals offer free car seat installation checks.
- Research and Choose a Pediatrician: Research and subscribe your baby to a pediatric office. In some areas, like San Francisco, this needs to be done before the baby is born. Since you have to see the pediatrician in the first week, having one chosen is crucial.
- Plan for Childcare: Depending on when you return to work, start looking for daycare options as daycares often have waiting lists. Alternatively, look for a nanny. There are options for shared nannies between families or live-in au pairs.
- Set Up Health Insurance: Ensure your baby is added to your health insurance plan as soon as possible after birth.
Good-to-Have Items
- Schedule a Night Doula or Other Help: Have a night doula already interviewed, vetted, and scheduled. Alternatively, arrange for other help, such as a postpartum doula, night nurse, family, or friends.
- Discuss Duties with Partner: Plan and discuss how duties will be divided with your partner to ensure both of you get some rest.
- Stock Up Your Fridge: Ensure your fridge is stocked with easy-to-prepare meals and snacks. This will be a lifesaver in the first few weeks when you are adjusting to life with a newborn.
Health and Safety
- Educate Yourself: Take childbirth and parenting classes to prepare yourself mentally and emotionally for the arrival of your baby. My hospital, UCSF, offered free classes for the registered patients.
- Create a Birth Plan: Discuss and create a birth plan with your healthcare provider to outline your preferences for labor and delivery. My hospital, UCSF, had this as a mandatory step.
Tip! Take the epidural, don’t suffer like me for 6 hours. It’s so much better! After I took it, I was even able to smile! 😊
Don’ts
- Don’t Overbuy Clothes: Babies grow quickly, so don’t buy too many newborn-sized clothes. I literally had her in PJ footies for the first few months.
- Don’t Ignore Your Mental Health: Prepare for potential postpartum mental health issues by having a support system in place and knowing the signs of postpartum depression and anxiety. At least knowing that this is normal and it could happen is a good first step. I got PPA after I stopped breastfeeding. So it can happen anytime. Nothing to worry about. It’s treatable!
- Don’t Forget Self-Care: Make time for self-care and rest before the baby arrives. Your well-being is crucial for your baby’s care.
- Don’t Rush to Childproof Your House: While it’s important, childproofing isn’t an immediate need and can be done gradually as the baby starts becoming mobile.
- Don’t Buy Lots of Formula Initially: Babies can be picky about formula, and you might need to try a few different brands before finding one your baby likes. I tried three formulas before finding one my baby liked and got stuck with a bunch that she didn’t.
- Don’t Cook Ahead Unless Necessary: Cooking and freezing ahead is only necessary if you don’t have help to cook or don’t plan to use takeout. Otherwise, take it easy on meal prep. And do the breast minimum. You don’t want to exhaust yourself.
- Don’t buy a Snoo (yet) – if you plan to buy a Snoo wait after the baby is born to see if they can sleep well. But only if they can’t! Read more on To Snoo or not to Snoo?
By following these steps, you can help ensure you’re well-prepared for your new arrival and can focus on enjoying those first precious moments with your baby.