New baby checklist: free printable plan to the due date
Everything to arrange before the baby comes: leave, care, the basics to buy, the baby room and the hospital bag. Free printable checklist, planned back from the due date.
13 stepsAbout 17h 40m of workPlanned back from your due date
What this plan is based on
The checklists midwives hand out: paperwork early, the bag packed six weeks ahead, the last weeks kept free.
The plan, step by step
17 weeks before
Arrange leave with your work30m
16 weeks before
Choose where you give birth and arrange the care1h
13 weeks before
Sort out insurance and paperwork45m
12 weeks before
Buy the basics
Borrow or buy second-hand where you can; a car seat is the one thing to buy new.
- Car seat1h
- Cot and mattress1h
- Pram or carrier1h
- Clothes in the first sizes45m
- Nappies and care items30m
9 weeks before
Set up the baby room4h
8 weeks before
Follow a birth or baby care course2h
6 weeks before
Pack the hospital bag
- For you: clothes, toiletries20m
- For the baby: clothes, hat, blanket15m
- Documents and birth plan10m
- Charger and snacks5m
5 weeks before
Wash the baby clothes and bedding1h
4 weeks before
Fit the car seat and practise with it30m
3 weeks before
Cook and freeze meals2h
2 weeks before
Agree who to call and who looks after pets or children20m
Due date
Due date
After the due date
Register the birth30m
Baby notes
Due date: …
Midwife or hospital: … (phone: …)
Who to call - …
Still to borrow or buy - …
Questions for the next check-up - …
Questions
When should I start preparing for a baby?
Around four months before the due date is early enough for most things. Leave and care come first, because they depend on other people’s deadlines.
When should the hospital bag be packed?
About six weeks before the due date, also if you plan to give birth at home. Babies do not always keep to the date.
What do you really need for a newborn?
A safe place to sleep, a car seat, clothes in the first sizes, nappies and a way to carry the baby. Most other things can wait until you know what you miss.