New Baby Checklist
Enter your due date and the planner works backwards: your hospital bag, nursery setup and first-month essentials each get a "have it ready by" date and a status, so everything is sorted well before the baby arrives — without a last-minute scramble.
- Register with a midwife or maternity unitNo due date Set your due date
- Book antenatal or birth classesNo due date Set your due date
- Sort parental leave and pay with your employerNo due date Set your due date
- Tour the hospital or birth centreNo due date Set your due date
- Write your birth planNo due date Set your due date
- Choose and register the baby with a GPNo due date Set your due date
- Save key phone numbers and emergency contactsNo due date Set your due date
- Buy a cot, crib or Moses basketNo due date Set your due date
- Get a new, firm, well-fitting mattressNo due date Set your due date
- Set up a changing areaNo due date Set your due date
- Add blackout blinds or curtainsNo due date Set your due date
- Fit and test a baby monitorNo due date Set your due date
- Put a thermometer in the roomNo due date Set your due date
- Wash all baby clothes and beddingNo due date Set your due date
- Birth plan and maternity notesNo due date Set your due date
- Loose, comfortable clothes and a going-home outfitNo due date Set your due date
- Maternity pads and comfortable underwearNo due date Set your due date
- Toiletries, lip balm and hair tiesNo due date Set your due date
- Nursing bra and breast padsNo due date Set your due date
- Phone, charger and a long cableNo due date Set your due date
- Snacks and drinksNo due date Set your due date
- Bodysuits and sleepsuits, several of eachNo due date Set your due date
- Hat, scratch mittens and socksNo due date Set your due date
- A day or two's newborn nappies and cotton woolNo due date Set your due date
- Muslin squares and a blanketNo due date Set your due date
- Weather-appropriate going-home outfitNo due date Set your due date
- Approved car seat fitted in the carNo due date Set your due date
- Decide breast, bottle or combination feedingNo due date Set your due date
- Bottles, teats and a steriliserNo due date Set your due date
- Breast pump and milk storage bagsNo due date Set your due date
- Nursing pillowNo due date Set your due date
- Bibs and muslin clothsNo due date Set your due date
- A small starter pack of formulaNo due date Set your due date
- Pram, pushchair or baby carrierNo due date Set your due date
- Stock up on nappies and wipesNo due date Set your due date
- Baby bath or bath support and hooded towelsNo due date Set your due date
- Digital thermometer and baby first-aid kitNo due date Set your due date
- Swaddles or baby sleeping bagsNo due date Set your due date
- Nappy bin and a stocked changing bagNo due date Set your due date
- Newborn-safe grooming kitNo due date Set your due date
This checklist is a planning aid, not medical or parenting advice. The items and timings shown are general examples — what you need depends on your pregnancy, your birth plan, your home and your budget. Babies often arrive early, so aim to have essentials ready ahead of your due date, and always follow the guidance of your midwife or health professional.
About New Baby Checklist
The New Baby Checklist is a due-date-aware planner that turns "we should get ready" into a clear, calm schedule. Preparing for a newborn means juggling dozens of jobs — packing a hospital bag, setting up the nursery, sorting feeding kit and stocking up on first-month essentials — and many of them need to be done weeks ahead, not in the final days. Because babies often arrive early, leaving things late is risky. This tool fixes that by working backwards from your due date: each task carries a recommended lead time, and the planner shows the exact date to have it ready by.
Items are grouped into practical areas — Admin & Appointments, Nursery Setup, Hospital Bag for you, Hospital Bag for baby, Feeding, and First-Month Essentials — each pre-filled with common things you can edit, remove, or add to. A status dashboard counts what's sorted, what needs attention, what's on track, and what isn't scheduled yet, while a "sort these soon" panel surfaces anything already past its ideal window. Add your own notes to any item, tick things off as you go, and print a clean PDF to stick on the fridge or share with your partner. Everything saves to your browser's local storage — no account, nothing sent to a server. Pair it with the other life-event checklists and the Home Inventory Checklist for the bigger picture.
How to Use New Baby Checklist
- Enter your due date at the top (and a name or nickname if you like). The date powers every deadline, so set it first.
- Go through each area and remove anything that doesn't apply to you, then add your own items with the "Add an item" field — press Enter or tap the + button.
- For each item, set the recommended timing (how many weeks before the due date it should be ready). The planner instantly shows a "have ready by" date and a status badge.
- Add notes to any item — sizes, brands, what's still to buy, or who's bringing what.
- Check the dashboard and the "sort these soon" panel. Tackle anything red (past its ideal window) first, then amber "do soon" items.
- Tick each item off as it's done, and watch the counts update.
- Use "Download PDF" for a printed copy, and Export to back up or move your plan to another device.
Tip: have the hospital bag packed and the car seat fitted by around 36 weeks. Full term is anything from 37 weeks, so treat the last month as "could be any day" and front-load the essentials.
Frequently Asked Questions
How are the "have ready by" deadlines calculated?
Each item has a recommended lead time in weeks. The planner subtracts that from your due date — so a task set to "4 weeks before" a due date of 1 June shows a ready-by date of 4 May. If you haven't entered a due date, items show "No due date" until you do.
When should I start getting ready for the baby?
Many parents start the big jobs in the second trimester and aim to have everything ready by around 36 weeks, since full term starts at 37 weeks and babies can come earlier. Admin like registering with a midwife should happen early in pregnancy; the hospital bag and car seat are last, but still before the final weeks.
When should the hospital bag be packed?
A good rule of thumb is to have it packed and by the door by about 36 weeks. This checklist sets the hospital-bag items to roughly two to three weeks before your due date by default, but you can change the timing on each one to suit your plans.
Is this medical or parenting advice?
No. It's an organisational tool with general examples only. What you actually need depends on your pregnancy, birth plan, home and budget. Always follow the advice of your midwife, health visitor or doctor, and your local maternity unit's guidance.
Can I add my own items, notes, or categories?
Yes. Add items in any section with the field at the bottom of each card, rename a category by clicking its title, delete a category with the trash icon in its header, and create new categories with "Add category". Every item also has a free-text note field for sizes, brands or reminders.
What if my baby arrives before everything is done?
That's normal — newborns need surprisingly little at first. Prioritise somewhere safe for baby to sleep, a way to feed, nappies, and a few clothes; almost everything else can be bought or delivered afterwards. The "sort these soon" panel helps you focus on the must-haves first.
Can I print a copy or save a PDF?
Yes. Click "Download PDF" for a clean version listing every item, its recommended timing, the ready-by date and a tick box. In the print dialog choose your printer for paper, or "Save as PDF" for a digital copy to share with your partner.
Is my data private?
Yes. Your baby details, progress, notes and custom items are stored only in your browser's local storage on this device. Nothing is uploaded to any server and there's no account. Clearing your browser data removes it, so keep a JSON export if it matters to you.