Use our handy checklist to help you survive (and enjoy!) the first few weeks with your baby.
Posted: 27 April 2009
by Lucy Dimbylow
You wrote your birth plan weeks ago, but are you ready for the first few weeks of your baby’s life?
From stocking up on post-birth essentials to deciding when you want friends to visit, we’ve put together this handy checklist to help you get organised.
Your post-baby planner: The first few days
Do you want to…
- Allow friends to visit straight away?
- Have a settling-in period with just you, your partner and your baby?
- Arrange for friends or family to take your older children out and
- about initially?
- Have bed-rest for the first day or two (or longer)?
- Caring for baby
Do you want to…
Breastfeed?
You’ll need two well-fitting nursing bras, some breastfeeding tops, lots of muslins
and breast pads.
Bottlefeed?
You’ll need a set of bottles and newborn teats, and a steriliser to keep everything clean – plus a breast pump if you’re planning to express milk.
Feed on demand?
In the early days, it’s best that you feed your baby whenever he’s hungry, to help
to establish good feeding.
Try to establish a feeding/sleeping routine once your baby is more settled?
Don’t start this until feeding is going well for your baby
Expert Tip
“Maternity wards have visiting times, so why not instigate them when you get home? If you tell visitors they’re welcome between 3pm and 5pm, at least you’ll get a chance for some sleep.”
Anne Richley, midwife
(see ‘feed on demand’).
- Have regular skin-to-skin contact?
- Bath your baby daily?
- Put him in his cot/crib/Moses basket for daytime sleeps?
By putting him down in his regular cot/crib for daytime naps, you may help him get into good sleeping habits.
- Let him nap downstairs/in your arms?
- Use a baby sleeping bag?
- Swaddle him?
See our step-by-step guide to swaddling (www.practicalparenting.co.uk).
- Give him a dummy?
- Start to introduce a bedtime routine?
- Put him in a pram to go out?
- Prefer to carry him in a sling?
- Use disposable nappies?
- Use reusable nappies?
Don’t invest in a complete birth-to-potty reusables set until you’re sure you’re going to use them all the way through. Instead, choose a reasonably-priced starter kit.
Use both disposables and reusables?
Looking after you
Have you…
- Stocked up on post-birth essentials?
- You’ll need lots of breast pads, some heavy-weight maternity towels (you could be bleeding for around two weeks after the birth), disposable pants, nipple cream, etc.
- Filled the medicine cabinet with basics such as paracetamol and ibuprofen?
- Bought any complementary remedies?
- Arnica, tea tree oil, Rescue Remedy and witch hazel may help your post-birth recovery.
- Bought some luxury toiletries?
- Booked a hair appointment/massage for a few weeks’ time as a post-birth pick-me-up?
- Bought some magazines, light-hearted books and/or DVDs to enjoy while you’re feeding your baby?
- Filled the cupboards with nutritious snacks to keep your energy up?
- Cereal bars, nuts, oatcakes and herbal teas are great energy boosters.
- Considered what sort of contraception you’ll start using?
- Hired a valley cushion (www.nctsales.co.uk) to ease soreness down below?
Help and support
Will you…
- Want your partner to take his full 10 days of paternity leave?
- Ask your partner to take any additional holiday as well?
- Ask your mum/mother-in-law to come and stay to help out?
- Arrange for other visitors to offer practical help?
- Why not ask them to bring along a cooked meal or do a quick bit of washing up for you when they pop round?
- Want any professional help from a maternity or night nurse?
Chores and admin
Have you…
- Cooked some meals in advance to put in the freezer?
- Set up an online grocery-shopping account, to make life easier?
- Transferred your regular bills to direct debit so you won’t forget about them?
- Agreed a list of extra chores for your partner to take on?
- Organised extra storage for toys, baby gifts, paperwork etc?
- Set up a basket of nappies and wipes downstairs for daytime changes?
Advice
Have you…
- Got yourself some good babycare manuals?
- Compiled a list of useful contacts?
- Have numbers for your midwife and health visitor, as well as breastfeeding lines, NHS Direct, etc.
- Found out about postnatal classes?
- Meet other new mums at classes such as NCT Bumps and Babies, breastfeeding cafés and baby massage courses.
- Swapped phone numbers and email addresses with mums in your antenatal group?
Mum's Story
“Listening to music helps”
“A personal MP3 player is really useful for night feeds. I used to feed my girls in the dark so they wouldn’t wake up too much, which meant I couldn’t read as they fed. Listening to music helped me through those long, lonely nights.”
Emily, 30, mum to Lily, 4, and Casey, 23 months
