The Third Trimester Checklist That Skips the Nonsense

Most third-trimester checklists are shopping lists with a countdown attached, giving wipe warmers and nappy stackers the same billing as the car seat. We ordered this one by how much each item changes your first six weeks.

Four things that matter most

1. A correctly installed car seat. You cannot leave hospital without one, and parents install a large share of seats wrong. Fit yours well before your due date and have someone check it; many fire services and hospitals do this free. Practise the harness in daylight, before you need it in a dark car park.

2. A safe sleep space. A cot, crib or bassinet with a firm flat mattress and a fitted sheet, and nothing else in it. That is the whole specification. See our summary of the current safe sleep guidance.

3. A feeding plan and the equipment for it. If breastfeeding, find your local lactation support before you need them at 2am on day four. If formula feeding, have bottles, a way to sterilise, and a tin in the house. If undecided, prepare for both. That costs little and removes a decision from your worst week.

4. A postnatal support plan. Parents skip this one more than any other item, and it repays more than the rest. Settle now who brings food, who holds the baby while you shower, and who you phone at the point of struggling, then write their names down. A vague offer of help will not survive week two.

Worth doing, in the next few weeks

• Pack the bag by 36 weeks. Longer than you think for you, less than you think for the baby. Your own pillow, a phone charger with a long cable, snacks, and something to wear home that fits at around six months pregnant.
• Write your birth preferences on one page rather than five, and include what you want if things change course.
• Sort the paperwork: parental leave, paediatrician chosen, pharmacy located, freezer stocked.
• Take an infant CPR class. You will probably never use it. Spend the two hours.

Safe to postpone

Almost everything. Leave the nursery unfinished; your baby will sleep in your room for months. You need far fewer newborn-size clothes than anyone has sold you, and babies outgrow them fast.

Buy the nappy bin, the bottle warmer, the wipe warmer, the sleep gadgets, most monitors and anything promising a longer-sleeping newborn once you know which problems you have, or never.

Feeding and development, later

Leave solids alone; that is a six-month problem, and our guide to starting solids will keep. Milestone tracking can wait too. Spend the third trimester on the car seat, the sleep space, the feeding plan and the people.

Frequently asked questions

When should I pack a hospital bag?

Have it ready by around 36 weeks. Earlier if you have any risk factors for early delivery or a history of fast labour.

What do I actually need before the baby arrives?

A safe sleep space, a correctly fitted car seat, feeding equipment for your chosen method, nappies, and a small amount of clothing. Almost everything else can wait.

When should I call my provider in the third trimester?

Immediately for reduced fetal movement, bleeding, fluid loss, severe or persistent headache, visual changes, or sudden swelling of the face and hands.