# Getting Ready for Baby: A Pregnancy-Week Checklist

> Week-by-week list of appointments, paperwork, gear and the hospital bag.

Stage: pregnancy - Topic: Getting ready - Page: https://www.askcladle.com/guides/pregnancy/pregnancy-to-baby-prep-checklist

Grounded in: ACOG and CDC prenatal care and vaccine guidance, AAP safe sleep and car seat guidance, and common U.S. practice for leave and insurance. Week numbers are typical U.S. timing; the OB or midwife's advice comes first.

Reviewed: 2026-10

## TLDR

- Take a prenatal vitamin with at least 400 mcg folic acid, ideally before conception; anatomy scan at 18-22 weeks, glucose test at 24-28.
- Book an in-person class (newborn care, feeding, infant CPR) around weeks 28-32, and sort out leave, insurance and a will mid-pregnancy.
- By weeks 34-36: car seat installed and checked, essentials bought, hospital bag packed and a postpartum plan in place.

## Health and appointments

- Ideally before conception: start a prenatal vitamin with at least 400 mcg folic acid — the
  neural tube closes around 4 weeks after conception, often before pregnancy is known. If
  already pregnant, start as soon as possible.
- Weeks 6-12: choose an OB or midwife; if not already taking one, start a prenatal vitamin.
- Weeks 18-22: anatomy scan. Weeks 24-28: glucose screening.
- Weeks 27-36: Tdap vaccine, every pregnancy. Weeks 32-36 (during September-January): RSV vaccine, or plan nirsevimab for the baby. No
  repeat dose is needed in a later pregnancy if you had one before.
- Around weeks 28-32: tour and pre-register at the hospital or birth center, pick a pediatrician
  (they see the baby in the first days), sign up for classes (see below), and write a birth plan.
  By week 36: know the signs of labor and when to call.

## Take a class in person

- We recommend taking at least one in-person class before the baby arrives. Reading here is a
  great start, but it isn't a substitute for practicing with a real instructor and a doll in
  your hands.
- The classic ones: newborn care (diapering, bathing, swaddling, soothing), childbirth prep,
  breastfeeding or infant feeding, and infant CPR and choking first aid.
- Many hospitals and birth centers offer them, often free or low cost, and some insurance plans
  cover them. Book around weeks 28-32 so there's time before the due date, and bring your partner
  or whoever will help at home.

## Money and paperwork

- Early: check what insurance covers for birth; plan parental leave (FMLA and any state paid leave).
- Mid-pregnancy: a first-year budget, emergency fund, term life insurance, wills and a named
  guardian, updated beneficiaries.
- Later: Dependent Care FSA if offered; order a breast pump through insurance.
- At and after birth: request the baby's Social Security number on the birth certificate form,
  add the baby to health insurance (usually within 30 days), and consider a 529 plan.

## Nursery, gear and home

- Around week 20: start the registry. By weeks 30-34: have the gear, clothes, feeding and
  diaper basics. The full shopping list, with quantities and what to skip, is in "What to Buy
  Before the Baby".
- An infant car seat, installed and checked by about week 34-36 (free checks are often available).
- Wash baby clothes and bedding with a fragrance-free detergent.
- Home: anchor furniture to walls, test smoke and CO detectors, set the water heater to 120°F or
  lower, stock freezer meals, arrange pet care, set up a meal train.

## Hospital bag and postpartum (around weeks 34-36)

- IDs, insurance card, forms, the birth plan, a going-home outfit, comfortable clothes, toiletries,
  a long phone charger, snacks, your own pillow.
- Pads, peri bottle, stool softener and pain relief (ask your doctor), a visitor plan, a night-shift
  plan, the postpartum checkup booked, and the 988 or Postpartum Support International number saved.