Postnatal Essentials Checklist: What You Actually Need After Birth

Getting ready for life after birth can feel overwhelming, especially when every shop and website seems to sell something different. As part of my postnatal care, I always talk my families through a proper postnatal essentials checklist so they know exactly what's worth having in the house before baby arrives, and what can wait.

Here's everything I recommend, broken down by category.

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Pain Relief and Recovery Essentials

• Paracetamol and Ibuprofen – Stock up before your due date. Shops only let you buy two packs of each at a time, so it's worth getting some in early so you don't run out in those first exhausted days. A note if you're asthmatic: avoid ibuprofen and stick to paracetamol.

• Peri spray bottle – A gentle way to cleanse and soothe stitches or grazes when you go to the toilet, far more comfortable than wiping in the early days.

• Heavy-duty sanitary towels – Even if you're planning to wear postnatal pants, it's worth having some proper heavy-duty towels too. You can pop one inside the pants and just change the towel rather than the whole pair, which is a lot easier.

• Postnatal or postpartum pants – Brands like Tena Lady are popular for this. They're genuinely comfortable whether you've had a vaginal birth with stitches or a caesarean.

• Witch hazel pads or cooling pads – Soothing for stitches or general swelling in the first few days, and a nice alternative or addition to the peri bottle.

• Stool softeners – Worth having in, especially if you've had stitches or a caesarean, as it makes the first few toilet trips much more comfortable.

Comfort For You

• Easy snacks and a water bottle – Keep these near wherever you'll be feeding, so you're not stuck hungry or dehydrated one-handed with a baby attached.

Feeding Essentials – Breastfeeding

• Silver nipple cups – Really effective for soothing sore or cracked nipples in the early days of establishing feeding.

• Nipple cream, such as Lansinoh – Your own breast milk actually does just as good a job at soothing and healing sore nipples, so it's worth trying that first. That said, plenty of mums still like having a proper nipple cream in the house too, so it's there if you want it.

• Breast pads – Useful if you find you're leaking between feeds, which is completely normal for many mums.

• Colostrum harvesting syringes – Worth having in the house in case you feel engorged. You can hand express a little off to ease the discomfort and store what you collect.

• Vitamin D drops – Recommended for breastfed babies from birth.

• A hand or electric expresser – Medela and Haakaa are both widely used and well reviewed if you think you might need to express. You'll also need bottles and a steriliser if you go down this route.

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Feeding Essentials – Bottle and Formula

• Bottles and a steriliser – Essential kit whether you're formula feeding from the start or combination feeding.

• Ready-made formula for the first few days – Handy for those early sleep-deprived nights before you settle into a routine, alongside your usual powdered formula.

• Time spent learning how to make up a bottle correctly – Formula needs to be prepared to the guidelines properly to keep baby safe, so it's worth reading up before baby arrives rather than working it out at 3am.

  
  

Comfort For Baby

• Dummies – This one is entirely down to personal preference. Mother's Choice and MAM are both commonly used if you'd like to have some in the house just in case.

Baby Care Essentials

• Baby saline nasal drops – Many babies get a bit congested in the early weeks, and saline drops help clear this gently.

• Cotton wool pads – Useful for cleansing baby's eyes and around the umbilical cord with breast milk or cooled boiled water.

• Coconut oil – A lovely natural option for baby's skin.

• Infacol – Helpful if baby seems windy or unsettled after feeds.

• Cellular blankets – The small holes let air circulate around baby, which is important for safe sleeping as well as comfort.

• A room thermometer – Lets you keep an eye on the temperature in baby's room rather than guessing.

• Muslins – You will use far more of these than you think. Handy for everything from mess to comfort.

• A baby thermometer – Useful for checking baby's temperature directly, alongside the room thermometer for the nursery.

  
  

Clothing and Nappies

• Clothing in newborn and up-to-one-month sizes – Try not to buy too much in just newborn size. Some babies arrive a little chunkier or longer than expected and grow out of newborn clothes within days.

• Nappies in size 0 and size 1 – Have some of both in the house. Babies can seem to jump from one size to the next almost overnight, so it saves a last-minute dash to the shops.

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Safe Sleep Essentials

Safe sleep is one of the most important conversations I have with every family I care for, so I always like to include it whenever I'm talking through postnatal preparation.

• Position baby correctly in the cot – Baby should sleep on their back, with their feet at the bottom (or "feet to foot") of the cot.

• Keep the cot clear – No pillows, teddies, or loose bedding in the cot.

• Room-share with baby – The current guidance is for baby to sleep in the same room as you for at least the first six months, and ideally up to a year.

• Choose cellular blankets – Their small holes let air breathe around baby, helping to regulate their temperature safely.

• Get the room temperature right – Aim for somewhere between 16 and 20 degrees as a guide, but you can also judge this by touching baby. Feel the chest or the back of the neck rather than their hands or feet, as these are naturally cooler and can even look a little blue or purple. This is completely normal, as blood is prioritised for baby's organs first.

• Keep the environment smoke and vape free – No smoking or vaping around baby at any time. If someone has smoked or vaped, they should wait at least an hour before handling baby, and make sure they've washed their hands, cleaned their teeth, and changed their clothes first. Secondhand exposure on clothing and skin matters just as much as smoke in the room.

• Check The Lullaby Trust – A fantastic source of up-to-date, evidence-based safe sleep guidance for further reading.

• Dress baby appropriately – As a general guide, dress baby in one more layer than you'd wear yourself, particularly in the newborn weeks.

• Skip the hat after the first 24 hours – Beyond the first day, baby can regulate their own body temperature and loses heat through their head. A hat at this point can actually cause them to overheat.

• Wash your hands often – Good hand hygiene matters hugely with a newborn in the house.

• Protect baby from face and lip contact – It's completely okay to ask visitors not to kiss baby's face or lips. This isn't about being overprotective; it helps reduce the risk of passing on infections such as cold sores, which can be far more serious for a newborn than for an adult.

  
  

Final Thoughts on Your Postnatal Essentials Checklist

You don't need everything on this list before baby arrives, but having the essentials ready can make those first few days feel a little calmer and a lot less like an emergency shop run. If you're still pregnant and want to talk through your antenatal care options alongside your postnatal plan, get in touch and we can go through it together as part of your care.