Second baby checklist
Less about what to buy and more about the older child — what changes for them, and what's worth doing differently now you've done this once.
18 items
Makes your own editable copy. No account needed.
The items
- Childcare arranged for the older child around the birthA backup too — labour doesn't run to the plan you agreed with grandparents three weeks ago.
- A bag packed for the older child as well as the hospital bagSnacks, a change of clothes and something new and quiet, wherever they'll be staying.
- Hand-me-down kit checked over before it's used again
- Car seat checked against its expiry date, not just its condition
- Cot mattress replaced rather than reused
- Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms checked in any room being reused
- A gift ready for the older child at the first meeting"From the baby" softens a moment that's otherwise entirely about someone else.
- One-on-one time carved out for the older child, planned rather than hoped forEven twenty minutes of a parent's full attention matters more here than it did before.
- Older child told in advance, in language that fits their age
- School or nursery told what's happening and roughly when
- Help with the school run and pickups lined up for the first fortnight
- A second set of any everyday item still in daily use by the older oneIf the toddler isn't done with the cot or the buggy, the new baby needs their own rather than a fight over it.
- Space reorganised, if the older child is moving into a bed or a new roomDo this weeks before the baby arrives, not the same week — so it isn't the new baby that took the room.
- Visitors paced more slowly this timeThe lesson most second-time parents mention: fewer visits, later, only when it actually suits the house.
- Older child's routine kept as close to normal as the week allows
- A word with the older child's key adults about the extra patience needed
- Photos and one-on-one moments planned deliberatelyEasy to forget the second time, when there's less novelty pulling you to pick up a camera.
- Realistic expectations for the older child's reactionRegression, jealousy or indifference are all normal. None of them mean anything's gone wrong.
Makes your own editable copy. No account needed.
Questions people ask
- What's the one thing to check on hand-me-down kit?
- The car seat's expiry date, not just how it looks. Plastic degrades over years in ways that aren't visible, whatever condition it seems to be in.
- How do we prepare the older child for a new sibling?
- Tell them in advance, in language that fits their age, and involve them in small ways — a gift ready for the first meeting goes a long way.
- Is it normal for the older child to regress?
- Yes — a return to nappies, tantrums or wanting a bottle again is common and passes. It's a request for reassurance, not a problem to fix urgently.