Preparing for Your Newborn

The last month of pregnancy has a way of turning every list into an urgent one. Here is the calm version: what genuinely matters in the first six weeks, and what can wait.

For sleep, keep it simple — muslin swaddles (two sets, because laundry), a soft blanket for the pram, and fitted sheets you can change at 4 a.m. in under a minute. For bath time, one hooded towel and a stack of burp cloths will carry you further than any gadget.

For feeding, whatever your method, comfort is the common thread: a supportive feeding pillow, water within reach at every feeding spot, and feeding wear with easy access so you're never fighting your own clothes.

For you: a lounge dress you can sleep in, snacks in the bedside drawer, and permission to let everything else wait. Most of what you buy for the nursery, the baby will ignore. The soft things you buy for yourself — those you'll use every single day.