Prepare
What really needs doing before the baby arrives
There is a difference between urgent, important, and can-wait-three-months. Here is the sort.
Paul · August 5, 2026 · 5 min read
Preparation lists mix everything together: declaring the pregnancy and choosing a wall colour end up on the same line. One has a legal deadline. The other does not.
Here is the sort we wish we had been given.
Things with a real deadline
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Declaring the pregnancy, before the end of the third month
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Registering with the maternity unit, as early as possible in busy areas
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Starting the childcare search, from month three or four
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Requesting leave from your employer, with notice
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Acknowledging parenthood at the town hall, if you are not married
Things that matter, without urgency
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The car seat, fitted and tried, not just bought
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A safe place for the baby to sleep, compliant, with a firm mattress
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The bag, around the start of the eighth month
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The first clothes washed and put away
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Knowing who to call, and when
Things that can wait
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Stockpiling size 2 nappies and beyond
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The perfect pushchair, which you will choose better after seeing one in use
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Roughly everything sold as essential that is not
One simple rule
If something has an administrative consequence or a safety consequence, it goes first. The rest can be bought in an afternoon, including after the birth, including online at 3am.
Bulle helps you get organised, not treated. For any medical question, or at the slightest doubt, contact your midwife or your doctor.