When to Buy Baby Things (UK): A Week-by-Week Timeline for Couples

The pressure to start buying baby things can arrive almost as soon as you find out you're pregnant. You don't need to. Most of what you'll need can wait until the second half of pregnancy, and a surprising amount can wait until after the birth.

Here's a timeline that keeps it calm, spreads the cost, and keeps both of you involved in the decisions.

A note on safety. For anything to do with how and where your baby sleeps, travelling in the car, or feeding, follow the latest NHS guidance and the manufacturer's instructions.

The short version

First trimester: nothing to buy

Honestly, nothing. It's a good time to:

• Talk about a rough budget. What you'd each like to spend on the big things, and where you'd rather save.
• Ask around. Friends and family often have prams, cots, clothes and bouncers they're happy to pass on. Knowing what's coming your way stops you buying twice.
• Notice what you like — in parks, on friends' babies — without committing to anything.
• Think about your life, not the shop. Do you drive or use public transport? Stairs or a lift? A small car boot? These shape what you'll actually need.

If you want a sense of overall costs, our guide to how much having a baby costs in the UK breaks it down.

Weeks 12–20: research and shortlist

Now is a good time to look properly at the items that take research. Try to shortlist two or three of each rather than deciding straight away — comparing a couple of options you both like is far easier than debating one.

Pram or pushchair

The biggest decision for most couples. If you can, try them in a shop:

• Fold and unfold it yourselves, ideally one-handed.
• Lift it into your car boot, or up the stairs to your front door.
• Push it round a tight corner and over a kerb.
• Check the handle height works for both of you.
• Check it's suitable from birth — the retailer can tell you.

Our pushchair buyer's guide covers what to look for.

Car seat

If you'll be driving your baby home, you'll need a suitable car seat for a newborn, fitted before the birth. Check it fits your car and whether it works with your pram, and follow current safety guidance when you choose one — including on second-hand seats.

Where the baby will sleep

Read the NHS safer sleep guidance before you buy, as it affects what you'll need for the first months and where it needs to fit. Most couples need something for the early months and a cot for later.

Weeks 20–28: order the big things

Many prams and cots have delivery times of several weeks, so this is a sensible window to order:

• Pram or pushchair
• Car seat (and base, if yours uses one)
• Where your baby will sleep, and a mattress that meets current safety guidance and fits properly

Ordering in this window also leaves time to sort out anything that arrives damaged or doesn't suit you.

Weeks 28–34: the everyday basics

• Clothes. A small number in newborn and 0–3 month sizes. Babies grow quickly, and you'll probably be given clothes.
• Sleepsuits and vests — easy-open fastenings make night changes much simpler.
• Nappies and wipes — a pack or two to start with. It's hard to know which brand suits you until you try.
• Muslins — you can't really have too many.
• Feeding. How you plan to feed will shape what you need. It's worth reading the NHS feeding information and talking to your midwife before buying much.
• Bath basics — a baby bath is optional.
• Blankets or baby sleeping bags suitable for the season, chosen with the safer sleep guidance in mind.

The final weeks: getting ready

• Pack the hospital bag. The NHS suggests having it ready a few weeks before your due date, in case the baby arrives early. Our hospital bag checklist covers what to pack for both of you.
• Fit the car seat and practise taking it in and out.
• Build the cot or crib, and wash the first set of clothes and bedding.
• Stock the freezer with a few easy meals for the first weeks.

What can wait until after the birth

• Most toys — newborns mainly want faces and cuddles.
• A highchair and weaning kit — not needed until your baby starts solid food. The NHS has guidance on when that is.
• Bouncers, play gyms and swings — nice to have, not essential, and often passed on.
• Anything a friend has offered to lend you.

Buying second-hand

Lots of baby kit is perfectly good second-hand, and it's a great way to spend less. Clothes, prams, bouncers and furniture are usually fine as long as they're in good condition. Take more care with anything safety-critical — especially car seats and mattresses — and check current safety guidance and whether the product has been recalled.

Decide together, not in a rush

The couples who find baby shopping least stressful tend to do two things: they spread it out, and they make the big decisions together.

BumpSync gives you a shared baby prep checklist where you both save options and vote on them, so the decisions are joint and nothing gets bought twice. It's free for both of you. Start your checklist together.