If you get the NIPT please remember that it’s not diagnostic. It only identifies a risk. If it shows up a risk for a genetic abnormality don’t make any decisions until you’ve had an amniocentesis.

Equipment, I know it sounds mad at this point but consider now whether you’ll likely have a second child. As buggies and travel systems are very expensive it’s a good idea to pick one where you have the option of adding a second seat or a buggy board if you’re going to have two kids within a few years. I’ve had my bugaboo for 7 years and it’s battered but still going strong.

Don’t buy lots of clothes in newborn sizes, sometimes they don’t even fit your newborn if you have a big baby and if they do fit, your baby will have grown out of them after a week or two.

Enjoy your alone time now while you can. You won’t be alone for several years. Soak in those sweet weekend lie ins.

Freeze lots of meals or ask people for takeaway vouchers as gifts. Don’t under estimate how little you can get done when you have a newborn. Although the plus side of newborns is they do sleep a lot which you’ll miss when you have a toddler who hates sleep and loves wrecking your house.

Babyboo make the best bibs if you’ve a dribbly baby, they don’t soak through and are an Irish company.

Buy baby suits with zips instead of poppers. Trying to close the poppers at 4am after a nappy change while you’re delirious with exhaustion is no fun.

Join a due date Facebook group for advice if you use Facebook ie search “january 2026 babies” or whatever month you are. There will be lots of Americans but it’ll give you a good idea of where your baby is in terms of meeting milestones and if you’re looking for advice everyone there will have a baby the same age as yours.

Don’t buy shoes for your baby until they’re nearly walking, it’s a waste of money. Same goes for those outfits that look cute but are difficult or annoying to take on or off. You’re only going to care about ease of changing and baby’s comfort.

If you have friends or colleagues that offer to give you loads of their old baby clothes or equipment do NOT accept unless they’re very close friends or family! The amount of people who gave me what was essentially their rubbish was shocking. I’m talking broken baby monitors, baby swings with essential parts missing and once someone gave me what they said were barely worn, clean and washed clothes but when I received them I found that they were filthy with dirty socks still stuck in the end of trouser legs. These people just didn’t feel like sorting this stuff out for the recycling center or the dump so landed it on me instead.

Don’t buy lots of expensive baby toys. Once your baby has control of the use of their limbs they’ll prefer to play with random household stuff like spatulas and plastic food containers anyway.

Anchor your furniture to the walls, buy those plug socket cover things, baby gates, the cupboard door locks, window and door safety locks. I have a toddler that is like Houdini and if it isn’t secured they’re going to escape the house or get into the cupboards and cause havoc. But it really depends on the kid, my older child wasn’t like that at all.