For the weeks before baby arrives

The feeding checklist to look over before baby comes.

The first 72 hours at home are not the time to be opening boxes and reading manuals. This is a short list of feeding-related things to set up before you leave for the hospital, so the version of you who comes home — tired, joyful, a little stunned — has what she needs already in place.

6-8 weeks before

Order ahead.

Pump, bottles, storage bags. Anything that ships takes time — and you'll want to test the pump well before you need it.

4-6 weeks before

Bottles + backup.

A small starter set of bottles, plus a single can of formula on the shelf — even if EBF is the plan.

1-3 weeks before

Print + know who to call.

Print the guides you'll want on the fridge, save lactation + pediatrician numbers, and screenshot the resources you'll forget when you're tired.

A note before you start

You don't have to do all of this.

This list is a menu, not a test. Some of these things will matter a lot to you; others, not at all. The goal isn't a perfectly stocked nursery — it's removing a few small obstacles between you and a calm feed at 2 a.m. Check what's useful. Skip what's not.

Eight things, five sections

Pre-hospital feeding checklist.

01

Pump + milk storage.

6–8 weeks before baby

Order your pump and learn how to set it up.

Place the insurance order or buy out of pocket, then — and this is the important part — open the box well before your due date. Read the manual. Run one dry cycle. Don't wait until 3 a.m. on day 3 to figure out which tube connects where.

See Pump Comparison Guide

Order milk storage bags.

First, check your pump. Some pumps need a specific brand of bag that attaches directly — most don't, and you simply pour from the pump bottle into the bag (any brand works). A starter pack of around 100 bags will carry most parents through the first month.

02

A small bottle starter set.

4–6 weeks before baby

Have a couple of bottle systems at home.

Have a few bottles on hand so that in a pinch you're not stuck using the disposable nipples that come home from the hospital. Grab a couple of different shapes, definitely one narrow-neck and one wide-neck, all with slow-flow nipples. Some babies latch better to one shape than another, and you won't know which until you try.

03

A formula safety net.

Even if EBF is the plan

Research one formula option and bring some home.

Even if your plan is to exclusively breastfeed, knowing which formula you'd reach for — and having a small amount at home — takes pressure off the panic moments. One canister of powder, or a small pack of ready-to-feed bottles, is plenty.

Pick up filtered or distilled water.

If you go with a powdered formula, you'll mix it with water. Distilled is the easiest option — no questions about minerals, no boiling needed. A couple gallons in the pantry will last weeks.

Sections 04 – 05

Print, build, breathe.

04

Print + bring with you.

2–3 weeks before baby

Print "How do you know they're getting enough?" and the Milk Storage Guide.

Print both and put them on your fridge. One walks you through the signs your baby is well-fed, the other keeps milk storage times visible so you're not Googling it in a hurry.

05

Know who to call.

1–2 weeks before baby

Find a local lactation counselor + check your pediatrician's office.

Look up an IBCLC or CLC in your area now — save the number, screenshot the website, do it before you're tired. Then call your pediatrician's office and ask if they have a lactation counselor on staff (many now do). A 15-minute call ahead of your first visit can tell you exactly what feeding support is available without an extra appointment.

— Jessica Giametta

Infant feeding specialist · The Baby Feeding Collective