The Second Trimester Checklist
This is the trimester when you can get things done. The nausea usually lifts, the bump is real but not yet in the way, and everything that has to happen before the baby is easier now than it will be at 36 weeks.
The order matters. The anatomy scan around week 20 answers questions that shape the registry and the nursery, so most of the buying sits after it. The paperwork sits before it, because deadlines don't wait for scans.
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Care and appointments
- The anatomy scan, around week 20Essential
The long ultrasound. Bring your partner; it's the one to see.
- Glucose screening, weeks 24 to 28Essential
Book it before the trimester ends. Ask whether you need to fast.
- Choose a pediatricianEssential
Ask friends, then book a meet-and-greet. You'll need the name on the hospital forms.
- Book a childbirth classEssential
They fill up. Third-trimester dates go first.
- Consider a breastfeeding class and infant CPRNice to have
Both are short and both matter more than the birth class, in hindsight.
- Tour the hospital or birth centerNice to have
Where to park, where to check in at night, what they provide. Twenty minutes that lower the stress of the day.
Paperwork and leave
- Notify work and file leave paperworkEssential
Both parents. Some state programs require filing weeks before leave starts.
- Confirm the breast pump benefitEssential
Most insurance covers one. Order it in the third trimester through the approved supplier; find out how now.
- Plan for adding the baby to insuranceEssential
There's a window after birth. Know the number of days and who to call.
- Update or write a will and name a guardianNice to have
The unglamorous one. It's an afternoon, and then it's done.
- Life insurance and beneficiariesNice to have
The registry and the big purchases
Start the registry after the scan. Put the expensive, boring, essential things on it first.
- Build the registryEssential
One universal registry, sorted by what you need. Our checklist walks it item by item.
Open the registry checklist → - Choose the car seatEssential
The one purchase you can't be without. Register for it; it's a classic group gift.
Compare four infant car seats →Our pickNuna PIPA aire rxThe lightest carrier here by a wide margin, and it installs with just a seat belt for taxis.
View on Amazon - Choose the strollerEssential
One the car seat clicks into. Test the fold in the store with one hand.
How to build a registry people buy from →Our pickUPPAbaby VISTA V2 StrollerThe stroller that becomes a double when the second one arrives. Big spend; register for it.
View on Amazon - Choose the crib and mattressEssential
Delivery can take weeks. Order by the end of this trimester.
The nursery essentials checklist →Our pickBabyletto Hudson 3-in-1 Convertible CribConverts to a toddler bed and a daybed, so it's the last bed you buy for a while.
View on Amazon - Choose the bassinetEssentialOur pickHALO BassiNest Swivel Sleeper
Swivels over the bed, so night feeds don't mean getting up. Outgrown by five months; that's the point.
View on Amazon - Choose the gliderNice to have
Long delivery times. Sit in it before you buy.
Our pickBabyletto Kiwi Electronic Recliner and Swivel GliderReclines with a button, swivels, and doesn't look like it belongs in a waiting room.
View on Amazon
You
- Maternity clothes, a small capsuleEssential
Two pairs of pants, a few tops, one dress. Borrow or buy secondhand; they're worn for months, not years.
- Supportive shoesNice to have
Feet swell and arches change. Comfort now, forgiveness later.
- A pregnancy pillow, if you haven'tEssentialOur pickPharMeDoc U-Shaped Pregnancy Pillow
Side-sleeping with something holding you up. Takes over the bed; worth it.
View on Amazon - Move, gently and oftenEssential
Walking, swimming, prenatal yoga. Whatever your provider approved.
- Plan a trip, if you want oneNice to have
This is the trimester for it. Check your airline's policy and take your records.
The home
- Decide where the baby will sleep for the first monthsEssential
Beside your bed. Measure for the bassinet.
- Plan the nurseryNice to have
Paint and furniture now; decor later. Ventilate while painting and let someone else do it.
What a nursery actually needs → - Clear space and storageEssential
A dresser drawer and a closet shelf, at minimum. The stuff arrives before the baby does.
- Take care of the house things you keep postponingNice to have
The fix, the deep clean, the thing on the ladder. You won't do them at 36 weeks.
Names and people
- Narrow the name listNice to have
Say the finalists out loud with your surname. Say them angrily. Say them at a graduation.
Find a name with a soul → - Decide about a showerNice to have
Usually the third trimester. If someone offers to host, let them, and give them the registry link.
- Line up help for the first weeksEssential
Family, a friend rota, a postpartum doula, meal delivery. Decide now who's coming and when.
What you can skip
The part most lists leave out.
- Newborn clothes in quantity
People will give you clothes. Register for the boring sizes, 3–6 months up.
- Nursery decor
Furniture now, decor in the third trimester when the room exists.
- Toys
Not for months. Faces and voices.
- A second of any big-ticket item
One stroller, one carrier, one monitor. Add later if you actually want more.
- Every class
Childbirth, infant CPR, maybe breastfeeding. Beyond that you're paying for reassurance.
Still choosing a name? Find a name with a soul →
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