6 Things to Organise Before Your Baby Arrives in Australia

Parental leave probably isn't the most exciting part of preparing for a baby, but sorting it out before your due date can remove a lot of administration from an already busy time.

Start by speaking with your employer about the leave available to you, when you plan to finish work and what notice or documentation they require. It is also worth checking whether your employer provides paid parental leave in addition to any Australian Government support you may be eligible for.

Services Australia's Parental Leave Pay is available to eligible parents who meet requirements including work, income and residence rules. For children born or adopted from 1 July 2026, families can receive up to 130 days, equivalent to 26 weeks based on a five-day week. How those days can be used and shared depends on your circumstances.

You can also lodge a Parental Leave Pay claim up to three months before your baby's expected birth, although payment cannot begin until after the birth and the required information has been provided.

If you'll be bringing your baby home from hospital by car, the child restraint is one thing you definitely don't want to leave until the last minute.

Choose a restraint that is appropriate for a newborn and complies with Australian requirements. Depending on the product and your preferences, this may be a rear-facing child restraint or an infant capsule.

Give yourself time to read the manufacturer's instructions, understand how the harness works and make sure the restraint is correctly fitted to your vehicle. Australian child restraint rules can also vary according to age and circumstances, so check the requirements that apply where you live.

If you're unsure about the installation, consider having the restraint checked or fitted by an appropriately qualified child restraint fitting service available in your area.

Setting up the nursery can easily turn into a decorating project, but your baby's actual sleep space is one area where simple is better.

Red Nose recommends a safe cot that meets the applicable Australian Standard, together with a firm, clean, flat mattress that is the correct size for the cot. Babies should be placed on their back to sleep with their head and face uncovered.

Keep pillows, doonas, cot bumpers, lambswool, soft toys and other soft or bulky items out of the baby's sleep environment. Red Nose also recommends that babies sleep in their own safe sleep space in the same room as their parent or caregiver for at least the first six months.

Before your due date, assemble the cot or bassinet according to its instructions, check the mattress fit and think about where the sleep space will be positioned. Keep it away from blind cords, heaters and other potential hazards.

Having your hospital bag ready ahead of time can make the final weeks of pregnancy feel a little more organised, particularly because babies don't always arrive according to schedule.

Your hospital or birth centre may provide its own packing recommendations, so check those first. What you need will depend on where you're giving birth, how long you expect to stay and what your hospital provides.

A practical starting point might include:

• comfortable clothes and sleepwear for you
• toiletries and personal items
• phone and charger
• any documents your hospital has asked you to bring
• clothes for baby to wear home
• nappies and wipes if your hospital asks you to supply them
• muslin wraps or other items recommended by your maternity service
• a separate bag for your partner or support person if needed

It can also help to keep the bag somewhere obvious and make sure your partner or support person knows where it is.

Newborns may be tiny, but they have a remarkable ability to create laundry. Having a small collection of clean clothes and everyday essentials ready can make those first few weeks much easier.

Wash the clothes, wraps, towels and other washable textiles you expect to use first, following the care instructions for each item. You don't necessarily need to wash every larger size you've purchased. Keeping some items unused until you know how quickly your baby grows can be more practical.

Organise the things you'll reach for most often somewhere easy to access. Depending on your setup, that might include:

• newborn and 0-3 month clothing
• nappies and wipes
• burp cloths and muslin wraps
• baby towels and washcloths
• clean bedding appropriate for your baby's sleep space
• basic changing supplies

Try not to feel pressured into buying every baby product before the birth. You can always add things once you discover what your baby and your household actually use.

You don't need to know exactly how feeding will unfold before your baby is born. Every baby and every parent's circumstances are different, and plans sometimes change once the baby arrives.

What can help is knowing where to find reliable information and support. If you're planning to breastfeed, you might read about positioning, attachment, expressing and common early challenges before birth. If you're considering formula feeding or combination feeding, familiarise yourself with safe preparation and feeding guidance from reputable Australian health sources.

It is also useful to ask your hospital, midwife, obstetrician or maternal and child health service what feeding support will be available after birth.

Rather than buying large quantities of feeding equipment in advance, start with what you reasonably expect to need. Once your baby arrives, you'll have a much clearer idea of what works for your family.