You’ve probably dreamt of the day you bring your beautiful baby home since you got pregnant, but time spent in a neonatal unit can make leaving more intimidating. If your baby’s been very ill, if you’ve been ill, or if there are lots of medicines and other requirements for which you will have sole responsibility at home, you may feel overwhelmed by the prospect of you and your baby being left alone with your baby for the first time. If there is a family room available in the unit, your hospital team may allow you space to handle taking care of your baby without them for a few days while remaining on the premises.

What should be on my checklist before I leave the unit?

You should know how to change, bathe, and dress your baby appropriately before you leave. Make sure you know all about your baby’s medicines and oxygen, if they need it, as well as how to store your expressed breast milk. If you feed your baby using formula, staff on the neonatal unit should show you how to make up feeds safely before you go home. You should also know how to wash and sterilise your baby’s bottles and teats.

Your baby’s birth needs to be registered in their first six weeks if you are in England, Wales, or Northern Ireland. In Scotland, the deadline is 21 days. Your baby must be registered in the district where they were born. All births should be registered at the local registry office or at the hospital before the mother leaves. Your hospital will tell you whether you can register the birth there. If you cannot register the birth (for example, for medical reasons), someone who was present at the birth, someone who is responsible for your baby, or a member of the administrative staff at the hospital where the child was born can do it for you.

If you’re in the UK, you will be given an NHS number for your baby in the neonatal unit that you can use to register them with a local GP.

Someone should have spoken to you about reducing the risk of cot death, which you can also learn about on this journey or on Unii’s Baby Sleep Journey with award-winning sleep coach Sam Sadighi.

Basic baby first aid is a great skill for any parent. You can learn more about it from Unii expert Sonia Sinclair on our Paediatric First Aid Journey.

What kit does my baby need at home?

Some parents feel like a shopping spree is necessary before their newborn comes home. As there will be so many expenses in the coming months, we’d like to narrow your list down a little.

Things you need

Bottles and bottle-feeding and sterilising equipment

Clothing and nappies of the correct size

A baby thermometer

A cot or Moses basket and a pram that suit a newborn, as well as blankets and sheets for them

A first-stage infant car seat with an insert that keeps your baby stable and secure

Hand sanitiser (for guests and anyone coming into the house)

Optional accessories

A baby bath (your washing-up bowl is also fine).

A changing mat (a towel will do)

A changing bag (you can also use a small rucksack)

Dummies (if you want to use them, it’s fine not to)

Some parents find a nasal aspirator helpful in decongesting their baby's nose before feeding. Whether you want to use them or not, the studies available suggest that they are safe for premature babies.

Things you don’t need

Baby nests, warmers, wraps, and sheepskins can overheat your baby.

A sugar solution is given for pain relief on the unit, but your baby shouldn’t have it at home.

The latest baby gadgets and development-supporting toys—let people give you these as gifts!

How can I prepare to take my premature baby home?

Unii looks at checklists and priorities for parents preparing to take their premature newborn home.