Quick answer
Work back from your due date. Book confinement help about 20 weeks before, compare the three CDA banks about 8 weeks before and pack the hospital bag about 6 weeks before. After the birth, register it on LifeSG within 42 days; it costs S$18. Apply for the Baby Bonus and choose your CDA bank in the same flow.
The useful number: Birth registration has a legal limit of 42 days and costs S$18; everything else on the list is typical practice, not a rule.
Date every task to your due date
Enter your due date. Each task gets its date; tick it off when done.
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Who is this for, and when should you start?
Parents-to-be, from about 20 weeks before the estimated due date (EDD) to 6 weeks after the birth. Only birth registration, the Child Development Account (CDA) and the 42-day limit are government process. The rest is typical practice.
What are the steps, week by week?
- About 20 weeks before: book a confinement nanny or food caterer. Popular months fill early.
- About 16 weeks before: plan the money with the Baby Bonus + CDA maximiser. Decide how much to save into the CDA.
- About 12 weeks before: book antenatal classes and a delivery-ward tour.
- About 8 weeks before: compare the CDA banks: POSB/DBS, OCBC and UOB. You pick one at birth registration.
- About 6 weeks before: pack the hospital bag, with both parents’ NRICs, your marriage certificate and your antenatal notes.
- About 4 weeks before: sort the car seat, the hospital route, care for older children and leave dates.
- After the birth: the hospital issues the notification of live birth. Register on LifeSG (S$18) for a digital birth certificate, and apply for the Baby Bonus in the same flow.
- About 3 weeks after: open the CDA at your chosen bank when the instructions arrive.
- By day 42: the birth must be registered. That is the legal limit.
What does this look like for a baby due on 1 March 2027?
On 10 October 2026, an EDD of 1 March 2027 gives:
- Days to go
- 142
- Book confinement help (20 weeks before)
- 12 October 2026
- Compare CDA banks (8 weeks before)
- 4 January 2027
- Register the birth (about 2 weeks after)
- 15 March 2027
- 42 days after the EDD
- 12 April 2027
The legal limit counts from the actual birth. A baby born on 3 March 2027 must be registered by 14 April 2027.
Which tool and download help?
The Confinement countdown checklist dates every task; ticks stay on this phone. Print the Confinement countdown checklist for the fridge. Keep the Birth registration, Baby Bonus and CDA steps with your hospital documents.
What does this checklist not cover?
It is a planning list. Your doctor or hospital decides your antenatal care. Keep your Child Health Booklet with you after the birth. If something feels wrong, discuss it with your doctor.
For a birth overseas or parents who are not married, check the LifeSG birth registration page first.
Printables for this guide
Confinement countdown checklist
A week-by-week list to the due date: confinement help, hospital bag and paperwork. Then register the birth and open the CDA within the official deadlines.
Birth registration, Baby Bonus and CDA steps
The steps in order: register the birth on LifeSG within 42 days and enrol in the same flow. Then open the CDA for the First Step Grant and co-matching.
First 42 days newborn calendar
Your newborn's first six weeks: register the birth within 42 days and set up the Baby Bonus and CDA. Date the jaundice review, first jabs and postnatal check.
Hospital bag and admission list
The documents Singapore hospitals ask for at admission and for birth registration. Plus a light packing list for mum, baby and partner, for heat and cold wards.
Confinement nanny hiring kit
MOM's Work Permit steps for a Malaysian confinement nanny, interview questions, a duties and hours agreement to sign together, and a handover checklist.
Baby gear checklist
Buy, borrow, have or skip each item, with your own budget column. Plus the car seat, safe-sleep and second-hand rules in the official pages’ words.
Try it with your numbers
Put in your own details to see your answer.
Open confinement countdown checklist →Frequently asked questions
What is the deadline to register a birth in Singapore?
42 days from the birth, on LifeSG. It costs S$18 and you get a digital birth certificate.
Which banks can open a Child Development Account?
Three: POSB/DBS, OCBC and UOB. Compare them before the birth, because you choose one during birth registration.
What should I pack for the hospital?
Both parents’ NRICs, your marriage certificate, your antenatal notes, baby’s going-home outfit, chargers and snacks.
Keep this guide for the next big decision.
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Sources & assumptions
Discuss your care with your doctor.