Baby's first year

Your baby's first year is packed with milestones, both exciting and challenging. As a new parent, you are likely to have questions on everything from registering your baby’s birth to their stages of development.

There are some key things you need to do once the baby is born.

Register the birth 

You must legally register the birth within 42 days of your baby being born. You will need a birth certificate when applying for any benefits related to the birth of a newborn. 

An appointment must be made to register a birth at Croydon Register Office. We do not allow walk-in appointments. 

Follow our step-by-step guide on registering a birth.

A little girl and her baby brother

Arrange a health visitor service

It is important to ensure your baby has a healthy start. You can arrange regular visits from healthcare professionals. 

Health visiting service

The health visiting service typically works with families with children under the age of 5 years old who are a Croydon resident or registered with a Croydon GP. They lead on a whole range of activities such as health reviews, parenting support, nutrition and breastfeeding support. The service aims to:

  • deliver the healthy child programme (age 0 to 5 years old)
  • identify health needs as early as possible 
  • improve health and wellbeing
  • prevent ill health

School age immunisation services

The school age immunisation services deliver school-based immunisation programmes, in which homeschooled children and children not in mainstream schools are also included.

Find out more about health visitors on the NHS website.

Sex and contraception

It is possible to become pregnant again three weeks after the birth of your baby.