Every month, explained.

Tap a place under an item to jump to it. Options are listed in the order most parents find easiest.

Best for cots, strollers, car seats, maternity wear, nursing bras and advice from trained staff.

• Mothercare, R. A. de Mel Mawatha, Colombo 5: maternity, baby clothing, gear and toys, usually at premium prices.
• babybear.lk: online baby specialist that delivers island-wide.

More specialist shops in and around Colombo

Tap a shop to see its details and map link. Details come from Google Maps listings, so confirm hours and stock by phone before you travel.

Confirm stock, hours and current branch details before you travel. Own a specialist shop? Message us to be listed. Listings are not endorsements.

Cargills Food City, Keells, Arpico and Glomark stock nappies, wipes, formula and toiletries, and often run pack promotions.

• Compare the price per nappy, not the pack price.
• Check the expiry date on formula and baby food.

Best for thermometers, barrier cream, saline drops, vitamins and medicines.

• Ask the pharmacist for doses by weight, never by age.
• Buy only from licensed pharmacies and keep the receipt.

Specialist mother and baby websites

Tap a site to see what it offers. Websites change, so check delivery fees, returns and current stock before paying.

Marketplaces

Daraz and Kapruka suit larger items such as cots, strollers and car seats.

• Check the seller's returns policy and the MRP before paying.
• Prefer cash on delivery or a reputable payment method for new sellers.

• Fine second-hand: clothes, books, toys (washed), bouncers.
• Always buy new: cots, mattresses, car seats, helmets, bottle teats and breast-pump parts.

• By month 7: hospital bag, nursing bras, mosquito net, newborn clothes.
• By month 8: cot and firm mattress, changing mat, one small pack of newborn nappies.
• After birth: buy extras once you know what your baby uses.

Your MOH clinic and Public Health Midwife handle registration, antenatal checks, growth monitoring and every EPI vaccine at no cost.

• Castle Street Hospital for Women (Colombo 8): main referral centre for pregnancy.
• Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children (Colombo 8): main children's hospital.

Nawaloka, Asiri, Durdans, Lanka Hospitals and Hemas offer consultant obstetric and paediatric care.

• Ask for a delivery package price in writing before you book.
• Ask what is excluded, such as NICU stays and extra nights.

• Book consultants through the hospital desk, Doc990 or eChannelling.
• Choose your delivery hospital by month 6 and register early.
• Visit the labour ward before month 8.

Verified consultant profiles will be added soon, each with the doctor's written consent and an SLMC registration check.

To find a consultant today: check the doctor's registration on the SLMC register, and use the Sri Lanka College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists or the Sri Lanka College of Paediatricians for specialist qualifications. Then channel through the hospital desk, Doc990 or eChannelling.

Are you a consultant? Message us to be listed. Listings are informational, not endorsements.

• Free at MOH clinics; keep your child health record safe and bring it to every visit.
• Vaccines run at birth, 2, 4, 6, 9, 12 and 18 months, then 3 and 5 years.

• Ask your Public Health Midwife or the hospital ward for latching help before you go home.
• Private lactation consultants are available through the larger hospitals.

Feeling very low, anxious or unable to cope for more than two weeks after birth is common and treatable.

• Tell your doctor, midwife or clinic.
• National Mental Health Helpline: 1926. Please confirm the number before relying on it.