What do I need to arrange during pregnancy?

My son is covered under my life insurance policy, I don't pay anything for him until he's 18. I had to register him within 30 days after birth, otherwise it wouldn't be possible. Also, an unborn baby is covered.

You can only apply for childcare allowance once the childcare is arranged and your baby is born. You'll need a BSN (citizen service number). That way, you'll know exactly when to start, and it's usually sorted within 6 weeks. So applying a month in advance is plenty of time.

I did my insurance a day later, thinking about health and funeral insurance. I asked beforehand what documents they needed, and again, a BSN is required. So it depends on when you register with the municipality when you can call.

I'd arrange childcare before the birth. Then you only need to call after the birth to confirm the start date. I just re-registered with childcare too, and in April the contracts will be finalized; I need childcare from May onwards.

If you can't call about insurance, emailing is an option. You'll also find lots of info on their website.

With your first child, you also need to register with the SVB (Dutch Social Security Bank) for child benefit. Usually, you'll get an automatic letter from them, but I think you can also register by phone or via their website.

I think that's the most important stuff to sort out. I'd say make a to-do list for the days after the birth... it really helped me.