A confinement shopping and stocking list
What to have in before the birth: the pantry staples the confinement kitchen runs on, plus the household and recovery items that make the month easier.
Half of preparing for confinement is simply having the right things in the house before the birth. There are three lists, really: the traditional pantry the confinement kitchen runs on, the modern recovery kit the tradition never wrote down but every new mother needs, and the household kit that makes warmth and rest practical. Work through them in that order.
Everything here is dry, long-life or reusable unless marked fresh, so almost all of it can be bought in one trip well before the due date.
When to buy what
| When | What |
|---|---|
| Any time from the second trimester | The dry pantry staples, equipment, thermos, freezer containers |
| Weeks 30 to 34 | The recovery kit, feeding supplies, warm layers |
| Weeks 34 to 36 | Fresh proteins for batch cooking, then cook and freeze |
| Top up as you go | Fresh ginger, greens, fruit, milk |
The one thing not to leave late is the recovery kit. Nobody wants to be sending a partner out for maternity pads on day one.
The pantry staples
The backbone of confinement cooking, chosen by the tradition for their warming and nourishing qualities. Quantities below are a rough guide for one month of regular cooking, and every one of these keeps for months.
| Item | Roughly how much | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Old ginger | 1 to 2 kg | Far more than looks reasonable. It is in almost everything |
| Black sesame oil | 1 to 2 large bottles | Dark toasted kind, not the pale supermarket oil |
| Red dates | 500 g | The everyday sweetener and blood tonic |
| Goji berries | 250 g | Added at the end of almost any dish |
| Dried longan | 250 g | For the sweet soups and tonic teas |
| Rice wine | 2 to 3 bottles | Only if you are making the wine dishes |
| Brown sugar | 500 g | Chinese slab sugar if you can find it |
| Sweetened black vinegar | 1 large bottle | Only if making the pork trotter dish |
Worth adding if you cook the fuller tonic soups: astragalus, dang shen, Chinese yam, dried scallops, wood ear and snow fungus. Buy the medicinal herbs such as dang gui in small amounts, and ideally from a herbal dispensary where you can ask what suits you.
Fresh, bought closer to the time or for batch cooking: chicken pieces on the bone, pork ribs, pork trotters, white fish, eggs, Asian greens, and green papaya if you are making the lactation soup.
Where to find all of it, city by city, is covered in where to buy confinement ingredients in Australia.
The recovery kit
The list the tradition assumes someone else handles, and which modern postpartum care makes explicit. Have every one of these in the house before the birth.
For bleeding and perineal care, whichever way you give birth
- A peri bottle, to rinse gently rather than wipe
- Maternity pads, two to three packs. Bleeding continues for weeks
- High-waisted cotton underwear, several pairs you do not mind ruining
- Disposable underwear for the first days, if you prefer
After a vaginal birth
- Witch-hazel pads or a perineal spray
- Chilled soothing pads, pads dampened and frozen ahead, for the first days
- A sitz bath, a shallow warm soak, once the first days have passed
- A donut cushion if sitting is uncomfortable
After a caesarean
- High-waisted underwear that sits above the wound, not on it
- Loose, soft clothing and a pillow to brace the wound when you cough, laugh or get up
- Anything your surgical team specified, including pain relief. See planning confinement after a caesarean
For feeding, if you plan to breastfeed
- Soft, wire-free nursing bras, two or three
- Nipple cream and breast pads
- A warm and a cool compress: warm before a feed, cool after, helps with fullness and soreness
- A water bottle you can open one-handed, kept where you feed
General
- Paracetamol and ibuprofen, if your care team has cleared them
- A stool softener, which many people wish they had thought of
- Anything your midwife or doctor has specifically recommended
The household kit
A few things make warmth and rest, the heart of the month, genuinely practical.
- A thermos, ideally two, so warm water is always within reach
- A slow cooker or thermal pot, which earns its place this month more than any other appliance
- A heavy pot for soups and braises
- Freezer containers, a dozen or more single-portion size, and a label pen
- Warm layers: socks, slippers, a shawl or wrap for feeding, a hot water bottle
- A hairdryer, so hair can be dried quickly and warm after washing
- A feeding station: a comfortable chair, a side table, a lamp, a phone charger, snacks, all within arm’s reach
- A belly binder, only if you choose to use one, and with care after a caesarean. Read should I wear a belly binder first
Stock for two weeks, then top up
You do not need a month of everything at once. Aim to have the first two weeks fully covered, with extra of the dry staples and all of the recovery basics, then top up fresh ginger, greens and proteins as you go. The first fortnight is when nobody has the energy to shop, which is exactly why it is the fortnight to cover.
Useful resources
On this site
- How to prepare for confinement, the wider plan this list sits inside
- Batch cooking and freezer prep, what to do with the proteins once you have bought them
- A 30-day meal plan, so you know what you are shopping for
- Where to buy confinement ingredients in Australia
- Your free confinement plan, which builds a personalised version around your birth, support and state
Elsewhere
- Pregnancy, Birth and Baby has a free helpline on 1800 882 436 staffed by maternal child health nurses
- The Australian Breastfeeding Association runs the National Breastfeeding Helpline on 1800 686 268, free and 24 hours
- Raising Children Network covers the newborn side that this list deliberately leaves out
Sources
- Optimizing Postpartum Care (Committee Opinion 736) , American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
- The Zuo Yuezi Guide (Lee)
- Postpartum 30: Thirty Days to a Nurtured Fourth Trimester (Kristal Lau, MBBS)
Common questions
What are the essential confinement pantry ingredients?
The core few are old ginger, black sesame oil, red dates (jujubes) and goji berries, which appear across most confinement dishes. Add dried longan, rice wine, brown sugar, sesame oil and a herb or two like dang gui, and you can cook the great majority of the month’s food.
What postpartum recovery supplies do I actually need?
The genuinely useful ones are a peri bottle, large maternity pads, comfortable high-waisted underwear, and, if you had a vaginal birth, perineal comfort items like witch-hazel pads, a chilled soothing pad (a "padsicle") and a sitz bath. For feeding, wire-free nursing bras, nipple cream and breast pads. Prepare these before the birth so no one is sent out for them.
How much should I buy?
Enough to cover at least the first two weeks without shopping, and more of the dry, long-life staples since they keep. Old ginger in particular is used in large amounts, so buy far more than looks reasonable. You can top up fresh items like ginger, greens and proteins later.