new baby to do list - social security, etc.

[CloudBee]

I'm making a list of things I want to tackle as soon as I am comfortable enough to start running these "errands" post birth.

What else should be added? Am I missing anything big?

Do I have these in the right order?

1) social security card request - may drop off form in person as an office is really close by (or tell me how long it took you to receive the card if you did it by mail?)

2) duplicate birth certificate(s) at local town hall (unsure how official the one we receive in the hospital is, should chat with friends who have delivered where we hope to deliver)

3) passport application & submission (I think I need 1 & 2 before I can tackle this, and also believe I need to have my husband with me as this will obviously be the minor's first passport)

Anything else I should get on right away?

I know I need to add them to our health insurance, but that's seamless enough that I don't need it on my list.

[Deleted]

You'll need passport photos as well before you do #3.

[sewpinkgal]

Just FYI, I know our county you must wait 90 days before submitting paperwork for an official birth cert. Double check before you put this in your must-do list for just after birth.

We submitted the social security card paperwork at the hospital. I think we received his card before he was a month old. I think. It's all still foggy.

[anna7602]

My hospital gave me a big packet the morning after DD was born with the SS application and the birth certificate form. I filled it out between nursing and napping. So, I didn't have to do anything on my own.

In NYS, the birth certificate arrived in the mail a few weeks after DD was born. It was not issued in the hospital. I requested a duplicate to get out of jury duty a few months later and it looks completely different than the original.

The SS card came when DD was 3 weeks old (I remember that my MIL was the one who got the mail that day).

For the passport, I did have to do it in person with DH. The line sucked. I sent DH ahead to wait in the line and brought DD only when it seemed like we were close (I lived 2 blocks from the post office then).

[vanillacourage]

When we had DS1, we filled out forms in the hospital and got the birth certificate & SS card in the mail.

When we had DS2 at a different hospital, they didn't do anything, and in fact didn't even initiate the mailing-out of the birth certificate. So I had to go to our city's health department and have them print one out. Then, it was my preference to just mail in what we needed for the SS card rather than go to the office and wait in line.

[CloudBee]

This is helpful, thanks. Passport photo - ah! That definitely needs to be on my list as I'm sure my brain will be a little foggy. What's the best place to go for infant passport photos? I'm sure a CVS can't handle that as the kiddo can't stand against the photo curtain...

[cjeanette]

We mailed in out birth cert and SS# request. The hosital provided the paperwork.

[Deleted]

I had passport photos of DS done at about 4 months at a local photo studio. He was old enough to be propped sitting, but if baby is too young for that they can lie them on a sheet and take it from above. Definitely call and ask if they do baby passport photos - it didn't cost any more at the photo studio than the drugstore and was way easier.

[ijack]

1. our paperwork is handled by the hospital, we only had to fill in info.
2. had to wait for SSN, then send in for it. Didn't get even a copy from the hospital.
3. I would guess CVS can still handle it, since you'll hold him regardless.

[pugz]

omg I was a total fail when it came to the birth certificate. They had us pay money in the hospital for it so I ASSUMED we'd be getting it in the mail. No that was just the money to file the paperwork. I didn't actually read anything that they gave me (you know, newborn and all that) so I kept waiting and waiting for the certificate and finally got online and realized I had to order it. I ended up paying like $50 to get it rushed so we could get her on our insurance in time, we only had 30 days after her birth to do so.

[Deleted]

You can get passport pics taken at the post office if you go on Passport Day. I saw a new born getting his photo taken once and it was hilarious.

[pugz]

and since I went early I never got to meet with the maternity coordinator at the hospital that likely would have told me the process and about the $4 cash I needed to bring. The nurse just came to us asking for $4 and we were like uhhhhh we have no cash. Bring cash to the hospital!

our SS card just arrived in the mail, we must have filled out paperwork for it at the hospital and I guess it didn't cost money to file since they didn't ask us for any

[CloudBee]

pugz - you had to pay for your birth certificate? Should I make sure we have a checkbook with us at the hospital?

ETA: I know duplicate copies cost $ but just assumed (probably stupidly) that the first copy was a freebie, lol.

[aspentosh]

Dec 10, 2012 11:59:39 GMT -5 cjeanette said:

We mailed in out birth cert and SS# request. The hosital provided the paperwork.

Ditto.

[arch01]

Dec 10, 2012 12:03:06 GMT -5 CloudBee said:

pugz - you had to pay for your birth certificate? Should I make sure we have a checkbook with us at the hospital?

ETA: I know duplicate copies cost $ but just assumed (probably stupidly) that the first copy was a freebie, lol.

we have to pay for ours here, the hospital just sends in the birth record and then we pay $10/copy.

each hospital and county are different, you're honestly better off directly asking your hospital what they will do/what they need.

[pugz]

to file the paperwork they needed exactly $4 in cash, lol.

does your hospital do pre-registration? If so, they can explain all that to you I'm sure, it totally varies at each hospital.

[iheartbanjos]

Dec 10, 2012 12:03:06 GMT -5 CloudBee said:

pugz - you had to pay for your birth certificate? Should I make sure we have a checkbook with us at the hospital?

ETA: I know duplicate copies cost $ but just assumed (probably stupidly) that the first copy was a freebie, lol.

Woah, take some deep breaths and enjoy your pregnancy.

You don't have to pay for extra birth certificate copies on the spot. The hospital will give you the necessary forms for social security and birth certificates to complete and mail in. As for the passport, once we had those, we took DD to walgreens to get her pics then went to a special passport office (both mom and dad needed to be present with the baby to get a passport.)

99.999% of people are not as organized as you and the hospital makes it as easy as possible.

[CloudBee]

Dec 10, 2012 12:31:39 GMT -5 iheartbanjos said:

Dec 10, 2012 12:03:06 GMT -5 CloudBee said:

pugz - you had to pay for your birth certificate? Should I make sure we have a checkbook with us at the hospital?

ETA: I know duplicate copies cost $ but just assumed (probably stupidly) that the first copy was a freebie, lol.

Woah, take some deep breaths and enjoy your pregnancy.

...

99.999% of people are not as organized as you and the hospital makes it as easy as possible.

I'm not really organized - just making a punch list which took all of 2 minutes alongside this post.

And I am enjoying my pregnancy, thanks.

[barefootcontessa]

I am sure all of this varies by state and hospital. Where I deliver, the hospital files the paperwork with the SSA and I get a social security card in the mail about four to six weeks later. This requires that you have a name for your child.

The hospital gives me a proof of birth letter and then I need mail in a form to the department of vital records for our state with a check for $12. The hospital suggests waiting a couple of weeks.

You will need a birth certificate to get a passport. I think you can get one without a SSN, not sure. I am always amazed at how quickly the social security card shows up.

Regarding the photo: I have had newborns get their picture done at CVS. I just held up his head. Passport was issued with no delay.

[whitepicketfence]

I delivered each kid at a different hospital and both supplied us with the birth certificate/SS forms and mailed them for us. We didn't have to pay anything.

[mrssandro]

We still haven't done her passport. We did her birth certificate last year because we went to Florida. The SSN card came like a month after she was born.

[mellymel]

Maybe some other things to add to your list:

Update legal stuff (beneficiaries, trusts, wills, etc)

Set up account(s) for BabyBee - we did an ING Savings for DS as soon as we got his social security card so we could start depositing cash gifts we received for him and not lose track, etc. More detailed accounts stuff can be done later.

Schedule newborn photo shoot (if interested) way in advance of birth. Good photographers will be booked if you wait too long and newborn shoots are typically done in the first 10 days of life. Then you can order birth announcements if you are doing those.

[anna7602]

ps- if you happen to give birth in France, they give you the "carnet de sante" (health form) that follows the kid for life right at the hospital. If you don't, then you are completely screwed and have to go to 80 different government offices in order to get one before you are allowed to enroll your child in a French school.

Just putting this out there for perspective. Everything I had to do with DD in the US seems about ten billion times easier than any paperwork I've had to do here.

[Willis Jackson]

DH did all of that. I paid no attention whatsoever.

[CloudBee]

Dec 10, 2012 12:44:38 GMT -5 mellymel said:

Schedule newborn photo shoot (if interested) way in advance of birth. Good photographers will be booked if you wait too long and newborn shoots are typically done in the first 10 days of life. Then you can order birth announcements if you are doing those.

I had no clue. I need to look into this because I do want to do this. Thank you.

[iheartbanjos]

Dec 10, 2012 12:33:22 GMT -5 CloudBee said:

Dec 10, 2012 12:31:39 GMT -5 iheartbanjos said:

Woah, take some deep breaths and enjoy your pregnancy.

...

99.999% of people are not as organized as you and the hospital makes it as easy as possible.

I'm not really organized - just making a punch list which took all of 2 minutes alongside this post.

And I am enjoying my pregnancy, thanks.

I meant that more as a compliment than to be snarky. I can tell that you are enjoying your pregnancy by the purchase of oversized african animals ;D

RE: newborn photo shoot. Our hospital had an onsite photographer that did them for us. We brought in a few props and they did pictures when DD was 1 day old the morning that we went home from the hospital. We bought the whole disk of pictures for around $120.

[pugz]

Definitely look for a photographer early, many only book a certain number of shoots per month so you'll want to get on their schedule. We found one that did a first year package, newborn, 6 months, and a year. She also designed our birth announcement for us and we just had to get it printed. Newborn shoots usually are done in the first 2 weeks when baby is super sleepy. We wanting lifestyle photography so she came to our house and we used minimal props. We didn't want the Anne Geddes style photography.

[jackpackage]

We just got a passport for ds about a month ago-around 4 months. They take pictures at our post office. They left him in his car seat and put a white sheet behind his head. Their eyes have to be open, so you may want to wait a few weeks until he's not so sleepy all the time!

[Ashley&Scott]

Dec 10, 2012 11:59:39 GMT -5 cjeanette said:

We mailed in out birth cert and SS# request. The hosital provided the paperwork.

Ditto. It was all submitted before we left the hospital. (I remember they strongly encouraged this, I can't remember if it was required.)

Social security card timelines vary by state I believe. I remember finding an online estimate somewhere, M's took about 6 weeks to arrive.

[frlcb]

We did ds's passport photos ourselves (you can do them online) and with dd we had them done by someone, both were 2 weeks old when we had them taken. Also your dh doesn't have to come if you get a notarized letter from him stating he is okay with it (it is an official form on the passport page). Also, at least where I am, you can no longer show up to get a passport at a post office, you have to make an appointment.