Newborn checklist for Australia: the first 60 days
After the birth there are six pieces of paperwork and four health checks, and only two have hard deadlines: register the birth within 60 days, and add the baby to private health cover within two months if you hold it. Enter the birth date and the list below becomes a dated plan; tick items off as you go.
Before you leave the hospital
At the birth: vitamin K, hepatitis B vaccine, newborn check
Vitamin K injection (prevents a rare bleeding disorder), the hepatitis B birth dose and a full newborn examination before you go home. Skin-to-skin and first feed are routine.
Newborn hearing screen
Done before discharge (Healthy Hearing in Queensland) or at an outpatient visit in the first weeks.
Collect the hospital paperwork
Before leaving: the Newborn Child Declaration (your proof of birth for Medicare and Centrelink), the birth-registration pack and the baby’s personal health record.
In Queensland the personal health record is the red book: take it to every child health, GP and immunisation visit.
Newborn bloodspot (heel-prick) screening
Between 48 and 72 hours. A few drops of blood screen for about 25 rare but treatable conditions. Free; results only if something needs follow-up.
Enrol the baby in Medicare
Enrol the baby in Medicare
Submit the Newborn Child Declaration through your Medicare online account in myGov (or the Express Plus Medicare app). If you claim Parental Leave Pay or Family Tax Benefit, Services Australia enrols the baby for you. The baby is added to your card and a My Health Record is created.
Enrolling your baby in MedicareWhen your baby arrives checklist (myGov)
Midwife home visits
Public hospitals visit at home in the first days: feeding, weight, jaundice check and how you are recovering. MGP teams continue for up to six weeks.
Finalise Centrelink
Finalise the Centrelink claims
Give proof of birth to finish the Parental Leave Pay, Family Tax Benefit or Newborn Upfront Payment claim. Family Tax Benefit and Newborn claims must be lodged within 52 weeks of the birth; Parental Leave Pay days must be used within two years.
Parental Leave Pay (Services Australia)Family Tax BenefitNewborn Upfront Payment and Supplement
Child health nurse check (1–4 weeks)
The first child health visit happens in the first one to two weeks, at home or at a clinic: weight, feeding and how you are coping. Later checks at 6–8 weeks, 4, 6, 12 and 18 months.
Queensland Health Child Health Service; 13 HEALTH (13 43 25 84) is available 24 hours a day.
Register the birth
Register the birth
Within 60 days, free, online with the state registry. Both parents provide their details and sign. A birth certificate is ordered separately (about $58 in Queensland) and is needed for a passport and many enrolments.
Add the baby to private health cover (if you have it)
Most funds require the newborn to be added within two months of the birth for cover to run from the birth date.
Health checks and immunisations
6-week postnatal check for mum
With your GP: physical recovery, mood (EPDS), bleeding, contraception and breastfeeding. Mention anything that worries you, however small.
6–8-week baby check and first immunisations
Free under the National Immunisation Program from 6 weeks (listed as 2 months): DTPa-hepB-IPV-Hib, pneumococcal and rotavirus (oral). Then again at 4 and 6 months. An up-to-date immunisation history is needed for the Child Care Subsidy.
Claim the Child Care Subsidy before care starts
Claim through Centrelink once a centre is confirmed; the subsidy is paid directly to the centre.
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Back to the appointment timeline →Questions about the first weeks
How do I add my newborn to Medicare?
Submit the Newborn Child Declaration from the hospital through your Medicare online account in myGov, or let Services Australia do it when you provide proof of birth for Parental Leave Pay or Family Tax Benefit.
How long do I have to register a birth in Australia?
60 days in every state and territory. Registration is free; the certificate is a separate purchase.
What is proof of birth for Centrelink?
The Newborn Child Declaration, signed by the doctor or midwife, which the hospital gives you before discharge. You submit it online to finish your claim.
When is the heel-prick test done?
Between 48 and 72 hours after birth, usually before you go home or at the first midwife home visit.
When are the baby's first vaccinations?
At six to eight weeks (listed as two months on the schedule), free under the National Immunisation Program, then at four and six months.
Written by the Hello Bub team; money and Centrelink sections follow the Services Australia rules; last reviewed 3 Nov 2026.