Baby Documents Playbook

1 · Decide the baby's full legal name

• First, middle, and last name decided and spelled out exactly. This goes on the hospital birth-certificate worksheet and becomes the legal name. The pediatrician enrollment and the SSN request both need it too.

2 · Build the hospital documents folder (physical, grab-and-go)

One folder that rides in the car with the hospital bag:

• Both parents' photo IDs (driver's licenses)
• Blair's health insurance card(s) — medical + pharmacy if separate
• Hospital pre-registration confirmation (done — Blair's portal, Sept 14)
• Chosen pediatrician's name, practice, and phone number
• Payment method for any hospital copay/deductible at admission
• Car seat manual or installed-seat checklist — the hospital won't discharge without a car seat
• One-page "key info" sheet: both parents' full legal names, DOBs, SSNs, addresses, employer info, and emergency contacts — the worksheet asks for all of this and it's easier to copy than recall

3 · Set up the shared digital folder — "Baby Documents"

One shared folder (Google Drive / iCloud) with subfolders:

• Hospital (pre-reg, discharge papers, bills, EOBs) · Identity (birth certificates, SSN card, passport) · Insurance (enrollment confirmations, member ID cards) · Pediatrician (immunization record, screening results) · Money (529, beneficiaries, FSA, W-4s) · Legal (will/trust, guardianship, nanny agreement)

4 · Insurance pre-work — Blair's plan (Blair owns this)

• Confirm the newborn enrollment window (typically 30 days from birth — get the exact number)
• Confirm how to add the baby: portal, phone, or HR form — and what proof of birth is accepted (a hospital letter works before the certificate arrives)
• Save the member-services number and enrollment contact on the key-info sheet
• Ask whether the baby is covered under Blair's policy automatically from the moment of birth for the first 30 days (most plans do — confirm, since bills start at delivery)

5 · Pre-stage the post-birth money moves (no action yet — just know the triggers)

• 529: Illinois's Bright Start 529 lets Illinois residents deduct contributions from state income tax. It needs the baby's SSN to open — research now, open when the SSN arrives.
• Beneficiaries: after birth, update life insurance, 401(k)/retirement accounts, and bank accounts — beneficiary designations override wills.
• W-4s: both employers can update withholding once the baby is born (a dependent changes Step 3).
• Estate plan: the Sept 25 meeting with Tara Baker covers guardianship; documents get finalized with the baby's legal name after birth.

1 · Birth certificate worksheet — do this carefully

• Complete the birth registration worksheet the hospital provides. The hospital files the official record with the state — what you write is the legal record.
• Baby's full name — final spelling, exactly as decided
• Both parents' full legal names, dates of birth, birthplaces, SSNs, current address (copy from the key-info sheet)
• Double-check every spelling before handing it back — corrections after filing are slow and annoying

2 · Social Security number — check the box

• Check the box requesting a Social Security number on the hospital paperwork (the SSA's Enumeration at Birth program — Illinois hospitals participate). Provide both parents' SSNs.
• Keep the hospital's confirmation that the SSN was requested

No name, no card — the SSN can't be issued until the baby is named. The card is mailed to you, typically within about 6–12 weeks of birth. If it hasn't arrived by ~12 weeks, call SSA at 1-800-772-1213. Never pay anyone a fee for an SSN card — it's always free.

3 · Collect and keep

• Discharge papers for Blair and the baby
• Newborn screening information (Illinois requires a heel-stick screening before discharge — results go to the pediatrician; keep your copy)
• Hearing screening results
• The pediatrician assignment / your chosen practice's intake info
• Proof-of-birth letter or hospital birth record — ask the registrar for one; it's what you'll use to enroll the baby in insurance before the certified certificate arrives
• Itemized hospital bills and payment receipts (Blair's delivery + baby's nursery charges are billed separately — watch for both)

Week 1

• First pediatrician visit (3–5 days after birth) — the hospital usually books this; confirm it happened. Start the immunization record file.
• File the hospital paperwork — scan discharge papers, bills, and the proof-of-birth letter into the digital folder.

Weeks 2–3

• Order certified birth certificates — 5–8 copies. The birth happened in Chicago (Cook County): order from the Cook County Clerk's Bureau of Vital Records (fastest for a Chicago birth), or the Illinois Dept. of Public Health in Springfield ($15 first certified copy, $2 each additional copy ordered at the same time). Expedited online ordering via VitalChek for an extra fee. Illinois birth records are confidential — only parents/legal representatives can request them.
  You'll need them at different times for: the passport application, insurance enrollment, the 529 (sometimes), the pediatrician file, your own records, and one spare. $2 each — cheap insurance against re-ordering later.
• Add the baby to Blair's health insurance — don't wait for the certificates; the hospital proof-of-birth letter usually suffices. Deadline: ~30 days from birth (target Jan 8, 2027). Missing it means the baby is uninsured until the next enrollment period.
• Notify both employers of the actual birth date and finalize leave paperwork (FMLA clock, STD claim for Blair, paid parental leave start dates).
• Dependent-care FSA election — birth is a qualifying life event for mid-year changes; the window is typically ~30 days.

Week 4

• Open the 529 once the SSN arrives (Bright Start — Illinois state tax deduction on contributions).
• Update beneficiaries on life insurance, 401(k)/retirement, and bank accounts.
• Update W-4s with both employers.
• Passport application (if decided yes in Phase 1) — book the acceptance-facility appointment once a certified birth certificate is in hand.

• SSN card arrives — store the physical card somewhere secure (safe deposit box / fireproof safe, not your wallet). Record the number in the digital folder's Identity section.
• Certified birth certificates arrive — file them; keep one accessible for the passport appointment and insurance if still pending.
• Finalize the will/trust updates with the baby's legal name and confirmed guardians (Tara Baker).
• Nanny paperwork for the April 2027 start — written agreement, household-employer EIN (IRS Form SS-4, online, instant), payroll setup.
• Tax note for April 2027: a baby born in 2026 counts as your dependent for the entire 2026 tax year. You'll need the SSN on the return to claim the Child Tax Credit. If the SSN is delayed, file for an extension — but don't file without it.