Milk- check. Toys- check. Food- check. Hat and blanket- check. Buggy- check. And finally baby bundle of joy- check.
Nipping into Northampton town centre for a spot of shopping can be like planning a military operation for parents, and it seems the younger the child the more 'stuff' you need to take with you.
Most mothers and fathers opt to transport their baby around the streets in a buggy where they can also keep all their essentials and if they are lucky have some spare space for the odd shopping bag.
But with the buggies on the market being produced in bigger and flashier models and high street shops cramming their stores with as many items as possible, it can sometimes be a mission impossible to navigate the shops with a baby in tow.
Teacher and writer Vicky Leith, who lives in Queens Park, likes to come into Northampton with her 11-month-old daughter Maya but when on her own can find it a logistical nightmare.
"You have to plan everything and everywhere you want to go and how you are going to get there," the 33-year-old said. "You can't just shop."
During our test around Northampton it was immediately apparent that many ordinary tasks suddenly become impossible if you have a baby involved.

Car parks
Vicky usually parks in the Mayorhold car park because they have mother and child spaces but today it is unexpectedly closed due to a technical problem.
Instead she begrudgingly goes to Sol Central car park which she labels a 'nightmare.'
"The spaces are too small and there are no mother and child spaces. I can't even get Maya out of the car because I can't open the door wide enough. It is an expensive way to park but I pay £12.95 to have my car washed. I can get into the wider car washing space."
Getting out of Sol Central is at least easier, with automatic doors and a ramp next to the steps at the front entrance.

Gold Street
Walking up into town Vicky is presented with a range of obstacles, mainly the narrow pavement, A boards and stream of people walking towards her.
"I had to get a smaller buggy and take back the other one as I found the bigger one was impossible to manoeuvre around town.
"I still probably wouldn't even consider coming into town on a Saturday,"
The surface of the pavements doesn't help matters either as many on them are bumpy and in desperate need of repair.
"Using a buggy has made me realise that being in a wheelchair people have such restricted access to shops."

Abington Street

It is not all bad news however as some shops cater for parents better than others.
"Mark's and Spencer have great changing rooms with disabled access and they have a lift. H&M is great as they have baby changing facilities in the changing room and you can breast feed in there.
"Most high street shops are not appealing to mothers and they should be. I want to wear fashionable clothes as much as anyone else."

Grosvenor Centre

One of the biggest bugbears for Vicky is getting to the first floor in the Grosvenor Centre. Some of the shops which are spread over two floors have no customer lifts and Vicky is unable to use the stairs or an escalator.
"One of the lifts is always out of order (and it is today). You have to wait for a long time for it to come all the way down from the top. I have waited ten minutes before. I often end up going on the escalator even though I am not supposed to because it is easier or I use the lift in New Look as it is much quicker."
Boots is one two level store without a customer lift and in theory Vicky would have to walk all the way down to the other end of the Grosvenor Centre to the communal lifts and back again, in order to get to the first floor of Boots. Instead she often doesn't bother and they lose a customer.
And cramp shops are also a big problem. Republic is filled with clothes racked tightly packed together and on our trip Vicky got stuck amongst the shelves alongside two other mothers with pushchairs.
"When I am in town I find myself apologising all the time because I feel I am in the way. I also think there needs to be more seating in the Grosvenor Centre.
"Considering Northampton has a lot of children and new families you would think it would be in the council's plans to be more parent and buggy friendly."