Feeling a bit stressed about your first outing with your newborn? I well remember the days with my newborns, 13, to be exact, and how daunting a day away from home felt. Between sleep deprivation, other siblings, and what felt like a constantly hungry baby, the idea of taking everyone out of the house seemed intimidating. Over time, the task became more manageable and, even, enjoyable. Here are a few tricks of the trade that made the day unfold more smoothly.
1 ~ Always plan ahead.
Have your diaper bag packed with whatever you may need in the event of an emergency (diaper blowout, major spit up on baby/mom, getting squirted on during a diaper change, etc) and you will be well equipped for anything. If other siblings will be involved plan, for them as well (potty trips, extra clothes, snacks, drinks, etc).
2 ~ Tend to baby ahead of time.
Whether baby is bottle fed or breastfed, allow yourself sufficient time to feed baby before leaving on your outing and, hopefully, baby will be asleep, or, at the least, content enough to allow you to enjoy your outing. This would also include taking care of burping baby and changing their diaper. There’s nothing worse than trying to manage a diaper change in public, especially, if you have to manage other kiddos in the process. While you’re at it make sure siblings have made their bathroom trips before hitting the road.
3 ~ Time your outing.
Babies thrive on routines so, when planning an excursion, time it so it takes place when baby is well rested, fed, and relatively calm. Avoid going out when baby is overtired, hungry, irritable, or during any of their predictable difficult times of day.
4 ~ Have help.
During your first few jaunts away from home, take someone with you who can lend a hand. It can be challenging to manage an outing on your own when you have to tend to baby, stroller, diaper bag, siblings, etc. I well remember a spell with all of my newborns, where a day out seemed intimidating and having someone along to help was a Godsend. An added bonus is that you can make this a “special” outing with Mommy and baby by taking an older sibling along.
5 ~ Prepare vehicle.
Make sure your vehicle is well supplied with all you need beforehand. It can be terribly inconvenient to have to get the vehicle loaded while trying to keep up with the kiddos, especially during inclement/hot weather. Have the car stocked with the carseat, stroller, diaper bag, and any other necessities before getting the children loaded. I would also suggest keeping an extra bag in the car where you keep extra diapers, wipes, clothes, etc in case you forget your diaper bag or run low on needed supplies.
I hope you have enjoyed these tips I’ve suggested. I am sure there are other great hacks to make your outings easier but these are just a few to tide you over. Remember, it gets easier as time goes by.
Ruth Green is a trained professional birth and postpartum doula serving Richmond and Farmville, Virginia area. She is a married Christian mother of 13 hospital and home-birthed children that has experience working with midwives and doctors in both home and hospital settings since 1992. Find more blog posts from Ruth here on the website!
