How early do you take baby out?

[Runningmommy]

WE have always kept baby under wraps and not taken the boys out in public for months/ year due to their prematurity. Now that this baby will most likely be full term, and the fact that we have so many other things scheduled for the family and my two other children, I am wondering how soon after you have your baby do you take them out in public and around other people? I hope this doesn't sound weird! Our first was born at 29 weeks with 5 weeks in the NICU and second at 34 weeks with 24 hours in the NICU. I am looking forward to being able to continue life *as normal* (not being stuck at home "hiding") soon after the birth. Thanks!!

[plantmommy]

I took the baby out as soon as I felt well enough/up to it. I think I took ds out at 3 or 4 weeks to a LLL meeting, but dd was out in less than two weeks, in a sling at the mall. I didn't know what she was going to be, and wanted to get girly clothes! LOL!

[oohlalabags]

we took our twins out as early as 1-2 weeks so long as they were in the sling ... we went to the movies and dinner ...

[Soontobe3]

I waited about a month with ds. Most of that was due to C-section recovery on my part


with dd, we took her to see Shrek when she was a week old - in a sling.


This one, it will probably be going out within a week, too. Due to school - her big brother is in middle school and sister is in preschool. Dh will take and pick up the kids for the first week, then he has to go back to work, so it will be up to me.

[Caroline248]

With my other kids starting school and gymnastics and music lessons, probably won't have much of a choice!!

Probably within the first week...

Caroline

[Past_VNE]

This will be my first child, so I can't comment.

My mother took me out when I was 8 days old, to a buffet restaraunt an hour away.
My grandmother took her out at 4 or 5 days, to visit relatives.
My MIL to DH out when he was two weeks old, I think.

As soon as I'm comfortable and child is stable, I'm sure we'll be out and about. That said, no malls, Doctor offices or the like. December is too much of cold/flu season to expose them to a whole zoo's worth of people.

[wrensmom]

I took dd out when she was one week old to an Ariel Gore book reading/performance at our local bookstore. I agree with pp that it is best to try and keep the babe from major exposure to crowds. However, the sling is great for protecting the babe from unwanted exposure/attention.

[JenInMpls]

Do what you like with these nuggets of wisdom (?) from women at my school. I did not come up with them, I merely pass them on:

Stay at home 40 days for YOU to recover, you will have more energy after that than if you push yourself to get up and about right after birth.

Keep the baby with you and on you for at least a month after birth. Baby spent 40 weeks connected to you and doesn't want/need to be put down now.

Do not take baby anywhere there are fluorescent lights as the buzzing will mess with baby's nervous system.

--
I know there are more, I cannot think of them now. The one mom who gave me the last two pearls of wisdom really did spend an entire month in her house wearing her baby. I think I would go absolutely stir crazy, but we'll see. After that month she recommends brisk walking with the stroller. Since it will be cool mid-October here and we've had a blizzard on Halloween before, I don't know about the feasibility of that!

Everyone at school says to me that they do NOT want to see me at school within a month of birth, if not longer. Pity, I was hoping to come to the Michaelmas Festival, but if I do, no one will be happy to see us! Guess I don't need to be exposing Sprout to all of those germy kids then anyway.

j

[mama2annabelle]

I took DD out to the mall shopping for clothes at 2 weeks old. We didn't find out with her if we were going to have a girl or boy so all her clothes were neutral and I really wanted some girly stuff. I was still really sore and was having a hard time sitting (It took me 6 weeks to recover!), but I was getting so sick of green and yellow on my little girl...I wanted pink and purple and flowers and ruffles so I suffered through it :LOL

[4under6]

We started taking our babies out and about when they were 3-4 days old.
And I am convinced that's the reason they are generally so well-behaved in public today!

We were lucky that they were all summer babies, so it was warm enough.

[Caroline248]

One thing to remember, these babies are coming awfully close to flu vaccine season. Remember that some public places (drugstores, walmart type stores, even malls) are going to be giving out the Flu-mist this year. This is the flu vaccine that sparys in the nose, so the people who get it will have the flu virus in their nasal passages. They sneeze, and the flu is out there....

I am not sure how far it spreads and all that, but it is something to keep in mind...

Caroline

[plantmommy]

I should say that I wouldn't take baby out in a stroller to the store or anything like that. Just laying in the sling, so nobody can touch him, or even see him.

[almama]

I'm in the within the first week club

[Mom2baldie]

I have also gone out within the first 1 or 2 weeks. Mine have been born at 39 and 38 weeks gestation and both during late winter.

I might wait longer this time since I will have a 2.5 year old plus a newborn. That might be hard.

[mum2tori]

Both mine were born in late Feb and early March (the COLD season here in Texas). We stayed in a lot. I think we went to BRU to pick up the odd item here and there but otherwise we stayed in for the first few couple of weeks.

Both times the weather was really weird. It would be unseasonably warm then the temp would drop again. Then go back up... perfect for getting sick weather. So that really kept us in more than anything.

I hope to "veg" as much as I can during the babymoon with Radish. I was always trying to do too much after Tori and Jack were born. (No more vacuuming, constant laundry hauling, grocery shopping etc if at all possible for about 2 weeks... I hope.) So hopefully we'll (Radish & I) be able to stay close to home while David takes Tori & Jack out with him some.

[msrog]

I think Nicolas was 5 days old when I took him to a friend's baby shower I REALLY wanted to go to. He was out and about regularly those first two weeks, I'm pretty sure. But a big, healthy, overdue baby, so no germ worries for us...

Who knows WHAT the future holds with these twins??? Though there are two after-baby showers planned and I'd love to hurry and have them. Plus will be nice to buy gender specific stuff....

I've never used a sling, just always took baby out in the infant car seat/carrier. They have those little covers; you could always keep it zipped up as a "back off, don't touch" hint, haha...

[GatorNNP]

Our first outing with ds was at 1 week and I was getting stir crazy as I am a bit of a mover and a shaker. We went out to eat with some of my friends, dh, and my mom. I think the whole after-shock of having a c/b and losing some of your freedom/ability to do stuff yourself was bugging me. The funny thing was when we got to the car it was time for ds to eat so we sat there 20 minutes while I fed him and then tried to turn on the car and the battery was dead! Ha! Ds first break down! we even took a pic of me and ds with the hood up. DH was less than thrilled but my friend called her bro's tow truck to rescue us, and we were in walking distance of wally world to buy a battery. I was quite pooped by time it was over and will probably wait a little longer next time.