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Stay at Home Moms
Tips for Running Errands with Baby?
I know it's going to get harder when DS is a toddler and he doesn't just sit still.
But, even as it is now, I find running errands with him exceptionally stressful. I know that I'll get better and more used to it but the thought of just running to the drug store with him makes me sweat.
And I'm sure he can sense this because he can be freshly fed, changed, etc. and still start going apesh*t in the car or in the checkout line.
Is there something that helps? Do you think it's better to leave the house when he is just ready to nap or when he is just woken up, fed and happy but alert? Any other tips?
Today I had to run what should have been about 45 minutes worth of errands and it turned into 2 hours worth with multiple stops in parking lots to put the pacifier back in his mouth because he was screaming and crying, one to feed him (though he had just eaten before we left the house) and another to change his diaper.
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Re: Tips for Running Errands with Baby?
I feel ya!
I don't know if this is bad advice, but I know DS will sleep in the car and while we're out and about so I feed him, get him nice and drowsy and then pop him in his car seat. That way he sleeps while I get my errands done!
Also- about the pacifier thing. Get one of those clips.I attach it to his car seat strap so that when it falls out of his mouth, I just reach behind me, grab the strap and make the paci's way back into his mouth.
Of course, this won't work if you can't reach your backseat from the driver's seat...
Honestly, I let Rowan scream it out. But, she's the second and, quite frankly, I don't have time to make 2 hour errand runs. She just hates her car seat, though. Since about 6 weeks old she screams her head off in it. The MINUTE you pick her up she's fine.
In the car I'd just let him go crazy. At the store, try a baby carrier. Rowan loves it and she's as calm as can be.
Hi, I am new here but wanted to let you know, at least for me it has gotten easier. My son is 19 months and I hated running around when he was younger. At least now he keeps a schedule, listens a little and can be redirected if behaving poorly. When he was younger I did prefer to run around during nap time while he was still in his infant carrier but that time doesn't last long.
Good luck!
If I do run errands with my LO's (which is not very often), I make sure it's on the AM when they are both wide awake, fed and in a decent mood. The day often goes downhill from there, lol.
They are also on opposite nap schedules so I need to be quick about things in the AM and getting them both in and out of the car isn't that fun. No snow is o.k. but winter time blows here.
Them there is nap time to contend with. DD naps @ 11:30AM and DS goes down at 12:30...I am a routine mom for sure. They NEED their naps IMO and they will NOT be missed. LOL. I make sure to be home during those times. DD is easier to handle if she misses hers or naps in the car but DS is a bear, literally, a 35lb bear
Like you said though, the younger they are the easier they are IMO. Plus the more you go out the more confident you will feel =D
I have one of those and never used it - Great call, I didn't even think about it.
What kind of carrier did you find worked best for Gisele? I haven't tried the Moby in awhile but DS would get pissed because he couldn't look around. The Bjorn is slightly too big for him and he can't see over the part that covers his stomach, up to his neck so, again, he gets pissed because he can't see.
I haven't tried these while out and about, though... only at home. Maybe a change in setting would provoke a different (Better) reaction in him.
I never had a moby- i borrowed a friends' once and i found it was just too complicated. When she was teeny tiny- around a month or so- i had a basic Snugglie- similar to the Bjorn. Seeing really wasn't an issue for Gisele- it was just that she was close to me- I carried her facing me until she was much older. As she got older i tended to use cloth carriers/slings much more. When i would run errands with her in the carseat- she just wailed- so I tried several things. carrying her was the only thing that worked for us. give it a shot- might work. might not.
Hi,
I have a 1 yr old DD. I found running errands in the newborn stage extremely stressful. The best time for me to take her out was when she was fed/changed/alert. And even better if I could go alone on the weekend. If she was tired/hungry she would cry & cry (for the breast-- we've never used paci's or bottles). Infants have to be changed much more than older babies and they are sooo sensitive to their surroundings. It was easier for me to take her out when she turned 6 months. So, do what you can to survive & remember that it's a phase and it will get better. Congrats on your cute newborn!
Oh, and I'd like to add that my DD didn't like the Moby until she was 2 months old-- so you may want to keep trying.
A Bjorn can be used with a baby who weighs more than eight pounds; if it seems too big for him, or that part of the carrier is covering a part of him it shouldn't, you're using it incorrectly.
DS was a super easy baby, so I didn't have any trouble running errands when he was little, but now that he's older it's a little tricky because he'd much rather crawl around the store than sit in a cart/stroller.
As a general rule, we run errands after he wakes up from his last nap in the afternoon. He is not at risk of falling asleep in the car this way (we adhere pretty strictly to his nap schedule, as he will only fall asleep in his crib or in his car seat, unless it can't be avoided), and he isn't yet hungry for dinner. He either sits in the seat in a cart with toys attached to the cart cover to play with, or if it's an errand that doesn't require many purchases, I just put him in his stroller and put my purchases in the basket below.
And I've got getting out of the house down to a T. That comes with time and figuring out how to keep your diaper bag/purse adequately stocked for errand-running at all times.
Yes I do this too! It helps a lot. I always feed and change her, then put her in her seat. She'll cruise for a little while, then nod off. Sometimes I'll put a blanket around her so it catches the paci and she can suck it back in herself. ?
you got some great advice and I just wanted to add my .02- I found that using my snap and go (the stroller for ds's infant seat) worked well because he was facing me as I shopped...
I just pack my diaper bag well and if he needs to eat- I feed him while I'm out (today he ate in target's outdoor furniture area...LOL)
good luck - it does get easier!
baby wearing
Even at 18 months, if she is attached to me, things run very smoothly. My only regret is that we didn't baby wear much between 9-17 months. Should have bought my lillebaby a lot earlier.
oh, and as they get older - snacks.
I was really nervous taking my son out for the first couple of months but as I did, you will get the hang of it. To ensure maximum productivity and maximum happiness for your son, I would take him as soon as he wakes up from a nap and is fed. He will be alert and happy, ie not cranky, wet, or hungry. Sneak in your errands when you can and break them up so you are only trying to do 1-2 things in an outing, so it is less stressful for you.
Hang in there and good luck - you're doing great!