Going out alone with LO

egsulaiman · July 2012

Any of you gone out by yourself with your LO yet? I'm totally freaked about doing it. I dont know if it because I'm afraid she'll cry the whole time and I'll be embarrassed by my crying baby or if its because I'm just dealing with PPD and PPA.... but I wanna get out of the house so bad. I've been out with DH and a friend, but never alone.... anyone else in the same boat??

mkflower3000 · July 2012

Not really and I'm still not confident about it :-/ I want so badly to do it, but DD can be really fussy so I'm anxious about that. Also, she hates all of our carriers, but the stroller is really big and a hassle to fit in the car, which doesn't help.

emberlee3 · July 2012

Just do it!

Set your sights small at first. Go out for coffee with a friend. Or make a quick grocery run. You can bail if you need to. Don't plan a bunch of errands all at once.

People know that babies cry. And even fussy babies sometimes chill out when they're having an adventure.

Getting out of the house is good for both of you.

khill86 · July 2012

i've been out by myself with him just for quick trips. one to the bank, then we popped into an educational toy store. no where for very long and i always time them so that we leave right after he's fed. when he's awake he's happy, then he'll go to sleep. i'd only be worried about take him somewhere if he left while he was sleeping because he'd wake up hungry!

i have gone out visiting on my own lots of times, and for walks on a maintained trail by our house. there are some rocks not too far from our house that i can sit and nurse him if he gets fussy, so those have been pretty successful trips, too.

i always just have a plan in mind for if he gets fussy. usually it involves going out to the car to nurse him! last night we were out and stopped to pick up pizza on the way home, he got fussy while we were waiting so i just hopped in the back and nursed him. we had to sit in the parking lot for a few minutes before we could leave, but it wasn't a big deal!

daisy080187 · July 2012

emberlee3:

Just do it!

Set your sights small at first. Go out for coffee with a friend. Or make a quick grocery run. You can bail if you need to. Don't plan a bunch of errands all at once.

People know that babies cry. And even fussy babies sometimes chill out when they're having an adventure.

Getting out of the house is good for both of you.

This! Yes I've been going out with LO for a while.....I really do try saving grocery shopping with DH just because because dealing with LO & than groceries & trying to shop with him in the carseat in the buggy doesn't leave too much room for food & its EXTREMELY overwhelming...the 1st few weeks of not getting out of the house is really hard....its very easy to sink into a depression cause I felt I was imprisoned in my house by fear & could only go out if someone drove & took me...(had a fear of me driving with LO) when I do go out I'll drive myself to my parents or go to stores just to look around (I'd hit the park but its just way too hot DS would throw a fit in his car seat) but I would recommend going to a mall bring the stroller & just walk around, there is seating there that if LO gets fussy you can take care of her...& don't feel embarrassed if LO cries...anyone who's ever had an infant will sympathize & understand & if they don't well....you don't know them so their opinion shouldnt count....getting out of the house to just walk around a mall a few hours a week will probably help out with your PPD too! It did wonders on mine....

Starbear06 · July 2012

I was terrified to take LO out by myself too. I just started by making small goals each day - trip to target, trip to the mall, etc. and I always timed it so that we left after I nursed him so he would more than likely fall asleep in the car. I always had some kind of plan in mind in case he started crying/fussing wherever we went. But going out even on short trips has done wonders on my ppd! I was very depressed, defeated, and felt like a prisoner in my own home. Now I feel like both mom and baby are much happier.

egsulaiman · July 2012

Well, i did it! And yes she cried, but everyone at target was like "oh your so brave to take her out on your own! good job mommy!" and when I was at the check out, the manager came over and shook her keys to quiet her down, and it worked! As soon as we got back in the car, she quieted down, and I drove home with a big smile on my face that I finally got out on my own! Now for bigger adventures!! =D

sam19 · July 2012

I go out of the house with my two girls all the time. I have since she was about a week old. It's really not that bad. Just try it.

glowworm0166 · July 2012

I went out with LO by ourselves at around 2 weeks and have been going ever since. Just do it and know that worst case scenario you just leave wherever you are and hop back in the car.

amberleeb · July 2012

You can do it! I get out alone almost everyday to run errands with my 6 week old and 19 month old alone. Yeah sometimes the baby cries but they do that. If I stayed home nothing would get done and I would go crazy!

snicksnack · July 2012

sam19:
I go out of the house with my two girls all the time. I have since she was about a week old. It's really not that bad. Just try it.

Same here I took DD shoe shopping at 2 weeks not sure I will do that again and it had nothing to do with the baby LOL. When I had DD I use to go to barns and noble have some coffee, do a little reading of my latest purchase and I could leave easily if needed. Normally she just slept and I was happy to get out of the house. I even took DD at around 10 weeks with me to get a mani pedi she slept the whole time in her car seat, which I had in a snap n go. I called ahead of time to make sure they were cool with it because my sitter bailed.

lil_jen051708 · July 2012

egsulaiman:
Well, i did it! And yes she cried, but everyone at target was like "oh your so brave to take her out on your own! good job mommy!" and when I was at the check out, the manager came over and shook her keys to quiet her down, and it worked! As soon as we got back in the car, she quieted down, and I drove home with a big smile on my face that I finally got out on my own! Now for bigger adventures!! =D

Good for you! I've been taking DS out by myself since the beginning -dr appts, target, babies r us, etc. I always go right after he eats so he's content. I would try to avoid big grocery trips (you can run in for a few things) but the carseat takes up a lot of room and it's hard to get a full grocery trip in.

TnG05 · July 2012

I go out at least twice a week and have been since he was 2.5 wks. I started with a trip to Target where there would be other crying kids if he acted up. You can start small with trips to Starbucks and go through the drive thru or to the park even if you just sit in your car to get use to the idea oh doing it alone.

You can do it and it won't be as bad as you think.

MrsC968 · July 2012

I didn't go out with DD alone until she was over 6w old. Motherhood didn't come naturally to me and it took me a long time to feel comfortable/confident to do things like taking her out.

drbethc · July 2012

Over the weekend I took LO out to the mall for the first time. He hated sitting in the car seat and screamed and cried the whole way there. I could not console him and had to let him cry until I finally could pull over. I checked on him and he was fine, so I continued to drive. He continued to cry and scream. I felt so helpless and then decided to just go home. As soon as we got home. He was a happy camper.

brideofscowboy · July 2012

sam19:
I go out of the house with my two girls all the time. I have since she was about a week old. It's really not that bad. Just try it.

This. I survived camping for 2 weeks with both boys and seem to run all my errands solo with them also. While I think STM's are a little more seasoned than FTM's, give it a try. Your LO might surprise you. And if LO cries? So what? that's what babies do.

SugarhillHnA · July 2012

I've gone out with him many times alone and also quite a few times with both of my little ones. I hate being trapped at home so I started taking them out when E was around two weeks old.

JessieCupcake · July 2012

egsulaiman:
Well, i did it! And yes she cried, but everyone at target was like "oh your so brave to take her out on your own! good job mommy!" and when I was at the check out, the manager came over and shook her keys to quiet her down, and it worked! As soon as we got back in the car, she quieted down, and I drove home with a big smile on my face that I finally got out on my own! Now for bigger adventures!! =D

Good for you!

I'm still trying to get the hang of it. I have the same fears about him crying and bothering other people. It's definitely a lot to do with my anxiety.

In fact I drove to the park today so we could go for a walk. I've never done it alone before. As soon as I went to take him out of the car he started crying. I put him right back in the car and went home.

I definitely need to work on this. One step at a time..

acbfreire · July 2012

I have only been to chiropractor appts alone with LO. I am getting better at not feeling bad when she cries in the car.

I cannot manage shopping trips quite yet.

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