Question for veteran moms: When did you start taking LO out and about?

jerseygirl227 · May 2015

I know this is a big cart-before-the-horse question, and that I will need to speak to my doctor, but I'm just curious. When did you start taking your LO out and about?

The house we are buying is across the street from a nice public park. Fiance and I walk there regularly. I would like to be able to walk in the morning (since it will get hot here in AZ in August) with LO in the stroller, but wonder if that's okay.

KateLouise · May 2015

With DD1, She was less than a week old when I first took her for a walk in the pram. She was fine, I on the other hand over-estimated how far I was able to walk and had to turn around, but the fresh air was still nice.

DD2 was 3 days old when we went to a local festival, I wore her in a wrap, and walked fairly slowly.

I would say it was less that two weeks, and I was back at my old level of being able to walk at my normal pace for a normal distance (although note I am not a super fit person)

ETA: I had two fairly short natural births.

niknak1208 · May 2015

With our first (who is now 6).. I didn't really take him out much at all. I was a total first time mom.. afraid of germs and other people touching all over him. lol With DD who is 2.5 now.. I took her out pretty quickly. I do think it matters whether or not it's flu season etc. DD did get RSV when she was 7 weeks old. BUT The doctors did think she contracted that from DS and not from being out and about. DS was in school and he was 4 at the time and they thought that he likely contracted it at school but was doing fine because he was older and his airways were bigger but then gave it to her and she had a tough time for a while. Not so fun.

This baby is due June 3rd.. crossing my fingers for a little bit early.

I will likely be out and about with too. I'm just careful about hand washing and flu season and things like that. Especially since I was going into the school to pick up DS and this time I'll be going into the school to get both of them and all the little girls are just infatuated with babies and they all come running. So I just have to be clear about no touches. I had to do that A LOT with DD. No touches.. no touching faces.. because kids just wanted to kiss all over her and touch her hands and her face etc.

browneyes_326 · May 2015

DS was 4 days old when we took him out for a short shopping trip ... I was stir crazy and so was DH. He was in the stroller all covered up ... Honestly I was never a typical FTM tho... I leave that to my DH, I call him the emergency manager of the house... He worries about everything! I'm more of the oh it'll be fine kinda mom.

I think it is a great idea to get out & get fresh air for both of you! Assuming everyone's healthy & your Dr agrees.
If I remember correctly what they really worry about are things like air travel, which is a germy breading ground.

jerseygirl227 · May 2015

Thanks, ladies!

I am thinking that, once I'm up for it, a walk at the park in the early hours might be okay. I'll keep her covered, especially with the Arizona sun! I'll just make sure to clear it with my doctor.

ewenner · May 2015

I am glad to see this thread! I am already going stir-crazy having to work from home five days a week right now, and I'm sure it will only get worse once the baby is here. I'm happy to hear that people take there LOs out for walks and such from the very beginning!

cneiding · May 2015

With my first and second I was so sore and torn up post birth that I didn't really feel well enough to venture out until the babies were like almost 2 weeks old. I took them to their dr appts and then after that day pretty much resumed my full schedule of church, grocery shopping...etc

With my 3rd I felt well after birth and I also had a child who was attending public kindergarten at the time so basically the day after I got home from the hospital I was doing school pick up and drop off and doing what ever other errands etc needed done. Since then, once I am home from the hospital its daily life full blast. Cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping...full life.

This time my husband has scheduled his yearly party we have here (its very large...roast a whole hog and there are 150-200 people here. We rent bounce houses and have a pool and kids swim etc) for 2 weeks past my due date. There is a very good possibility I could be coming home from the hospital like the day before it. We traditionally do the party the week before that date but there is a huge possibility I would be actually having the baby that day. And while my husband would be fine with missing my birth while he has a party here...I do all the work for it so he ended up deciding it would be best to postpone for a week.

I am not a germaphobe at all and really once you have children who are old enough where they are going to school or with friends etc the germs will be brought into your home via them (or even your husbands if they work outside the home) so I see no issue with taking baby out.

LorMor · May 2015

We got home on the Friday and took her to the clinic on the Monday, but apart from that, I was very happy to just be at home and quiet for a couple of weeks. I'm sure we took her for little walks around the neighbourhood pretty early on though. We carried/wore her, didn't use the stroller for a looooong time. (Didn't really think of it!)

jerseygirl227 · May 2015

LorMor said:
We got home on the Friday and took her to the clinic on the Monday, but apart from that, I was very happy to just be at home and quiet for a couple of weeks. I'm sure we took her for little walks around the neighbourhood pretty early on though. We carried/wore her, didn't use the stroller for a looooong time. (Didn't really think of it!)

I have a generic carrier and a baby bjorn that I inherited. I would love to try them walking with her, but I wonder if it will be too hot to wear her in the July heat.

markstin · May 2015

Our Pediatrician said that 4 weeks would be a good time to start getting out. I think we did a trip to the Grocery store at week 4. Then out again at 6 weeks to church. But I would say that we didn't get out and about regularly (like weekly or more) until 8 weeks or more. However, he was born in July and we live in Arizona so we didn't start exploring our neighborhood until it started to cool down in October.

HWKI · May 2015

I had a lot of tearing, but once I was healed around 6 weeks I took her for strolls around the neighborhood. I am kind of a germaphobe through.

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