What do your outings look like with a 3 month old?

FTSAHM and am getting tired of just sitting in the house. We go on walks around the neighborhood with LO in baby carrier but I feel like baby and myself need more stimulation. I really don’t want baby in car seat for extended periods of time as I have anxiety that baby’s flat back of head will only get flatter in a car seat (yes, we’re seeing a specialist). But also it seems so daunting taking LO out with all the things- car seat, stroller, diaper bag, or putting baby in carrier. On top of that coordinating having a bottle on hand every 3 hrs when baby eats (I exclusively pump for baby). I’m petite and LO is a little tank of a baby- I love my chunky baby, but getting all the gear out is a struggle for me. It’s much easier going out with my husband but I need suggestions just me and baby can do easily during the week. What do your outings look like with your 3 month old? I’m probably overcomplicating them in my head.

EDIT: WOW! Thank you all so much! I plan to get back to you all eventually. But I am so grateful for each of you giving me all these wonderful ideas. I have been feeling a little isolated and you all have given me hope and some well needed confidence!! :heart:

I find it helps to pack my stroller and backpack the night before, like I used to pack my lunch for work. We use a very small diaper bag that I think is actually a lunch bag. It’s insulated, and holds a bottle with an ice pack, 2-3 diapers, and some wipes in a Ziploc baggie; we’re very unlikely to be away from home longer than a few hours, and travelling light is important. The lunchbox/diaper bag goes in a backpack along with my snacks and wallet. I don’t drive, so I’m loading everything into my stroller. When I’m loading the car, I get Baby settled into her car seat, then take all the stuff to the car and come back for Baby last. The car warms up while I’m putting the stroller in, and then I get Baby, lock up, and we roll out. The most freeing thing is to remember that it’s ok if things aren’t perfect. If you have to stop at Target for emergency wet wipes, that’s fine. If you mistime a feed and Baby yells on the way home, it’s not fun, but it’s not a crisis or a failure. I found the library a great place to start taking solo trips; it’s indoors, the bathrooms are pretty clean, and you’ll probably meet some other parents. You got this!

@Sky
Seconding the library! Look for story time events or other baby groups, or just go to read some books with your little one. Our local library has an emergency stash of diapers and wipes and may even have some clothes to loan out if things get very messy. They are used to lots of activity, noise, and general messiness in the (play areas) of the children’s section, so it’s a great, low-pressure way to get used to going on outings with baby.

@Sky
I like the idea of packing up night before and that way I won’t forget anything! I do keep the diaper bag backpack in the car so it’s usually one less thing to lug around. But I like the idea of a little lunch box since it can keep milk cold/room temp when/if I need it.

@Wren
Idk where you live but I’m in Maryland and have been leaving my bag in the car and went to our doctor’s appointment the other day; baby had a poopy diaper and my wipes were frozen in a brick (it’s like 20-30 degrees F here) and my doctor said I would have never thought of that! So now I take it inside with me :joy:.

@Sky
For traveling light I use see-through ziplock bags. One for changing, one set of clothes, and one with two bottles with formula measured and a small water bottle. This is in a tote bag in the pram. I even keep diaper ziplocks at our entrance where the pram parks, so I just have to grab the appropriate bag.

I would just load baby up right after feeding, grab the stroller, and go stroll the aisles of Target for a bit (weather was starting to get colder when my baby was 3 months). The trip went well sometimes and was a crapshoot other times. That’s just part of the experience. Outings don’t need to be anything major. At that age, it’s really to just get them out and experience new sounds, sights, etc. I’m a big advocate for getting babies out into the world at a young age. It takes some courage and bravery to get them out on your own, but I think it only helps baby’s development AND your confidence in handling things on the go! @chanwiththeboys on Instagram is a great inspiration for taking your little ones out!

@Ari
This! I do the same - I either do something right after he eats or over his nap time as mine will go right to sleep in the car seat. We just run errands and we’re never very far from home so if shit hits the fan I turn around and go home. I honestly don’t even pack a bottle half the time unless I’m determined to stay out (but also why I plan it right after he eats). I also don’t set any expectations about timing or how it’s going to go - that tends to help because, like you said, sometimes it’s great while others we don’t even make it out of the car, ha.

@SheGirl
Completely agree! Like you said, if things start to go south, just head home. No big deal! I also recently saw someone say they would order necessities for Target pick-up, grab their pick-up order, and then stroll around Target for funsies. That way, if baby isn’t feeling it, you already have everything you need and can just head out.

@Ari
I love this idea!!

@Ari
I do love a good target run! I sort of panic when baby starts to fuss when out, but so true that I can just pack up and leave. Thank you!

Wren said:
@Ari
I do love a good target run! I sort of panic when baby starts to fuss when out, but so true that I can just pack up and leave. Thank you!

I hear you. My baby bawled in an outdoor toy aisle the first time we went to Target :joy:. We troubleshot with a sound machine and gas drops, but turns out baby just wanted to swing around in the car seat off the stroller. You figure it out as you go. If people have something to say about a crying baby, screw ‘em – you’ll never see them again.

@Ari
Agreed! It helped me so much in the early days to take baby out even just for quick errands, just to get comfortable with taking him out on my own. We’d go to the grocery store, pick up a book from the library, even just go to a coffee shop to get me a coffee. It’s a very nice way to break up the day and doesn’t need to be a big outing at all.

I have a 5 month old and I’m just now going to go out to lunch this weekend :tired_face:!! I’m terrified of her getting sick. Seems like EVERYONE is sick.

Bly said:
I have a 5 month old and I’m just now going to go out to lunch this weekend :tired_face:!! I’m terrified of her getting sick. Seems like EVERYONE is sick.

I haven’t wanted to take baby too many closed-in busy places for this exact reason. Everyone is sick, and people like to check out the cute baby—stay away!!

I was the same way! Around this age I started to venture out to activities that were close by enough to come home if needed, like the library. I would leave bulky stuff like a diaper bag behind in the car if baby was freshly changed, etc. Lots of baby classes at the library and also a great way to meet other parents. It’s fun to even just go and browse the books for 20 min, grab a coffee on the way home. You can also bring baby to a coffee shop and have them sit in the stroller by you as you sit there. Once baby was able to sit up around 6 months, I began taking her to the grocery store, but you could also do that earlier using a baby carrier.

@Noor
I will look into the library and if they have any classes! I would feel bad if baby starts to fuss since I assume libraries are quiet places. But I assume the baby classes expect some fussiness. Thank you!

@Noor
I saw at some shops they have an attachment on the trolley for car seats!

We just get in the stroller and go! She wears several layers and we have a bundle me in the stroller because we’re in the northern US. I’m lucky because I live near the downtown of a college town and we can go get coffee, walk to the library, even went to a museum last week. But she doesn’t necessarily care about that; she just likes the sunshine and fresh air even when it’s cold! I do keep walks short if it’s under 30 degrees. Honestly, when I started taking her for walks it seemed so daunting, but now that I do it, it’s the main thing keeping me sane. My baby is 11 weeks old. I’m also breastfeeding but I do supplement with formula, and I always have one of those premixed 2 oz bottles in my bag in case she gets hungry. Doesn’t go bad if we don’t use it, doesn’t need refrigeration, but will keep her happy if she gets hungry.

@Wynn
Those ready-to-feed formula bottles are such a peace of mind when out and about. And half the time she doesn’t even need it. Kept me sane from having to pack my refrigerated bag for short visits.