@Wynn
I love the idea of checking out the museum and using formula too when out and about. Thank you!
I found it got easier the more I did it. It was daunting at first, but I needed to go out. Eventually, I was going out every day, even just to grab eggs. Quick 30 min trip, but it was more “fun” than just sitting at home. I also put his diaper bag stuff in the bottom of the stroller so I wouldn’t need to pack the diaper bag (put in a few diapers, pack of wipes, and a onesie and some burp cloths).
Carrying all the things gets much less daunting when you do it regularly. Get a comfy backpack and keep it stocked with the following:
- changing pad with storage pockets. Keep 6-8 diapers in there and a pack of wipes. If your kid gets rashes, throw in a travel-sized tube of your favorite cream.
- throw an extra pack of wipes in the very bottom of your bag and then ignore them till the day you realize you accidentally ran out of wipes in the main changing pad thing! (Learned this the hard way!)
- two easy peasy outfits, like zip footies.
- one to two gallon ziplocks or other dry bag for dirty diapers and clothes.
- burp cloth and paci.
- optional: I bring a small quilt everywhere too so I’ve always got a place to put baby down.
Other than food, that’s it. That’s all you need at that age to be ready for just about any length outing. Now for food: I don’t know what to tell you about the pumping schedule, as we mostly breastfeed, but I have picked up a few tricks over the years otherwise.
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freshly expressed milk is good for four hours at room temp. Pump and then take it on your outing for the least amount of hassle.
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milk only has to be warm if your baby is picky. There is no safety reason for it.
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I have one morning a week where I have to give baby a bottle instead of nursing. I bring thawed milk still in the storage bag, a bottle, and a travel mug about half full of hot water. When it’s time to eat, I submerge the bag in the water to heat it up, and then pour it in the bottle. You can also submerge a full bottle, but I find I prefer to do it in the bag. (Fyi, I usually stick the milk in my lunch bag with an ice pack till I’m ready to use it).
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if you can afford it, wearable pumps like Elvie and Willow are nice for pumping on the go, because you can wear them under your shirt and pump fairly discreetly anywhere. You can also get them second-hand for cheaper.
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Medela makes wipes for cleaning pump parts on the go.
@Blair
We use those tiny rolls of dog poop bags for dirty diapers (if no trash can is available) or clothes! Super compact and handy.
@Blair
I really didn’t even think about using a travel mug with warm water to warm up a fridge milk bag. Genius! Also, I definitely need to add some Ziploc bags to my diaper bag.
Do you have any museums/zoo close to you? We got a membership to our local zoo and I take my 3-month-old all the time. Before we went for the first time, I looked at their online map to scope out a restroom with a changing table and a place to nurse (turns out our zoo has a dedicated nursing room which is awesome). Attendance is low during the winter and weekdays, so it’s really quiet with no pressure. Our zoo has a large indoor area, which is nice since we live in the north. If baby is awake, I’ll tell her about what we’re seeing, or if she’s asleep, then I just walk around for my exercise. You could take her in a carrier if you don’t want to use the stroller/car seat. We typically go right after she eats and spend ~an hour there, so I don’t have to feed her on the go. Another suggestion is to look up library story times. We go to one nearby and it’s a bunch of other babies too, so no one is judgy about crying/changing/feeding. Or we just browse some books which you could take baby in a carrier for too.
@Mai
I do have some museums nearby. And checking out the map to scope out restrooms—great idea!!
Following. I’m on month 4. So far it’s been strolls around the park, and if below freezing, around the empty mall. Going to try to work up the nerve for a museum sometime though.
I took mine to the cafe, to baby group, to baby rhyme time (this one was a mistake; it was way too early). The launderette, the shops, on walks. I took her to a museum; museums in the day are lovely as they are quiet and have lots of chairs, and you can feed baby in front of some art you like and take a good long look. I think at this age focus on what you would like. Baby groups are great, 'cause you can chat with other moms. Meeting with friends can be nice. If you’d rather go to the aquarium or museum, you can. Also, I think some cinemas have baby showings now too. Everything is new, and so it’s all good learning. I agree with the person who said to prepack the bag. You don’t need to bring everything; is there anywhere you can go in walking distance? You can just baby wear if the stroller feels like it’s too much, plus I think baby wearing counts as tummy time. If you take the stroller, I used to take baby out once we got where we were going and take her round to look at everything, have some milk and hold her while she napped if she napped while we were in the place. If you currently don’t have one, maybe see about a bassinet attachment for the stroller; that was a bit of a game changer for me.
I’m with ya on the petite but chunky baby 
. We live close to the library so we’ve started going there. They have story hour and he loves it (he’s 4 months), so I’d recommend looking at your library’s event calendar. I’ve also started taking him to the grocery store a few times a week. It’s so important to get out, and I remind myself it gets easier when you do it more. Also, I’ve seen in other posts people reminding us that babies don’t need a ton of stimulation, so don’t worry too much that you’re not doing enough. We were at the library yesterday and we just looked at the painting on the wall for a bit, lol.
Do you have wearables? There are a lot more reasonably priced ones available now. They are pretty discreet and easy to pop on in the car/bathroom and remove. Just another tool in your toolbox for leaving the house! Or leaving baby. I had to go on a work trip and I used them on the plane! The thing is, pretty much anywhere you go, there will most likely be another mom or kind person who will help you out in a pinch. I needed help pushing my stroller into a bar on Sunday, and 2 kind people held the door. (lol 
it was family friendly and kids are welcome!)
So, basically, it’s an Olympic sport, but instead of gold, you win a screaming baby and a lukewarm coffee.
Parks, walking trails, coffee, mall (to walk). ETA: If we left the neighbourhood, I’d have a diaper bag with a max of two diapers per four-hour adventure, a small container of wipes, one extra outfit, a thermos of boiled hot water, 1 bottle per potential feed, and enough frozen milk for however many feeds unless I planned to pump, in which case I would use the pumped milk.
Long reply as my LO is 16 weeks and I’m in this exact position. I’ve gone through every possible outcome and have stressed about going out on my own. Walks to the local coffee shop are getting repetitive, haha. So I’ve really only just started heading to shopping centres or libraries on my own.
Firstly, I plan the outing either the day before or in the morning, that would mean getting the big stuff in the car first. Then I go off of the wake-up time.
-Baby wakes up, change them, and get a bottle ready to go. I formula feed, so it’s a bit easier, but I have friends who either have a bottle in a small cooler bag or bring a portable warmer.
-Baby in car and go! Like I said before, I go to local shops that are 10-15 minutes away.
-Depending on where you go, map out parent rooms as they are your life saviours. A good place to escape.
-If baby needs to feed, either find the parent room or find a seat and feed. My biggest anxiety is when my LO cries, but people are very understanding.
Now if your LO can sleep in the stroller, take advantage of that, just walk laps near your car, especially since he’s big. (Mine is too, and I can only get him to sleep in his carrier, which is great for my back, lol.) Or you can contact nap in a quieter space for a short nap. And although your anxiety about the flat head is valid, would it be possible to have an extended drive on the way home for a nap after his wake window has ended? 20-30 minutes should be ok for a nap, and it’s not an extreme period of time in the car. (Meanwhile my baby loves his car seat, and I’ve driven 1.5 hours at a time!) Lastly, something that my husband and I did were practice runs. He would ‘be there’ but technically not be. Standing off to the side while you carry on with the outing. What I mean is that he can be with you to support and help when you are really struggling but only when you are at your last resort. That way, you’re ‘doing it on your own’ but there isn’t so much pressure. The final thing is time and patience. This is what I struggle with the most. It does take a lot to go out on your own, but eventually, the wake windows get longer and both of your temperaments will change. It takes practice, so only do what you feel comfortable with! These are only my ideas and experiences, so I hope they can be of help to you! You got this Mama!!!
Someone mentioned packing the night before and I totally agree! An outing could be just to see friend or family. That gets you out of the house, and it would make things a little simpler for you to pump in someone’s home than out and about. Other good baby outings that I like are Costco, Target, and the grocery store. Sometimes we pick up items, but often we just walk through the isles. We go to the library a lot too. Our library has storytime, and it’s a great opportunity to connect with other parents.
Side note: check out the 1000 books before kindergarten program. You can do it on our own, but if a library near you participates, then sometimes they have prizes when you meet certain benchmarks! Also, I didn’t bother with the stroller for months. Just using the baby carrier felt more manageable for me.
My advice for getting out in early days: meet with other mamas! We made a little group and would meet at a coffee shop with a covered patio and incredible heaters. The conversation is wonderful, and there are other mamas that will have anything you might have forgotten. We started doing weekly walks, rotating through various areas in our community, around the 4-5 month mark. Usually, one person would bring a stroller or diaper bag with essentials, and most mamas just walked with carrier, baby, and sometimes furry children. It may also be helpful to just have a stash of essentials in your car so you can feel comfortable being out and about carrying less - because it’s a lot of stuff! This gave me a bit of overwhelm in the early days too.
Mom in the southern USA talking, so ymmv based on weather - can you baby wear? I ditched the stroller with my first, and that made outings immediately easy - grab my Moby wrap, backpack, baby and go. Doing the same soon with my second once she hits one month. You don’t want to do day-long outings with baby-wearing, but it’s definitely useful for getting out of the house with minimal stuff. ETA - I EP too! I usually pack bottles and breastmilk in a small bag with a small ice pack into my backpack. FWIW, I have a Dagne Dover backpack and it fits everything I need - bottle + breastmilk (I usually pack this in a Ceres Chill or mason jar), diapers, wipes (the Dagne Dover backpack has a little wipe-specific pocket in the front of the backpack, sooo useful), diaper cream + spatula, some bibs, spare onesie, and a thin blanket that I roll up and shove into the bottle holder part of the backpack. Seconding the commenter who suggested wearables. You can find some really good low-cost ones, and your insurance may cover them too (mine covered part of the cost of my Elvies which are getting use with baby #2). Alternatively, if you’re an oversupplier/generally have a quick letdown, consider using collection cups or manual pumps to get a session out of the way in the car - that way you don’t have to pack a bunch of equipment.
I drove with baby 2 hours to see my mom at 3 weeks postpartum. Make a checklist, pack everything, time your outing with after they eat their most recent meal. It’s doable! We walk to Starbucks in the carrier once a week; she’s almost 6 weeks now. We do neighborhood walks and she goes with me to the grocery store sometimes if we need things. We go to the library too.
When I was a SAHM, I made it an effort to get out of the house a few times a week. Even just going to the grocery store. I either wore him on my chest or kept him in his car seat or stroller. I spent that trip just talking. I showed him different foods we needed to get. Let him see the colors. Our library also did storytimes for babies. Definitely look into it. After story time, we would look at books or go in the playroom to look around. As for the diaper bag, I just have it prepacked and ready to go. Extra clothes, diapers, wipes, pacifier, and a toy. Keep it in your car, as well as the stroller if you can. The only thing you would have to remember are bottles with some ice packs to keep cool. I know they also make portable bottle warmers; maybe look into that as well so you don’t have to worry about heating it up.
Same same with the same age baby. Mine screams bloody murder in the car seat so that’s why I don’t wanna go too far . We’ve been doing just neighborhood strolls and walks to the park. Also trying to figure out what we can do without husband. I also mainly pump, so my goal is to do something within the 3-hour time frame of his meals and my pump schedule. It’s not easy. I’m thinking of neighborhood CVS and grocery shopping next since it’s only a 5 min car ride. 