You’ve made it! Labor? Check! Brought the baby home in one piece while your husband drove 12 m.p.h. down the highway? Yep! Survived your first sleepless nights filled with feeding the baby, changing her diaper and checking every hour on the hour to make sure she’s still breathing? Duh! Now it’s time to take your parenting skills a step further and actually leave the house with said child. Daunting? Yes! Inevitable? Most def! Why not make the first outing with your precious new bundle something unique that you’ll always remember? Consider these 10 cute ideas for baby’s first excursion outside of the house.
1. Coffee Date With Your New Sidekick
Sleeping in three-hour intervals every night while you tend to your newborn can be rough! That’s why a morning coffee date is the perfect excuse to get the two of you out of the house and provide you with the caffeine boost you so desperately need. Choose a local shop with comfortable indoor or outdoor seating so you can spend some time enjoying your latte and a much-deserved sweet breakfast pastry (go ahead, order two – we won’t tell). Your baby will enjoy the new scenery and you will feel rejuvenated for the rest of your day.
Tip for Success: Order your coffee and pastries in to-go cups and containers, just in case you need to make a swift exit if Baby starts getting fussy.
2. Take a Scenic Walk
Fresh air can do wonders for soul and mind, especially if you’ve been locked up indoors for weeks now wondering if it’s day or night (who can tell when you’re up around the clock?). Bundle your baby up in her stroller or carrier and head to a local, scenic place like a pretty green park, beach boardwalk, or lake trail. It’ll feel nice to stretch your legs and get the blood flowing, plus your little one needs to start getting comfortable in her shiny new stroller.
Tip for Success: Pick a place with lots of benches so it’s easy to stop and feed baby if necessary. Also, make sure to pack a shade or blanket to cover the stroller if it’s a sunny day.
Photo Credit: Robin Taylor, via Flickr creative commons
3. Explore a Local Museum
Be sure to enjoy the first few months when your newborn still sleeps a lot and is easy to take into public places. Pack up the stroller and peruse your favorite museum. Baby can relax or snooze in the serene atmosphere, while you can enjoy some culture.
Tip for Success: Be sure to choose a museum that is stroller-friendly so you’re not bumping into other patrons in narrow hallways – beep, beep!
Photo credit: Mother Earth Brew Co.
4. Drop In On Your Husband at Work
If your husband is back at work, plan a day to dress your little love in a cute outfit (you know, the one that you’ve had hanging in his closet since you were 6 months pregnant and haven’t had an excuse to dress him up in just yet), and show him off to your spouse’s co-workers. Your husband will love to see you two during the day and who doesn’t love a surprise visit from a cute little baby to break up the work day? Spoiler alert: no one.
Tip for Success: Baby’s schedules change regularly, so make sure it’s a day that your husband has some flexibility and not only a one-hour window between meetings.
5. Ice Cream, You Scream
While you may have heard enough screaming lately from your tiny newborn (man, she’s really got some lungs on her!), there’s always room for a little ice cream. Visit your favorite ice cream or frozen yogurt shop and enjoy a sweet treat with your sweetheart.
Tip for Success: Go ahead and order her a little kiddie scoop. Obviously, she’s still on the breastmilk/formula-only train, but the little cup of rocky road sitting next to her car seat will make for a perfect photo opp to share on Instagram. Plus you can’t let it go to waste, so go ahead and eat it for her – the things we must do for our children.
6. Meet a Friend for Lunch
If you realize you’ve only been talking in a baby voice for the past few weeks while home with your new cutie, chances are you could use some adult conversation. Meet your friend during her lunch break or plan a date with a fellow mom friend to enjoy some delicious food that was forbidden during pregnancy. Sushi? Come to mama! And don’t worry about picking a spot that’s quiet – your baby will most likely sleep through the natural white noise of any bustling restaurant.
Tip for Success: Turn a restaurant high chair seat upside down, place your car seat with baby inside on top of the overturned high chair and enjoy your lunch and some adult conversation (sans baby voice) with your girlfriend.
Photo credit: Dana Robinson, via Flickr creative commons
7. Take Some (Professional) Selfies
Regular selfies of the two of you are all good and fine, but you inevitably end up cutting off your head or your baby’s chin. Why not up your selfie game and find a local photo booth (usually found at malls, arcades, etc.) and take a set of silly keepsake photos with your new partner in crime. Of course your baby will either be sleeping or wide-eyed in each shot, which means it’s up to you to make each one unique – silly faces welcome!
Tip for Success: Research online first or ask around where you can find your nearest photo booth. Usually a quick Google search: “Photo Booth Locations in (your city here)” does the trick.
Photo credit: The Mommy Project, San Diego
8. Shop ‘til you Drop
Now that your new sidekick is actually here, take her shopping for a cute new outfit that fits her newly discovered personality. (She grunts when she eats? Perfect, pick a onesie with pigs and farm animals on it). And don’t forget to pick up a little something for yourself – perhaps even some matching gear for mom and baby.
Tip for Success: If you’re headed to a mall or a shopping center, check the directory online ahead of time, or first thing when you arrive, so you know where the nearest bathrooms are located – a.k.a. map out your diaper changing zones!
Photo credit: Parker Knight, via Flickr creative commons
9. Pick Flowers Together
By now your “welcome baby” flowers sent by family and friends are dying off and it’s time to brighten up your house. Head straight to your favorite florist, farmer’s market or grocery store to pick out some colorful new blooms with your new bundle in tow.
Tip for Success: Pick a type of flower that you’ll want to share with your little one as she grows older. Think long-term – maybe you buy her these same flowers for upcoming accomplishments like her first dance recital, when she makes the JV Soccer team, or for her high school graduation. It can be a special gesture between the two of you, and don’t forget to snap a photo so later you can explain how the tradition began.
10. Plant the Book Worm Seed Early
If you haven’t already, now is a great time to sign up for a library card. You’ll be cruising through your book shelf at home quicker than you think, and you’ll soon need some new bedtime stories for your baby’s (and your own!) sake. Bring your little one with you to explore the library’s children’s section and maybe even pick out a few parenting books for yourself.
Tip for Success: While you’re there, pick up a calendar of events for upcoming “baby story times.” Most libraries offer free, weekly story times for infants and new moms – a fun outing for the both of you.
Where did you or will you take your baby on his first outing? Tell us in a Comment.
–Kristin Helms
Need some fresh ideas?
Related reads
