Getting Out And About With Your Baby

Getting Out And About With Your Baby

Getting out and about with your baby is an integral part of re-establishing some ‘normality’ after becoming a parent. It is important for your mental health and some mothers need this more than others.

I had friends who had to get out of the house every day, but I enjoyed some days when I could just stay at home and wear comfy clothes and not worry about my appearance. This also meant I could put my baby down for sleeps when she was ready rather than around my outing.

What to do:

• Visit friends
• Visit family
• Meet a friend at a baby friendly café
• Visit a play centre
• Parent groups or mother’s groups
• Playgroups
• Mothers of Pre-schoolers (MOPS) groups
• Pram walking groups
• Exercise groups for mothers
• Library baby bounce, rhyme time, story time sessions
• Art Gallery sessions for parents and baby’s
• Walk around the block with the pram
• and much more…

First-time parent groups (Mother’s groups)

First-time parent groups run through maternal and child health centres, were traditionally called ‘mother’s groups’. They are a great chance to meet other mum’s and parents who have babies of a similar age. Because you are all first-time parents you are likely to have a lot in common, even if it is only your babies. I had one of my secondary school teachers in my mother’s group and even though I felt a little uneasy about it, because we were both first time mothers we still had plenty to talk about and became friends. Many of these groups continue to meet for many years and become a fantastic support network. They often go on to have more baby’s in the following years and continue to support each other.

Online

Join local online mum’s groups on social media as these will often let you know when particular events are going to be on that will suit families with young children. Be wary of some advice in these groups as it can be very helpful but can also be dangerous at times.

Join local council social media pages as they will share events coming up. For instance, our local council recently had a pop-up playgroup at a shopping centre where they had a play space set up and gave out information about regular playgroups, other council run activities such as exercise classes, swimming lessons, art gallery sessions and the like. Have a look in your local newspaper for upcoming local events too.

Getting out does not need to be a formal group, it can be as simple as a walk around the block to get out of the house, get some fresh air and give your baby something different to look at. Going to the shops to pick up ingredients for dinner or shopping for a present for a friend.

The key to being able to get out and about more easily is having your nappy bag well stocked and replace used items from your last outing as soon as possible. That way you can remain a little spontaneous.

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