Stuck at home

Hey I have three kiddos youngest is 3 months old. I grab my baby carrier as it’s easiest to be hands free. Get them use to going in and out of the car. It is a hassle but you just need to flip your mind set and have a bit of a plan. If things don’t go well come home reset and try again tomorrow.

Gets easier for sure, I’m doing it all over again (3yo & 4month old) and i forgot how hard it was to leave the house with a baby, doing online grocery shopping is lifesaver this time round though

Planning and making lists ahead of time helps you to have something to look forward to. Also planning for something fun for yourself. I found checking out a local cafe for a little treat helps And involving your little one (talking to, showing them) while they’re awake. Have a handy bag filled with just the essentials for a grab and go so it takes some of the packing fatigue out of the way. The more you do it, the easier it gets!

I second the grocery pick up idea, it’s such a lifesaver! My son is now one but when he was that little I only planned one outing a day ( library story time, walk in the park, walk in the mall …etc) and made sure I started getting him and myself ready suuuuper early so it didn’t matter how long it takes. Just make it an activity of itself. It gets a lot easier - hang in there and get all the cuddles and snuggles you can at this age!

I know how you feel, my daughter was so unsettled anywhere I went that it made trying to do my own thing stressful and not very enjoyable. She hated being in the pram, hated it when I went shopping, wanted to be on me and feeding at all times when we were out (I guess she was picking up on my stress and needed this to try to regulate herself), so I barely went anywhere. I started going places at nap times, so she got used to sleeping in the car or pram (would protest at first but she got used to it). You could just go places and accept that you may feel uncomfortable/stressed, ask someone else to watch you baby while you you go shopping or do as much online as possible. I felt so trapped at this stage, but remember that everything changes so much over the first year or so, it sounds cliched when everyone says it gets better, but it really does and part of the reason things get better is because you start figuring out how to do things that previously seemed way too hard

It also gets better when they're on solids, because you can just go out at meal or snack time and give them snacks while you shop 😅 (when they're established on solids)

I felt the same way, I felt ashamed if my baby cried and I always hurried home lol makes me laugh now but I felt like I was a terrible mum if she cried. But all they want is a hug or milk and the crying would stop. I took my baby out after a feed and nap I also made sure I had the ergo, close contact is usually what they are looking for unless they 💩. When she started crying i just put her in the ergo crying stopped straight away. Start small go for a walk around the block see how you go if you feel confident try groceries. It will get better. And it helps you mentally to get out of the house. Trust me when I stopped caring what people were thinking I loved taking my baby girl out.

It gets easier when they can sit on their own and you can stick them in the basket. Mines 3 months(he’s my second baby)and I don’t go out by myself with him.

Is your bub usually settled at a time in the day? I know my boy is super chill after he feeds so I head out in his wake window (usually in the carrier or I take the carrier with me in case as I know he will sleep in there) otherwise I will take the pram and he sometimes falls asleep in the pram when it's time for his nap. If he doesn't and he starts to get grizzly I will put him in his carrier and just take some time to put him to sleep if needed, otherwise he will just fall asleep. I can totally empathise with where you're coming from though it seems like such a big task, and it can be, but it can also be really smooth especially if you're just working with one bub. Something I noticed I'd do is think my bub can't handle being out and about and I was really just scared he'd have a meltdown in the middle of the shops which is a valid fear but it wasn't likely considering he would have been fed etc. Mama, just allow yourself some extra time when going out. Take a bottle/sit down and BF if you need to❤️cont..

Our bubs are so much more resilient than we think and it's so much better for our mental health and sanity to be getting out and about (speaking for myself😂) If your bub is super unsettled during the day or is prone to crying a lot and that's why you're worried, I'm not 100% sure what to advise outside of what's been suggested but even if you have someone you can ask to come with you to help, I'm sure they would love to do that for you ❤️❤️

Because running errands and food shopping is seen as a chore, that’s why. Do something fun, have something planned, make plans w people. I’ll usually take my baby to a mothers group/baby bounce at the library or a meet up w another sahm friend, and when that’s finished I’ll stop by at the shops (or if we’re already there, say Ikea, I’ll drop downstairs to the Coles) I’ll get the food last thing just before we go home, usually baby is napping in the pram by that stage and we’ve had a full fulfilling day already and the shop is just something extra, it wasn’t what I left the house for, makes me more motivated to go out in the first place, coz I’m doing something “fun”, I’m seeing a friend or something.