After 4 days of being “snowed in” from the 5″ of snow we got last Saturday, I ventured out into the big wide world with my 3 week old baby. All on my own. Yikes.
My original goal for the day was small – to drive to my local pharmacy to pick up some photos I ordered and buy some new beauty supplies ( already I have discovered that post pregnancy my body needs are different to what I have experienced the past nine months).
First problem I encountered. How do I transport baby from car to pharmacy? She is too small to carry in a sling still. I didn’t want to hand carry her because I would need two hands for picking up items and paying. Carrying her in the car seat – too cumbersome and not good for the back. I don’t like putting the car seat in the shopping cart/trolley because it becomes top heavy and the idea that someone could accidentally knock it off terrifies me, plus the trolleys at the pharmacy are mini ones. So I decided to put her in the umbrella stroller that the car seat clicks into. Which seemed a bit excessive for what would ordinarily be a 5 minute dash into a shop…but hey, this is my new life now, just roll with it Dani!
My next trick was carrying a shopping basket and pushing a stroller whilst picking up all the items I wanted to buy. It was quite a juggling trick, but I figured it out. Maybe I just need to work on my upper body strength a little more!
After my ‘quick’ errand I decided to ‘pop’ into the book store next door to look for a new 2017 diary. Admittedly, me ‘popping’ into a book store is a bit of a joke because I get easily distracted. But after 5 minutes and picking up 3 new books Aviana suddenly woke up and started screaming the place down. I was surprisingly calm as I picked her up out of her car seat, but highly cognizant of people staring at me as if I was killing my baby. OK, there was probably no one looking at me, but it sure felt like everyone was! I thought it might be feeding time soon, so I looked around to figure out where I could feed her. She consoled herself after she did a big fart. Poor girl hates the gas. I put her back in the stroller and she fell back asleep. Paranoid that it was in fact almost feeding time, I noticed there was a cafe in the store so I decided to put the down all the books I had picked up and went to order myself a cup of tea and a slice of cake.
Everyone in the queue at the cafe cooed over Aviana, asking lots of questions, I happily bragged. Apparently you can’t avoid talking to people with a newborn baby in tow. I sat down and waited for Aviana to wake up again wanting food, 15 minutes later she woke up. I got my boob out and she decided she was pulling the tight lipped, I’m not actually hungry mum, just kidding face. So I got my boob out for nothing. I was a little embarrassed. Aviana grimaced and farted again in my arms, instantly falling back to sleep. I really thought I had the different cries down. Apparently not!
After finishing my tea I decided to brave the shop again, picked up the books I had left somewhere randomly in the shop and went to pay for them. As I walked around with her in the stroller kids came up to her and peered in, intrigued at the little baby. Mums would came running over to apologise for their child. I said not to worry. All of this adding to my time in the store.
Finally, after paying I made my escape back to the car and Aviana started screaming just as I started the engine. Typical, that was definitely a hunger cry. Home was only a 10 minute drive away so I decided to drive on with a screaming baby in the back seat. It turns out as long as I drive more than 25 miles an hour Aviana calms herself down!
All in all, what would have normally taken me a forty minute shopping trip, actually ended up taking me almost four hours. Time had literally disappeared into no where.
Aviana was fast asleep by the time I got home, foolishly, I put the kettle on…just as I started making the tea, she woke up, this time she was for real. MUM FEEEEEED MEEEEEEEEEEE is what she wailed at me.
Well I may have survived my first day out on my own without having a breakdown, but I sure learned a lot!!!!
The Inconceivable Adventures of Parenthood 
I will typically put the car seat down inside the cart. I know so many people balance them up on the seat part, but they aren’t made to go there, and the carts aren’t made to hold them properly there either. If there’s no cart, or it’s a tiny cart (which Michael’s also has, btw!) she gets attached to the stroller. She throws a fit with the act of getting her into the car seat, so I try not to take her out of it at all!! It’s definitely a juggling act with the stroller though, and even with a cart you can’t buy too much because the seat takes up so much room!! I figure soon enough she’ll be able to sit up on her own so she can sit up in the seat of the cart and I can shop normally again!! I also make it a point to never head out into the world unless I’ve just fed her. Thankfully she’s to a point now where she’s going 4-5 (or more) hours between feedings, so I have a little more time to play with!!
And man are you right about basically being the center of attention when you’re out with a baby! Everyone and their brother wants to see the baby and coo over her! Asking a million questions about her…which normally is fine, but sometimes if I’m trying to hurry it’s a pain. One thing I will say though…if someone sees you trying to get through a door with a stroller, they’re more than happy to stop and hold the door for you, or to race ahead to get the door for you. I just saw a commercial depicting this, and it said “People will do anything for a child”…I’ve found that’s very true!!
Glad you’re getting out in the world. I wish we lived closer, I’d come meet you out! (PS~ this is why I said you need a PJ day, because everything takes longer with baby in tow, and it gets exhausting!)
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That’s a good idea to put the car seat in the cart, I will have to try that next time!
I was talking to my Brit friend who has two kids, one born in UK, the other here in the US who is just 5 weeks old. She says that Americans are waaaay more talkative and friendly about congratulating her on her newborn baby than back in the UK. I always knew you were friendlier here, but this definitely proves it! It is lovely how people are very considerate with holding doors open etc. It was quite a shock going from being massively pregnant to not, and people no longer standing out of my way or holding doors open for me…but a baby in tow brings me back to that order of the field!
Can’t wait for those 4-5 hr feeds :-p
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Well done Dani ! I remember when India was a week old I tried to go to cafe Nero , she cried I panicked ( found breastfeeding in public too nerve racking at that stage !!) and got in the car and went home with no coffee !! Have you got a wrap ?? I took Amélie everywhere In a wrap for first couple of weeks and they can be tiny in a wrap .xx present on its way
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i second the wrap. used it to go everywhere and my coat could even do up over the little guy when he was newly born (he was 5lb 4oz…). I think you rocked the outing. Congrats.
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Thanks Sim! Surviving was my first goal, I guess that was quite a low bar 😉
What wrap did you use for your teeny man?? The moby one I bought before she arrived says I can’t use it until she is 8lbs :-s
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Thanks JoJo!
I think having Chris with me the first time feeding in public has been helpful in building my confidence. Apparently here in the US it isn’t often you see breastfeeding in public as it is the UK. I don’t know myself, but I guess I will find out when I come back in March!! I can’t wait!
I have a moby sling/wrap, but the instructions say she can’t go in it until she is 8lbs. She is almost 7lbs, so not much longer now! I don’t really want to buy another wrap for that short time. It turns out there are lots of things that are weight/size limit we had bought and were completely unaware until we got home with our teeny girl!
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I had a moby too and used it from when Amélie was 6 pounds but was just very careful to make sure I could see her nose etc.., ( prob not worth the worry if you onLy have 1 pound to go !) they have a good newborn hold, wow Aviana is growing sooo well , well done you I found feeding in public fine here once I felt comfortable and not in agony no funny looks or comments, I think people would be too scared to comment . ENjoy and hope you get some sleep ..
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Yay for you!!! I’m so impressed that you got out with Aviana by yourself! Great work!
I never really did the shopping cart, it was just too hard with the basket and I just didn’t trust it. We got to the point of any big grocery shops either took 2 of us (1 with Baby and stroller and 1 with grocery cart) or it 1 of us without baby. It was just too hard to do a trip alone with Baby in a bucket seat. But now that he can sit in the grocery cart it’s all good. I actually find shopping more fun when it’s the two of us because I chat with Baby MPB the whole time. 😊
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Awww I love that baby MPB is a good companion for shopping for you! I hate shopping, so may be that will change when Aviana is a bit bigger!!
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I am the worst shopper! I absolutely hate it too!!
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