Motherhood: Tips for Getting Out of the House with an Infant

Leaving the House with a Baby

New moms will know, sometimes it takes awhile to get a groove going and to streamline certain aspects of life with a baby. Take going out for example- there's a lot more moving pieces then there used to be.

From getting the baby ready, feeding and changing them, to packing a bag and trying to figure out all the extra items you may need for your outing - the "getting ready" process can take forever!

I knew I had to figure out a way to make the process easier on myself otherwise I would just end up staying home all the time.

Here are my tips for getting out the door a little bit more quickly and efficiently with a baby (though I think some of these tips would work for parents of toddlers and school age children too).

Have a Catch All

We have a basket in our front foyer that we use to catch all of Liyana's miscellaneous going out items. Her diaper bag, a warm blanket, a muslin blanket, a sun hat  - all of these are housed in the same place. This cuts down on going up and down the stairs trying to find that one thing with a crying baby on your hip.
(If you want to know what baby items I usually take with me for an outing then you can read about my Diaper Bag Essentials here. )

Don't Unpack your Diaper Bag

I keep my Diaper Bag packed and ready for the most part. If there were no accidents that day, I just leave the same emergency outfits in the bag for the next outing. It really cuts down on time spent packing extra sets of clothes for the baby. I use a thin packing cube to contain the extra clothes so they fit nicely in my Diaper Bag.

Restock your Diapering Essentials At Night

When you come home from an outing or day trip, check to make sure you have enough diapers and wipes for the next time you will be going out. It's much easier to do this when you don't have a time crunch or when you need to get out the door quickly.

Have an Emergency Bag in the Car

I learned this one the hard way. I had just come back from vacation and the next morning we had a Mommy and Me dance class. I rushed out the door without checking my Diaper Bag and Liya picked that day to have a major blowout. Of course I had no extra clothes for her and it was rough. Luckily the other moms in the class came to my rescue and lent me a onesie for Liya to wear and we were good to go. Since then, I decided to keep a few extra things in a zippered bag in my car. In the kit I have an extra outfit (a long and short sleeved diaper shirt and pants - this will work if it's warm or cool) and extra diapers and wipes.

To see what else is in my emergency kit, you can watch here.

Buy Certain Things in Pairs

While I love the Minimalist approach, I find that with certain things, it's helpful to have pairs. Stroller fans, hair brushes, pacifier clips, nail clippers, car seat covers, sunglasses and sunhats are a few things that I'm enjoying having doubles of right now. For her car seat cover (also a nursing cover - I have this one) I found having two was helpful because I could wash one and still have one available for the next time we went out.

Other Tips

• Keep your stroller in the car
• Keep your stroller accessories with the stroller (mosquito net, rain shield , stroller caddy etc)
• Go easy on yourself and take your time to learn the basics. It took me a couple of outings and week by week I learned how to use a different piece of baby gear until I felt comfortable taking her out on my own
• Smile! It may take awhile but the more you practice, the easier leaving the house will be!

Hope these tips help to stream line your "getting out of the house" process so you can enjoy more outings with your little one!

Have any tips to share with me? Send me a message on Instagram @angeliesood I'd love to chat!