Double Trouble: Exploring Toddler-Friendly Places with Your Newborn in Tow
There is no other way to say it, going anywhere in public with a newborn can be hard and overwhelming. They are unpredictable, require much planning and need a lot of stuff. Plus, newborns need to be protected and kept healthy. Despite all of this, getting out of the house has been so good for my mental state in postpartum. Although getting out and about with kids will always be hard, I always remind myself that I will never regret creating new memories.
With the birth of our second baby, I knew I would have to leave the house a little bit more than we did with my first only because the idea of being cooped up with a newborn and my toddler sounded a bit miserable. My toddler (currently 2 years old) is at the age where we desperately need to get out of the house daily and get his energy out. While daily was not realistic during the first month or so, we gradually made our way out and about as the weeks progressed (especially when we had family visiting that were able to offer an extra hand).
With all of this in mind, I decided to compile a short list of the places we have gone to during these first several months that have been practical and accommodating for both my toddler and my newborn.
(As an aside, with the second go around of the newborn stage, I now have more perspective about the difficulty of taking a newborn “into the wild”. A newborn is perhaps the easiest stage I’ve had to go out and about with. My little ones have luckily had a calm temperament that made it easy to get out because they essentially sleep or can be held in the carrier/stroller the entire time. As my babies got older, they got more mobile and require a lot more effort to supervise. Plus, you can’t underestimate how many snacks a toddler needs.)
(As a second aside, our outings may be a little easier for us because I am breastfeeding and am basically a walking food source for my baby whenever and wherever she needs it).
Park
We are so lucky to have to have several parks within walking distance of our house and our toddler LOVES a good slide. This is one of the easiest outings for us in those early days (once I could walk a considerable distance. Before then, we would drive to the parks). My toddler gets the opportunity to burn off energy and get out of the house and the whole family benefits from some vitamin D. Going to the park is easier with multiple sets of hands. For us, my husband and I would take turns running around with my toddler and sitting with the baby in the stroller. A park is also a great outing destination because it can be close to home and easy to abort the mission if your newborn (or toddler) gets fussy!
2. Zoo
When my mom was in town visiting, we took my toddler and newborn to the Austin Zoo. This is a smaller zoo and was the perfect (and memorable) outing in those early months. We had the best experience and my toddler LOVED it. I was able to carry my newborn in the carrier most of the time which kept her happy and out of the way of other people (and their germs). (I ended up using a blanket over my carrier to help with the sun. I still need a good hat for her that will work with the carrier.) Because we went in the middle of the week, it was also easy to see a good number of animals and still leave in time to make it home for my toddler’s nap. (I have the Artipoppe carrier, which is expensive, but great. There are several dupes you can find on Amazon.)
3. Indoor Playground
When my parents were in town, we also ventured to an indoor playground which again my toddler LOVED. When the weather isn’t ideal, this is an easy place to get their energy out. While my toddler played, I was able to sit off to the side and watch while being with my baby. This outing is great because it can be as long or as short as needed (depending on the moods of everyone). The few caveats I would consider making this a more enjoyable experience for both your toddler and newborn is to first go with an extra set of hands (at least when your toddler is younger). At my playground, someone had to go into the play structure with my toddler- which would have been impossible for me to do with a newborn (and recovering postpartum body). Second, I suggest making a trip to the indoor playground during the middle of the day and in the middle of the week, to avoid large crowds.
4. Brewery
In Austin where we live, breweries are very popular. They typically are kid friendly with lots of space to roam outside and oftentimes even have a playground. This is again a great place to take your toddler to run off some energy, while sitting on the sidelines supervising and catering to your newborn. The bonus of a brewery is that you can also enjoy an adult beverage 😊 Many of our breweries also have coffee in the morning. Because of this, I really like to take advantage of breweries first thing in the morning before they get too crowded later in the day. Besides getting your toddler’s energy out early, you can also get in your caffeine.
5. Walks
Once I was feeling physically up to it, walks became an almost daily activity in our household. Not surprising, it satisfies my requirement of getting us all out of the house and can even get my toddler’s energy out if he rides his bike. This is also a great activity if you are walking in your own neighborhood because you can easily divert back home if moods end up changing (we all know how quickly that can happen). This may be a good point to mention strollers which are essential during walks. With our first, we invested in the UPPAbaby Vista V2. We use this stroller for a lot of walks for my baby because it has a bassinet attachment, so she doesn’t have to be constrained. (We were extremely happy with the entire Vista stroller system- let me know if you want any other specific details). If my newborn is in the Vista, then my toddler will either take his bike (which he is obsessed with), ride in our jogging stroller, or walk if we aren’t going that far (sometimes our “walks” are only to the mailbox). Sometimes we take the Doona for my infant (which is the second stroller system we purchased this time around). We love this stroller for a variety of reasons. If my infant is in the Doona, my toddler will ususally opt for the Vista with the toddler seat attachment.
6. Church
Depending on what church you go to, this can be a great first outing with a newborn. Our church has a class that my toddler attends during the service and a mothers’ room that I can use to nurse my baby. We usually opt for waiting in the lobby until the singing and loud music at the beginning is over (instead of using baby headphones, but we do have this pair we sometimes use & this brand is popular with other babies at our church). It’s a nice way to get out of the house and my baby will usually sleep since it’s relatively dark during the service-plus, I have the nursing room to go to if she gets fussy. This is also great because it gets everyone (including my toddler) out of the house and allows us to interact with other people.
7. Mall
We never really utilized a mall as an outing until we needed some toddler entertainment. My toddler loves malls- getting the chance to walk around freely and perhaps get a yummy snack. We usually time our trips around making a return or something we need to specifically pick up, but it's a great adventure for the whole family. A stroller works perfectly for walking around and you're never too far away from your car, so you can always cut the trip short whenever you need to.
8. Chick-fil-A
My toddler is obsessed with Chick-fil-A and considering that he is an extremely picky eater these days, we frequent there often. I wanted to suggest Chick-fil-A or any other fast dining as an outing because it allows for flexibility. You can drag out the meal for a while or take it immediately to go depending on how everyone is doing. With a newborn, I prefer this over any traditional sit-down restaurant because I know I won’t be disturbing others and can leave if things become chaotic.
So, there you have it- a short list of ideas of things to do with your toddler while also having a newborn. As you can see the common theme is an opportunity to get energy out and the ability to leave quickly if tantrums or fussiness starts to occur. Let me know of any other ideas you have that fit the bill! As an Amazon Associate, I do make a small commission when you purchase using my links- which I really appreciate! XXX