I mean, unless, you had your baby at home, they are already born in a public place. In all seriousness, though, you don’t have to wait that long to begin taking them out. My wife and I are outgoing people who love to travel and go out to restaurants. Therefore, we couldn’t wait to start taking our little guy out and into the world. Before I go any further, I would like you all to know that you need to take your own baby’s needs into account. For instance, if they have an illness that causes immunosuppression, please take that into consideration and speak to your pediatrician about safe exposure to public settings.

Is there a hard and fast rule on when and where to take your kiddo out into the public? Not really. Much of it depends on the parents’ comfort level. Some parents want to keep their kids in a bubble and isolated from the world as long as possible, while others have no fear and will let their newborns go anywhere and around anyone. The right answer is probably somewhere in the middle. Some friends were surprised I brought my son to work to meet coworkers.

Begin with a small outing, maybe to the store, or just a stroll around the neighborhood. Slowly move up from there. We took our son out for the first time to his pediatrician and then to the grocery store. A few days later, we took him to meet some friends from work and then we went to a restaurant. From there, we slowly increased the amount of exposure as we felt comfortable. We didn’t bubble wrap out kiddo and isolate him from the world. However, we didn’t just go all out and start letting strangers touch him all over. Even healthy new borns will have weak and developing immune systems, so you have to practice some precautions.

As the days, weeks, and months went by, we went out and traveled more and more. We took road trips and even traveled internationally. Our infant definitely got many outings and continues to do so. Once again, speak with your pediatrician about safe outing practices for your particular newborn, especially if they have certain immunosuppressive conditions.

There are some things to consider before going out, and these revolve around the baby’s needs. Try to feed and change them prior to going out and assure their other needs are met as much as possible. Have plenty of diapers, wipes, extra clothes, snacks, milk/formula, and whatever else your infant may need while out and about. Always remember that infants can’t regulate their body temperatures too well yet, so be extra prepared for the elements. Just becasue you don’t feel too hot or too cold, does not mean the baby doesn’t. It’s a lot of fun watching your kids slowly learn about the world around them. So. get out there and have a great time.