How to spend the day with a 2-month old baby

Once my body made some progress in healing from birth, and I realized I still didn’t have to go back to work for six more weeks, it was time to figure out my new normal. What could I do with a 2-month old baby in tow?

Here are more than 10 activities to fill your days and allow you to practice being a mom. You know, those ladies that walk around in public with babies? That’s you!

First, prepare to track your accomplishments. We have a milestone chart for new moms that you can print.

Now, let’s get out there.

Not sure how to use one of those complicated baby carriers? Find a meeting of Babywearing International where you can get help and even borrow a carrier.
But what will you wear? Let’s wean ourselves from maternity clothes, shall we? Buy some cheap jeans without thinking too hard. Take baby with you for an extra challenge.
And how will you convince other people you’re okay? You won’t. Just follow these guidelines to be yourself.

So where should you go? Here are places to go alone, just you and your baby.

A shopping mall is a baby-friendly destination. You’ll find that baby stores and restaurants both have changing tables. If you need to catch your breath in private, go in a dressing room, sit on the bench and catch your breath. Bonus if you have a Nordstrom in your area. Their women’s lounge features a generous maternity room for nursing, pumping and changing.
Prefer food over retail therapy? Go to the grocery store for just one thing.
Take a postnatal yoga class.
Visit a paint-your-own pottery studio and let them make prints of your baby’s feet on a frame or tile.

I was lucky enough to join a mom’s group in which I actually liked the other women and we made plans to meet up during the week. We strolled all over town. Activities to try with a friend:

Get a pedicure while baby sleeps in a front carrier.
Go to a daytime movie programmed for moms and babies, where crying is allowed.
Start a breakfast club with rotating hosts. If domestic duties are not your thing, meet at different (non-Starbucks) cafes for variety.
Seek out unique walking paths by googling or browsing the bookstore for “best walks in (your city)”. We {heart} our secret stairs and paths in Berkeley. Pro tip: find an independently-owned hyperlocal website for parents in your area and subscribe. (See Sounds Fun Mom as an example for Washington moms!)

Staying out of the house as long as I could always made the day go by faster, however there are still many hours to fill at home. I like a project, so let me suggest these at-home activities for two-month old mamas:

DIY swaddling blanket, requiring a trip to the fabric store and then some basic sewing. Have too many blankets already? Make an infinity nursing scarf. Even easier.
Hack your activity play mat to make it more age-appropriate.
Make a did-do list to feel better about your day.
Write down your best advice before you forget it.
Take a funny (mean?) photo of your baby crying. Bonus points if you put a book titled something like “The No-Cry Sleep Solution” next to him.

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Whitney

RookieMoms.com co-founder Whitney lives with her husband, son, and daughter in the San Francisco Bay Area where she writes about parenting, crafts, and activities that moms can do with babies in tow. She and Heather also publish 510Families.com, a site for East Bay parents.