What do you do with your days with a new baby? Share with Fairy Non Bio for chance to win a £300 voucher NOW CLOSED

[JustineBMumsnet]

As part of our partnership with Fairy Non Bio, we’ve produced the Mumsnet Babies podcast. There are ten episodes in the series, and episode 8 covers what you can actually do with your days when you have a new baby. Fairy Non Bio would like you to listen to the podcast here and then post on this thread with your experience.

A new life as a stay-at-home-parent may feel daunting and bewildering, and though you’d likely prepared for the ‘stuff’ you have to do with a baby, you may not have planned for how you intend on filling your days with a new baby, and potentially preventing loneliness now that you’re not at work every day?

Whatever your experience, share your stories of and tips for making the time you spend alone with your baby feel fun and fulfilling, and share any advice you have for when you’re out and about. Do you have any ideas about what you can do at home, when your baby is at different stages? Perhaps you have tips on making being out and about more enjoyable, despite the organisation it now requires with a new baby in tow? Maybe you have creative ideas for being able to do the tasks you need to be able to do around the house, while keeping your baby entertained?

Whatever your experience and tips, share below to be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £300 Love2Shop voucher.

If you’d like to rate the Mumsnet Babies Podcast, please go to the iTunes store to add a review.

Thanks and good luck,

MNHQ

Standard Insight T&Cs apply

[onemorecakeplease]

I slept a LOT when ds was little. We basically cuddled up in bed for the first six months and it was bliss!

When he got slightly older I tried to get out for a walk every day and went to lots of mum meet ups in a local cafe/theatre.

We did baby classes and moaned about lack of sleep etc. Was great having support.

[NerrSnerr]

My second baby is 4 months old. Love having days doing very little and having cuddles when my eldest is at nursery. I also go out to toddler groups where I can get support and he enjoys the attention he gets.

[Alexandra87]

It took me all day to get jobs done around the house and see to the baby. Definitely didn't have to worry about how I'd spend my day. I was lucky to be showered and dressed by the time my husband got in from work

[Starlight85]

My baby is 7 months old and we try to get to a baby group at least once a week. Other times we will just go for a walk or to the shops to get out of the house or visit friends and family. Somes days it's nice to just stay at home and play and also means my little girl can have a nap when she wants (she is going through a phase where she will only sleep in her cot!).

[asuwere]

I made sure I went out every day otherwise I'd go stir crazy. I nice long walk gave me and baby fresh air. I found having a safe place for baby in different rooms helped me get things done - bouncy chair in kitchen while cooking, cot upstairs while showering, moses basket/playmat in living room while folding laundry (or MNing!) etc.

[mummymummums]

When mine were very small, I mostly spent time with my ante natal group, either at coffee morning at each other's houses or walks locally. Tried to make sure I got out the house each day when I wasn't doing that, even if just to shops. The NCT was a good source of get togethers for organised coffee mornings.

[CMOTDibbler]

I walked and walked with ds when he was tiny - I used a sling so he could feed while I walked which made getting out easier. Lots of NT visits as well

[BernardsarenotalwaysSaints]

With our 1st I spent alot of time cuddling & walking & generally being with her. I used to go to a local coffee shop once a week too, we both used to enjoy people watching! I also used to like sitting her in her high chair, so she could see me, while I cooked too. I'd give bits of food to try & a wooden spoon & saucepan to play with.

This time, with dc5(13 days), we're having lots of cuddles while feeding & attempting to stop the older 4 (age 7 down to 2) from turning feral, not easy with the weather we've been having. When they're back at school & it's just me, dc4 & dc5 (& dc5 will hopefully have reached the minimum weight for his carrier) I'm planning lots of walks & conker collecting.

[georgedawes]

When your baby is young, I genuinely think the best thing to do is what you want - sleep, go out, walk, meet friends..whatever! It is all highly stimulating for your baby, newborns don't need to go to specific groups (but go if you want) and will grow from just being with you. When they're a bit older we loved going to a music group, it was the highlight of our week.

[twinklenic]

Ive never been one for going to clubs and groups so have always spent time with my kiddies alone or with family members. Singing nursery rhymes, drawing, reading stories and messy play all have been useful ...when they were very young cuddles and sleep was a major pass time lol

[beckyinman]

Anything and everything! We go to the park and jump on the 'wobbly board'; go to the house with lots of garden gnomes, throw toppings onto pizza bases, play in the garden, chase bubbles, whatever tires them out!

[freefan]

I really loved days just doing nothing with my DD, with sleeping being so important in the first few months.
I have found she is the only person in the world who smiles when I sang and simple things like sitting picking daisies, crawling after her around the house really are the days I will remember,
No need for this new fad of every club from birth, time for this when she is toddling and wanting to socialise.

[Spices001]

Getting in the fresh air every day, leaving the cleaning & sitting down together were the special times

[vickyors]

My first baby, I went back to sleep when she slept etc. Second baby. I made sure that we all got out of the house once every day, to tire my toddler. We had a bit of time each day with our elder child. And we had nursery in the mornings for our elder child when I would cuddle up with my newborn and just have special time.

[WhosTakingDeHorseToFrance]

We did a lot of napping together when he was very little and then as he got older we did some jo jingles baby music classes, lots of fun and a great way to meet other parents.

[MrsDramaQueen]

I always make sure I am prepared for days out. I take toys and activities in case we have to wait for dinner etc. Keeping children occupied distracts them. When I was at home we had a routine, and even now I still read at night and do a bath for the kids before bed. The kids remember it, as our special time.

[PickAChew]

My new baby days are a long time ago, but I spent them largely glued to the sofa with a baby on a tit and remote control to hand. I watched a lot of box sets with the first and a lot of CBeebies and Nick Junior with the second!

[Headfullofdreams]

I loved going for long walks and lots of cuddles.

[sbruin1122]

rest and sleep and play

[CopperPan]

I just liked chilling out at home, involving the dcs in every day tasks. The world is so new to them that anything can be fascinating. Sometimes we'd go out to museums and parks but that was more for a change of scenery for me.

[pinkjjf27]

I go to a church baby group now and then-but always feel like an outsider. I always involved my little ones and interact with them in what ever i am doing, for example when they are tiny I put them in their rocker while I am cleaning and I sing nursery rhymes to them or sit them in their high chair while I cook and sign and play. I love craft and being creative so this is something I encourage from a tiny age starting off with feet and hand prints then moving on to painting and marking. I also adore nature and birds so we feed ducks and go on flower and nature hunts. My oldest daughter could name quite a few flowers by the time she was 3. we also bake I am not a great tv person so we don't watch tv very much.

[glennamy]

I find when DD is feeling sleepy or needs to sleep I make up funny stories and after the initial laughter it always works and she is asleep in no time, plus it is great fun... Magical bonding moments! :)

[foxessocks]

With my first we did a lot of sitting together watching TV, snoozing, going for little walks. My second just comes with us whatever we are doing!

[DontChewMonkey]

I'm on my third baby so my entire day is spent concentrating on providing them with what they need and attempting to keep on top of the housework!

With dd1 I was so lonely. We had no money so doing paid classes was out of the question and none of my friends had children. I started going to a free group run by the children's centre and I made lots of new friends. Five years later we still meet up and the kids are really close.

[maryandbuzz1]

I felt quite trapped as we lived in a tiny hamlet and my husband had the car....so the days were long and around 5pm things would always start to worsen. This meant that when my husband got home he frequently got a screaming baby thrust into his arms.
However that was the worst time....during the day we would go out into the garden, walk along the road to visit farm animals, dance to musical tapes and play!