Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

To give a newborn a house tour

153 replies

Differentstarts · 25/02/2025 20:06

At work today I was talking to a pregnant colleague and she said it will be so strange taking a baby home and what do you actually do with a baby when you get home from hospital and I said with mine I took them on a tour of the house to show themwhere everything is and where they would be sleeping. By this point other colleagues had joined the conversation and thought it was funny and weird that I did this. I assumed most people would do this when they bring their babies home. Am i weird or is this normal 🙈🤣🤣

OP posts:
MemorableTrenchcoat · 26/02/2025 13:23

Derbee · 26/02/2025 13:17

If you only do things that a newborn can comprehend and remember, you won’t be doing much! That is much stranger than pootling around the house showing them where things are on my opinion.

Show quote history

I was addressing the point that you’d show an older child around, so it would be unreasonable to not do the same for newborn baby. I think that’s a silly argument, because a newborn is incapable of processing any of it.

Radionowhere · 26/02/2025 13:25

Ha ha, not surprised you were getting side eye OP, cute though

jolota · 26/02/2025 13:54

My initial thought is that its weird, but I also think its quite cute on reflection

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

Families
HundredPercentUnsure · 26/02/2025 14:03

JustBitetheKnotsOff · 26/02/2025 11:06

I remember a midwife saying, "First baby, it's in the living room on display in a lovely Moses basket. Second baby, in the playpen to stop the first baby getting it. Third baby, it's usually, 'Oh yes, where did we put the baby?'"

Show quote history

That sounds about right! 😂

mightymam · 26/02/2025 14:06

I gave mine a house tour of our two bed flat. It was over in 30 secs!

adorablecat · 26/02/2025 14:19

TheNinkyNonkyIsATardis · 25/02/2025 20:13

My rescue cat marched me around the house with his tail.in the air as if he wanted me to explain the facilities!

I did wander around the nursery with my son at a few days old describing all the pictures in the nursery in the small hours of the morning.

Show quote history

My rescue cat marched me around the house with his tail.in the air as if he wanted me to explain the facilities!

😁I guess he already knew that all of it was his territory and everyone in it was his servant, but maybe you should have apologised for it not being bigger or fancier.

TheNinkyNonkyIsATardis · 26/02/2025 15:45

adorablecat · 26/02/2025 14:19

My rescue cat marched me around the house with his tail.in the air as if he wanted me to explain the facilities!

😁I guess he already knew that all of it was his territory and everyone in it was his servant, but maybe you should have apologised for it not being bigger or fancier.

Show quote history

Four separate people told me after meeting him that he had a very regal air about him. The first was a three year old boy at the cat shelter who got lifted up to see him and said, "he looks like a king!". And the vets nicknamed him Poshboy.

LittleGreenDuck · 26/02/2025 16:54

MargaretThursday · 26/02/2025 13:04

Can't remember for dd1.
Dd2 my mil was there and she'd planned to give dd1 (aged nearly 3) a little bag of presents as I came in. Which was a lovely idea.
Unfortunately dd1 looked in the bag, pulled out the chocolate and asked if she could have it, to which mil said "no because we're about to have dinner". So I was dealing with an upset 3yo.

Ds we arrived home at 4am so just shoved him in only place we had for him to sleep (dd2's doll cot) as we weren't ready for him to arrive that early.
4hours later the girls were dropped back off with us so they had a cuddle followed by we took him into school/preschool with them and the teachers had a cuddle. The head said he was the youngest baby she'd held.
So he got a tour of the preschool and school he went to I guess.

Love how third babies just get tucked under our arms and have to fit in with everyone else. My third went to playgroup when he was two days old, because the older two were going, so did he! Playgroup didn't charge for him. He also went to a birthday party at a week old and a wedding a four hour drive away at two weeks old.

MargaretThursday · 26/02/2025 17:56

LittleGreenDuck · 26/02/2025 16:54

Love how third babies just get tucked under our arms and have to fit in with everyone else. My third went to playgroup when he was two days old, because the older two were going, so did he! Playgroup didn't charge for him. He also went to a birthday party at a week old and a wedding a four hour drive away at two weeks old.

Show quote history

The preschool used to do a trip to Legoland, so he came about 3 weeks old. Someone said "I wonder if he's the youngest to ever come to Legoland" and I had to admit to it being his 2nd trip.
We had annual passes and his first trip was at under a week old.

Wavescrashingonthebeach · 26/02/2025 17:59

I didnt do this in the first few weeks but once I started feeling more human again I remember giving my first baby a little "tour" of my flat. It was just to give me something to talk about tbh as it can feel odd just chatting away to a baby who doesn't talk back but it's good for them to hear you talking:)

Crunchymum · 26/02/2025 18:00

Awww I think it's really sweet @Differentstarts

There was definitely a "what do we do now?" moment when we got home and plonked the car seat down for the cat to have a sniff of DC1.

I managed to have a shower and ordered Domino's before the crying started!! Oh the crying. And DC1 was my easy baby!!

Feels like just yesterday but was well over a decade ago now.

Such a scary, beautiful and insane time.

Wavescrashingonthebeach · 26/02/2025 18:01

LittleGreenDuck · 26/02/2025 16:54

Love how third babies just get tucked under our arms and have to fit in with everyone else. My third went to playgroup when he was two days old, because the older two were going, so did he! Playgroup didn't charge for him. He also went to a birthday party at a week old and a wedding a four hour drive away at two weeks old.

Show quote history

Yes will be like this with my 3rd! My second baby was doing the nursery run with me and the supermarket at 4 days old, going to playgroup within weeks 😊

healthybychristmas · 26/02/2025 18:05

I did that with my children! My daughter was born first and we did it with her and showed her her bedroom and the room that would be her bedroom when she was older and told her the rules of my own bedroom i.e. no sleeping in there, which I think she interpreted as I couldn't sleep in there either.

Then when my son was born my daughter did the tour with us and did all the talking. It really is super cute to do it.

cartreffi · 26/02/2025 18:08

Gina Ford recommends doing this in one of her baby books

Finetip · 26/02/2025 18:35

Differentstarts · 25/02/2025 21:20

I did it with my 2nd to and will do it when I have a 3rd

Show quote history

Are you going to have a 3rd @Differentstarts ? I was on your other thread…. The advice was almost unanimous.. hold fire!

mathanxiety · 26/02/2025 18:39

I did that myself and so I naturally think it's a lovely thing to do.

I included the garden in my guided tour. It felt great to have fresh air in my face after the hospital, and it was spring so there were new shoots and leaves to chime with the new little thing in my arms.

Leavesandacorns · 26/02/2025 18:39

I think that's really sweet!

With my first I think I just cuddled him in a state of shock and kept telling him I couldn't believe he was really here. With my second I spent a lot of time telling his brother to be gentle and reassuring him...then stayed up all night to cuddle my newborn because I was worried he felt like I'd not given him enough attention through the day 😂.

Parker231 · 26/02/2025 18:45

I’m obviously odd - I handed DT’s over to the grandparents and DH and I went to bed and slept for 12 hours!

BansheeOfTheSouth · 26/02/2025 19:40

MemorableTrenchcoat · 26/02/2025 13:23

I was addressing the point that you’d show an older child around, so it would be unreasonable to not do the same for newborn baby. I think that’s a silly argument, because a newborn is incapable of processing any of it.

Show quote history

So you didn't do anything with your newborn because they are incapable of processing anything. Your 3 months old baby isn't capable of processing a lot of things too, do you ignore them until they can? Treating your newborn like a person isn't a silly argument.

Porcuporpoise · 26/02/2025 19:42

Parker231 · 26/02/2025 18:45

I’m obviously odd - I handed DT’s over to the grandparents and DH and I went to bed and slept for 12 hours!

If DT is dear twins then I'm surprised it was only 12!

Samcro · 26/02/2025 19:43

Differentstarts · 25/02/2025 20:06

At work today I was talking to a pregnant colleague and she said it will be so strange taking a baby home and what do you actually do with a baby when you get home from hospital and I said with mine I took them on a tour of the house to show themwhere everything is and where they would be sleeping. By this point other colleagues had joined the conversation and thought it was funny and weird that I did this. I assumed most people would do this when they bring their babies home. Am i weird or is this normal 🙈🤣🤣

I think that is so lovely

MemorableTrenchcoat · 26/02/2025 20:06

BansheeOfTheSouth · 26/02/2025 19:40

So you didn't do anything with your newborn because they are incapable of processing anything. Your 3 months old baby isn't capable of processing a lot of things too, do you ignore them until they can? Treating your newborn like a person isn't a silly argument.

Show quote history

I did things with my newborns for their benefit, or just for the sake of it, not because they were things I would do with an older child, and I felt obliged to extend the same courtesy to a baby.

MustBeThursday · 26/02/2025 20:46

CouldYouMindThatBaby · 25/02/2025 20:14

My Dad did this to my son, took him on a tour of the estate ie our house and garden. I thought it was adorable.

My FIL did this too!

ACynicalDad · 26/02/2025 20:48

Weird but very cute. We dumped the car seat on the kitchen table and said what do we do now.

Original poster
Differentstarts · 26/02/2025 22:56

Finetip · 26/02/2025 18:35

Are you going to have a 3rd @Differentstarts ? I was on your other thread…. The advice was almost unanimous.. hold fire!

Show quote history

Im not pregnant but would like a 3rd one at somepoint when the time is right

OP posts:
Swipe left for the next trending thread