AIBU to take 3 week old baby out for NYE dinner?

[Imtootired]

My baby is due first week in December. My friend asked if I’d like to do something NYE and I said I’d like to but not sure what I will be able to do with baby. She has found a nice restaurant in the city that has private rooms if you have over a certain amount of people and spend enough. I think she’s already got enough numbers for that so it wouldn’t be the end of the world if I do have to cancel. Obviously I have no idea how my baby will be but if everything is good I wonder if I should take a baby so young out, especially in the evening on such a busy night. There is room for the pram and we can turn the speakers in there off or down so it’s not too loud. None of our friends cause trouble or drink much at all. Although 10+ people in a room might be quite loud anyway. And my main concern is going through the city with such a small baby in a pram when it’s so crowded and there might be a lot of drunk, crazy people around. What do you think?

Is this your first?

If so then I promise you this will seem like a really bad idea even if your baby does come on time. Those first few weeks are a real baptism of fire in between feeding, popping and burping over ten times each day.

Also the baby is so fragile and vulnerable in that first month or so - you will feel terrible subjecting it to any Loud noise, crowds etc and honestly a lovely glass of wine in front of the tv with all your baby essentials around you sounds like the best plan.

Also you won’t be able to reduce the volume when there are others paying good money to celebrate NYE.

Finally the baby wouldn’t have had its jabs yet and so any public transport - personally I just wouldn’t at that stage.

Sounds horrendous

Why are people comparing completely different situations, it's just dim.

Finally the baby wouldn’t have had its jabs yet and so any public transport

It's not just public transport. Any closed environment (like a bar on a winter's night) full of strangers is a risk for viruses. I don't know about in the UK, but where I live the doctors would definitely recommend against it until after 2 months (and preferably until after 3).

'A Christening' 'A family meal' 'I was home by 8' 'A Wedding with DP'

THIS IS NOT WHAT THE OP IS SUGGESTING IS IT?

Oh God no.
And even if the party depended entirely on you being there I would still say no.

I had a great birth and super baby but there's no way I would recommend doing anything like that...

So many reasons that have been mentioned and it sounds so negative. It's really not, it's lovely to snuggle up with baby and all the reasons why it's a bad idea to go out to a party on NYE are not important when you have your baby. But there's so many reasons why "hell no" is the answer here

Mine was born on the 14th December...I didn't go out on the 31st but went to parties on the 1st and 2nd (Scotland here), some late into the evening. I walked with the pram. It was good fun and he was very portable and no bother, even with the noise - I just found somewhere quiet too feed him.

I would go!

No way! My DD was born on Dec 7th and we went round to our best friends for NYE, thinking it would be ok. It was awful! Don't do it!

In Spain it is up to 6 weeks that you have to be careful certainly until vaccinations are done.

This is so selfish to even consider exposing a baby to this.

As for turning off the speakers, I have no words...

Yes,definitely stay home in comfort. It's likely to be busy, noisy, and cold weather, not good for a tiny one.

BillieEilish I've not long ago had a baby, and as far as I'm aware there are no recomendations about when/where you can take them out. Even things like plane travel and swimming isn't discouraged before jabs.

BillieEilish I've not long ago had a baby, and as far as I'm aware there are no recomendations about when/where you can take them out. Even things like plane travel and swimming isn't discouraged before jabs.

Even if doctors aren't actively advising against it, I'm guessing they would if asked. I mean, it's common sense really. If you google "when can I take my baby to crowded public place" every result will tell you it's best to wait at least a couple of months.

I.e.:

But it's best to avoid large, crowded, enclosed places with poor ventilation (like the mall or a bar!) until your baby is 6 to 8 weeks, which limits her exposure to airborne germs that could be dangerous for her immature immune system

I went round to my parents on NYE when my first baby was just over 2 weeks old & spent the majority of the time in my old bedroom feeding him as I still didn't feel comfortable breast feeding in front of everyone, plus I was so exhausted.

I wouldn't have even contemplated going out out

That would be my idea of hell, no matter how "easy" my baby was 😱

Op is talking about going for a meal, in a private room at a restaurant, for a few hours, with 10 or so people. Or at least that's what I gleaned from the first post. She's not going to the Warehouse Project or Creamfields.

@ToTheRegimentIWishIWasThere Yes but a meal on NYE with a baby barely out of the womb and a recovering vagina/ abdomen . It's not a quiet Tuesday night in October. It's the busiest night of the year.

‘Like the mall’. That sounds like American advice! Over the top. Imagine staying in the house for 3 months.

It’s down to personal preference really. And yes a late dinner trekking across London might be too much.

When my baby was that age I would fall asleep by 7.30 pm !

I mean, obviously it's about balancing risk and everyone does that their own way. The risk of a newborn catching an airborne virus in a restaurant is still low, sure. But it IS undeniably higher than it would be at home. And when a baby is only 3 weeks old, a fairly benign virus can be very serious.

I'm sure plenty of parents decide that staying home is overcautious, and that a night out is worth the still-small-even-if-elevated risk. That's up to them. But before making the decision, people should at least be informed of the fact that the professional advice is usually to avoid it.

nestisflown i did it on Christmas Eve in the centre of Manchester, it was heaving, but absolutely fine (Accept this is absolutely anecdata ) OP would likely be home and in bed before the real revelry kicked off. I'd just make sure to pre-book parking or whatever

I took my 9 day old to a wedding it was fine, spent a lot of the time sat down breastfeeding though, so worth thinking about that and if you comfortable doing it in front of people.

Like the mall’. That sounds like American advice! Over the top. Imagine staying in the house for 3 months

See my above post. You don't have to stay inside the whole time. Just avoid enclosed public places.

Yes, it's a personal decision. Hyperbole doesn't really help people make those decisions. Access to professional advice and information does.

It'd be a "no fucking way" from me. Firstly, your three week old baby may well be a one week old baby. It could well be a colicky baby and you'll be hunkering down by 3 weeks and googling for expensive but unlikely solutions. You could well have post-partum depression, 1 in 10 mums do. You could be cluster feeding a guzzler every hour on the hour for an hour. You could well by fucking knackered.

You might well slip through all these scenarios and then tell some unknowing soul in the future that having a baby is a breeze and that other mothers just make it look difficult.

I would but i wasn't your typical parent, (my kids are adults now)

3 months is not 6/8 weeks It is not 'not going out ever'

OP is in Australia, I am in Spain, many are in the USA, some are in other countries... And? What?

I was up and about doing stuff a day later, whoopie shit, my baby however, was not.