How to leave the house on time with a newborn?

[Erlouise]

Hello ladies
so i don’t have any type of routine with baby. I just wake up when she wakes for her morning feed, and then start the day. Our days are slow everything is very much in our own time, I don’t really put times on anything.
however …. I have my 6 week apt tomorrow morning at the Drs. They’ve booked it for 9:30am which will be difficult for me as once I’ve done her morning feed I get all the bottles sterilised for the day and get us both ready which takes bloody ages and most of the time our days are starting at 10-11am.
i genuinely have no idea how on earth I am meant to make an appointment now I have a newborn. Especially because she is currently going through a growth spurt so cluster feeding and I have no idea when she’s going to wake for a feed now… what if she needs a feed just before we go to leave? she’s a reflux baby too so I have to keep her up for 30 mins after a feed and I try not to wake her for feeds as I like her to feed when she’s ready so she doesn’t take too much and get uncomfortable…
god it’s just all too much lol
I will need to walk to the Drs tomorrow as sprained my wrist and can’t lift the pram so that’s another 45 mins I need allow myself!
please tell me how on earth people do it!

You leave the house when you need to leave the house. So if the journey is 45 minutes, you leave 50 minutes before, minimum.

you can go back to a relaxed routine afterward, no problem, but for things like appointments you just have to go and there is no choice.

If they need to feed you either feed them as you are moving or they have to wait. Walking is easier than the car as you can feed them whilst you walk and they can be upright after their feed whilst you are walking.

For my last two newborns we had the school run to do twice a day from when they were hours old, and you can’t just not do it. For my last baby with medical issues we had endless, sometimes twice daily medical appointments and had to get to them, so I do sympathise. It is fine to empathise with them that they are sad/hungry/angry and see to them as soon as you can, but you can’t see to them instantly if you have somewhere else to be, or something else to manage, and I promise you that’s OK.

Aim to be at the doctor's for 9, pack a bag the night before. Can you get a taxi? Sterilise the night before or just stick the steriliser on when you leave and deal with it when you get back.

So set an alarm for 7.45, get dressed, get baby dressed and fed as close to 0800 as possible then into a carrier (so upright) for the walk to the doctors.

Its not hard really just get her up early...
So you need to leave at 8.45 am, work back,
If she usually sleeps on then get yourself up, showered and dressed by say 7.30am, wake her, feed for 30 minutes, nappy change and dress and you still have 30 minutes spare...
You can wake babies.
I had a different approach, day started at 7.30 for my preemie, every day, as l had to get so many feeds in to build her weight up....I used to wake her, nappy change, feed her, ( 30 minutes) then take her in the shower with me for a gentle wash whist skin to skin, (10 mins) (to avoid the dreaded evening bathtime) then lay her on a pile of towels, whilst l washed my hair and got dressed then dressed her. (She would gurgle beside me as l dried my hair and put on a lick of mascara, and had a cup of tea. (15 minutes)
Her in buggy, dog on lead and off we went out, all in all took an hour ish. Personally l found a routine so so helpful. Rarely had a tired inconsolable baby, and knew she was getting enough feeds in in the day so she soon slept well at night.
It may not be your preferred way of doing things and that's fine but useful for when you do need to be somewhere.
In you baby's case maybe allow an hour for her feed and put her in a sling to keep her /him upright on walk...You can feed again when you arrive if neccessary.
Do get yourself up dressed fed before all else though.
It gets easier with practice.

You have to be ok with not doing all of the things
If being somewhere on time is important then sterilising the bottles can wait. If you normally do all the bottles from the preceding 24hrs each morning then simply do a half-batch in the evening before and another half-batch when you get back from the doctor.
You could make the last feed before the morning wake-up feed a little less than usual so she wakes a little earlier? Or you can get yourself ready while she sleeps, scoop her straight from cot to pram still asleep and feed her when you get to the doctors. She'll grizzle during the walk but that's ok, its not going to be a trauma for her to wait a bit.

Pack everything you might need the night before. Do the sterilising the night before or when you get home. Get the baby up 45 min before leaving the house and offer a feed. Leave them upright in the bouncer if you have one while you get ready and put baby in the pram and go. If you time it right they can have a nap while you walk in. Feed before or after the appointment if needed. I remember it still feeling overwhelming to get anywhere at a specific time at that age so you are not alone.

It's very hard! In that situation my husband would have worked later hours (with permission) to help get ready and get us there on time. I found it so so hard and avoided all morning appointments for that reason. So you're not alone in finding it hard and there's no shame in asking for help if it is at all possible that you can have some. Of course, you may not have access to that but I just wanted to say that it's not a failing on your part to find it hard. Lots of other posters have given some practical tips that might help if you have to do it on your own. Good luck.

It feels difficult but it is possible as if you have another you’ll need to get out of the house with a newborn to get the eldest to school/nursery.

tips: aim to leave earlier than you need to. Take baby in babygro / PJs, no need to change. No need for you to shower, do it when you get back. You can feed when you’re there if you need to. Pack the baby bag and your bag the night before so it’s entirely ready. Breakfast for you can wait until you’re back too.

So all you need to do is: feed and nappy change for baby. Clothes and teeth for you. Grab stuff and leave. Extra points for a cup of coffee before you go.

Why does it take so long to get you and the baby ready? I just tie my hair up, pull on some jeans and a jumper and head out - looking smart is not a priority. Then the baby can go out in a baby grow if necessary. So it's just feeding before you need to leave and heading out on time with a bag that can stay packed by the door with nappies, wet wipes and a change of clothes. It's just a case of muddling through and leaving in good time regardless of anything else. You'll be fine!

What can be done the night before do the night before
What can be left until you get back leave until you get back
Set an alarm 10 minutes before you need to leave this house /15 minutes before your really really need the house.
Make your morning drink in a travel mug so if you don't get chance to make it you can drink it on the way

Leaving the house remotely on time comes to working out when you work best and when you are at your worst. I'm terrible in the mornings good at night. Mornings now involve getting me and my toddler dressed, fed and watered then we leave. I do the rest when i get home from work and my brain functions

Remember calming thoughts it's horrible but you won't be dismissed for being 1-3minutes late.

Just be as organised as you can and leave early. Since forever my youngest has been up and out on the school run for my eldest and we are out at 8:20 5 days a week.

I remember this from my first child! I got up at 6am for a 10am appt half a mile away and still arrived only just in time, having first poured boiing water over my fingers in a sleep-deprived attempt to sterilise a dummy. I promise it gets easier.

As long as she has a clenannappy you don’t need to get a baby ‘ready’. Plan what you’re wearing tonight, set an alarm, get up get yourself ready and then make sure you wake her up in enough time to feed her before you have to leave.

Oh that sounds familiar, OP.

The first time I had to do this with a newborn I literally wrote down a list of all the things I had to do to get me to the appointment on time and with everything I needed, and how much time it would take me to do each thing and in which order, building in a bit of extra time for each thing to allow for the unexpected. Then I just got up in time to start working my way through the list.

Just getting through that day felt like a massive ordeal but it felt really stupid. What's such a big deal about leaving the house? But it's a whole different ballgame when you have your first baby.

The good news is, you'll be a pro at this in no time. It's just scary at first, that's all.

It's easy with your first to not have a routine but when you have an older child you have to - DD still had to go to school when DS was a newborn.
Do some bottles the night before and the rest after you get back. Feed baby either a little earlier or a little later than you usually would. Baby can go in what it's slept in. You just need to get dressed and brush your teeth - have your breakfast and a shower when you're home if you need to.

I feel your anxiety.

when mine was tiny the GP offered me an appointment at 8:30 I said no chance can I get there for 8:30 they then changed it to 9:30 for me.

i made it on time as I got DH to help me get baby ready while I got dressed before he left for work, then baby was put in the pram all dressed so that at 8:85 I could just push a sleeping baby i the pram and have a walk to the Drs.

can your partner help?

Get up and showered before the baby wakes. That way you're not on the back foot when trying to get ready etc.

I remember this with my first.
All you need to do is get up, get dressed right away and eat something.
Get your baby up, clean nappy, fed, clean nappy, dressed.
Have a bag with nappies, wipes, a bag for the nappy, milk if using bottles, a tea towel or flannel to wipe the face and dribble, an extra vest and baby gro.
Then you’re ready. Have extra time for that nappy moment as you open the front door.

Ah this brings me right back!

I could never figure out how to get anywhere for a specific time with DC1, it was just chaotic and I felt constantly stressed! Then DC2 came along and I had to do a daily nursery run for 9am along with a newborn and recovering from a c section 😂 No choice, it had to be done. Poor DC2 was lifted and laid and woken from naps many's a time.

Pack a bag the night before, wash the bottles the night before or leave them til you come back. Throw some clothes on, feed the baby and just get out the door. You'll get more confident as time goes on

I would work back from when I need to leave the house so in this case 8:45am. I would get up at 7:30am. Eat and get myself dressed. Pack baby bag. Wake up baby by 8am if still asleep and do feed and change nappy. Leave in pj's and just put coat and blankets on.

I don't think I was ever late for anything... If you feel anxious then up an extra half hour earlier. Do you need to do bottles for whole day or can you just do for before appointment and after?

You just have to mix it up. Sterilise bottles night before and make up 2 bottles and put in fridge before you go to bed (I do this every night). Have nappy bag packed and by the front door.

Set an alarm, get up and chuck whatever clothes on, change baby nappy (no need to change their clothes), feed, pop her in carrier & leave the house. Tho, bad wrist and not lifting car seat doesn't mean not driving, don't lift car seat out, just take her in your arms or pop in the baby carrier

Obv with feeding it can be hard to plan, but just allow 30mins for a feed and if she's still going you'll have to stop her and she can have more when you get there

thanks to everyone who replied I’ve just realised I didn’t actually post my reply the evening that I posted this thread… how rude of me!…
i took all the advice had everything ready to go the night before, set alarm got up early.. everything was going swimmingly just about to walk out the door and thought hmm what’s that wet patch… poonami situation!!… so in the end I was actually late but luckily Dr was running late too so wasn’t overly fussed.
got another early morning apt this week so let’s see if I can make this one lol.
thanks again ladies. Much appreciated xx

Glad it went fine.

Is suggest leaving enough contingency time that you can manage an emergency change or feed (so an extra 15m maybe).

Otherwise, make sure the bag is always ready to go (just top up when needed,), have a milk in the fridge and just go I guess. With your wrist issue, is walking I'd use a sling and have your baby bag on your back. If baby needs a feed either hold off until you are there or if you have time stop and feed in the sling (this can be done with bottle as well as boob), find a bench or hold baby in your arms.