how to have a full day out when you have a 3 week old?

[SevernTrentWater]

My boyfriend wants me to accompany him into the city via the train as neither of us own a vehicle, to help choose a new wardrobe, so a morning of shopping; we also planned also to do maybe one sightseeing attraction and at least stop at a pub and have lunch. i'm looking forward to this as we don't see each other much and i am incredibly bored being at home all day with nothing exciting to do until i start back at work...

i don't know how to make this long day excursion bearable, although baby is generally mellow, she doesn't like the pushchair very much, i'm also wondering what happens with pushchairs on trains? What should i take?
I breastfeed, but am too embarassed to feed in public, where are good shops/places to look for toilets with baby facilities etc?

any general tips?

Do you have a sling? Might be much easier than trying to get a pushchair on and off trains. Don't know which city you're going to, but John Lewis has an excellent baby room for feeding, and Mothercare also. The thing is at three weeks old you're going to be needing to feed your DD every three or four hours I would think, so it would be hard to keep dashing off to John Lewis! Could you express a bottle? I did this on occasion when we were out for the day, just saved me having to worry about where I could BF.
Um...not sure that's any help but hope you manage to have a lovely day out.

could not take a blanket or a muslim to cover yourself, if you feel embrassesd breastfeeding.

three week old babies require a lot of feeding, changing etc so don't expect to get as much done as you would have done pre-baby as its quite time consuming. Once they are 6 weeks plus it becomes a lot easier to BF them discreetly as they can latch on more easily - would your boyfriend wait a few weeks for his new wardrobe?

Mamas and papas also have feeding rooms usually as do bigger branches of next, baby gap, M+S, boots - you may need to ask for the key. There is always the changing rooms if you need them in other shops. Take a drink and snacks for yourself too. If you have a pram/ carrycot you can easily change their nappy quickly in this. Good luck

should also add that in 4.5 yrs of BF my various kids, I have never had a negative comment whilst feeding in a public place but have had several positive ones

Id take sling and pram, Sling for if wont settle and pram to dump bits/bags in. getting on and off trains is not too bad espec if two of you. I tackled underground when bubs was 6wk.
What about feeding in parks? (if fine and depends where going) Again i BF in regents park on recent trip to London.
My DS was and still is a frequent feeder but still manage just plan my time better!
Agree with muslin for feeding and you really cant see much when feeding just choose a corner in pub/cafe.
Good luck hope goes well for you xx

Apart from a muslin, wear a t-shirt to pull up rather than something that needs to be unbuttoned. The baby will cover your tummy and your chest will remain completely covered by your usual clothing.

Really, hardly anybody will notice you are feeding so don't worry about doing it in public. I never had a word said to me either way when I breastfed in public and I have a total of 2.5 yrs experience.

Make sure you take loads of nappies, wipes and nappy sacks. 3 wk olds can really get through some nappies and it is not good to run out whilst you are out. Don't forget a change of clothing.

Debenhams also have baby feeding/changing rooms.

I think you are very brave to go on a long train journey with a small baby and I would have to agree with the idea of leaving it a couple more weeks if it isn't vital to do it now.

Could you go out locally before hand and have a practice run of coping with feeding/changing/push chair manoeuvring? It doesn't take long to get the hang of it but it will be daunting to do it for the first time on such a big outing.

I've heard that practicing BF in front of a mirror helps you know how much you're exposing (or not!). Might boost your confidence if you can see what other's could see.

Friend used a muslin to drape over her shoulder and baby in the early days. This probably drew more attention but it built her confidence and now you can't tell whether she's holding the baby or feeding him! I'm awaiting for our baby to arrive so no personal experience.

Maybe don't expect to do too much - I can only imagine it could be tricky to try to do lots on a first big outing with a tiny baby and you don't want to come home disappointed. Personally, I'd plan the day a bit before going so I knew baby/buggy friendly places to eat and visit.

Have a brilliant time.

I think you might be being a bit ambitious - be prepared to make a lot of coffee stops, and if necc come home straight after lunch without sightseeing.

It's all about managing your expectations.

A comfy chair facing away from the room in Starbucks with DH bringing you drinks and cake is a much better bet for bfing than having to queue for a tiny smelly baby change room, esp when you could well be pinned there for half an hour and people with pooey toddlers are battering down the door.

Take both sling and pram, also more nappies than you think you need, and spare clothes. They always do awful leak-out-the-legs poos when you are out.

It can be done though

when dd was 3wks I was bfing her one-handed walking round Gap while pushing the pram with the other hand

at 5wks I took her to London to get her passport (inc drive to station, 1h train journey, walk from Paddington to to passport office at Victoria and all the way home again)

at 6wks I was forced to spend all day (8-5) in the city with her while my car was serviced

it's all about practice.

Have fun

When my DS was 3 weeks old we spent 6 hours at the Trafford Centre (I know ). He slept for almost all that time - I woke him to feed/change him twice but apart from that it was much easier than I thought it might be. He was in a lie-flat pushchair and seemed very comfy

Most trains have at least one disabled/bike/pushchair access door/compartment - you can push your buggy on and leave the baby in it if you like. I still do this with 2yo DS sometimes (we don't drive either).

Oh, and agree with feeding in quiet corners of cafes rather than next to a nappy bin in a baby change!