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

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I loved the baby days! I'd meet friends for lunch and DD was brilliant at either sleeping in her pram or being very sweet when awake. The waiters would give her loads of attention! How things change as they get older! I would also take her to baby swimming other mum and baby groups. I loved her long naps too!

try to do things that you would enjoy as well, I sang with mine for hours and went for walks but hated painting so much that I told my children that only Teachers were allowed to buy paint

i used to put my daughter in her baby sling while i did my house jobs, great exercise and got loads done

I made sure I left the house at least once a day, even if just for a 10 mins walk around the block. This ensured I got me & Baby dressed and looking decent, got us some fresh air, and got me some exercise (I walked pushing the pram).
I also went to quite a few baby classes & playgroups were I met like minded people in similar situations - and we're I got a hot drink & a biscuit!

I was never a fan of the very early baby days as I felt very isolated, so I would always recommend going out, especially to baby groups and make connections with other mothers in the same position. If you only have one child, I found it was a great time to sleep when your baby slept (although mine was a really bad sleeper!) If you have an older child as well, this isn't so easy.

I never had to think about how to spend the days; they just seemed to zip by without me having achieved anything. I remember writing in my diary when DS was about 3 months old that I'd managed to empty and reload the dishwasher in one go without him screaming/crying/pooing/throwing up .

No matter how shit I felt I always went out for a walk with him every day, and actually the worse I felt the longer the walk.

just make sure you devote the time to them and not your smartphone etc

I remember endless walks with the pram, baby yoga classes, nct coffees, shopping and generally having a lovely time... between all the painful breastfeeding, sleepless nights, worrying you weren't doing the best, doctors visits and all the boring bits!

My baby is now 7 months but when she was very little we did baby massage class, then moved on to baby yoga. We also used to go to a 0-6 month baby group at the children's centre. We wouldn't go to a group every day, sometimes just get out for a walk morning and afternoon for the school run then spend the rest of the day snuggling up watching box sets

When my DCs were babies we would go out on walks a few times a day. I would say help to anyone I passed just to make sure that I had human contact. I would see the same faces from time to time and have built up to stopping for chats with some of them.

lots of coffee mornings at friends houses and also lots of walks in the fresh air - great for getting my body back again

I joined a local bf group, an awesome couple of baby activity groups and saw my NCT friends and 'real life' friends once a week and soon found that between all this my weeks were very full. I never felt lonely I was very lucky

Spent about half the week out and about meeting mum friends or at groups and the rest multitasking entertaining baby whilst doing house chores.. the joys!! Chilling and movies in Winter together was lovely too.

When my son was a baby I just slept whenever he slept as far as possible. I had undiagnozed sleep aponea so was shattered the whole time. He was born in May so we would also go on long walks.

We would take the dogs for a walk together and that was our bonding time.

After I got over the initial whammy of how hard and full your day becomes on having a baby, what with the washing and cleaning to fit in between the feeds, burps, nappy changes and so on, I managed to go to the local park and spend time with my son there. If he slept, bonus, I got the chance to actually read more than a page of a book or newspaper, if not, we just played around on the picnic mat, with me pointing at things and taking his toys so he could be stimulated.

With my first, I found myself feeling quite isolated in the first few months. I'd definitely recommend getting out the house, even if its just for a walk with the pram. Being able to get some fresh air and communicate with my daughter whilst she was in the pram was a great bonding experience and a fantastic self-wellbeing tactic.

I would sleep a lot with my DD, if she was napping I would sometimes lie in bed next to her. We would cuddle in bed a lot too!

Anything. I just always talked to my babies. E.g oh look what the postman brought us, let's take a walk and see.

I have a 4 month old and I honestly miss the spending hours snuggling and walks like I did with my eldest! This little one is out and about as I have a 3 and 6 year old too so we have school/preschool runs, gymnastics, bike rides, going to the park/library etc. She's in the sling while we go about our busy days and when we get half hour to ourselves we usually pop to our local tea
Hosue for cuddles while mummy has a drink and cake to refuel :)

When my children were still baby,we loved to cuddle up in bed,playing,lots of hugs,pictures and videos.They really love having a massage after bath and found this very much helpful to settle them down.When they were finally having a nap,i would sneaked out of bed to get the household chores done,used to cook foods in batches and freeze for days when we were out to the pool,park or shopping and surely wouldn't have time to cook after our such long and tired day.Also love to have some me time when DH came back home from work or on weekend and helped me looking after the baby.Got to be a Superwoman to manage all these accordingly.My days were so busy until late at night.Being a new mum wasn't very easy when didn't have anyone around to
help at this crucial moment apart DH.But I survived it !!! Planning is the key of everything even in the most difficult time 😉🤔🤣

I started to bond when my baby was a bump, stroking his back, and talking and singing (particularly in the bath when he moved more). When I met him face to face I was overcome with love, and protection. We spend as much time together and I keep eye contact when I talk to him, especially when feeding. We watch tv and sing to the songs, and look at books. I have a baby sling when I go for short walks to keep close. I opted for a near to you cot which fits at the side of my bed when we go for an afternoon nap. It is a very special time before they go to school, when they will feel confident and loved. Thank you

I save ideas on my Pinterest board. Some great easy, cheap and educating ideas

My little girl is 5 1/2 months. We like to go out and about.
We have joined the national trust I take a sandwich and we have a stroll around.
We go to baby sensory, baby yoga & massage and water babies.
I find she likes being out and about looking at everything.

Watch a lot of box sets and get out the house even if it's just window shopping or a coffee. Forces you to get dressed and organised having a decent social calendar.