What did you do with your newborn??

If you feel great then do whatever you feel up to doing. Both of mine were natural births so I didn't have any recovery timeto consider, but as soon as I felt up for it I was out of the house. Do you have a stroller that the carseat attaches to? That's the best for a newborn as it holds them more securely and doesn't put any strain on them. Or get a good sling! I wrapped my newborn up in a good sling and went on with my day, which was so great since I also had a toddler that wanted to go to the park and the library and everything else. LOL

First of all, CONGRADULATIONS!! on your new baby boy. THey are so much fun, and so much work! (: (which I'm sure you know that by now!) Secondly, you can take him out as soon as you are ready. Because he is too young for sunscreen, I would make sure he is out of direct sun-light, and dressed accordingly to the weather. After I had my first one, we were out strolling around town as soon as I was able to walk around. I loved taking him out. Many people will say that you should not, because they buy into the old wive's tales that you shouldn't expose your baby to other people, but I never had any problems with it. I always took hand sanitizer with me, and when people approached, I would ask them not to touch his face, or hands as he is new, and I would hate for him to get sick. SOme people, you will find will not listen, and in these cases, make up an excuse and leave, or if you are bolder than I, tell them more bluntly and leave! (: As far as soothing him, newborns love to be swaddled, and most love a swing as well. Either of these should work to soothe a crying infant. SOmetimes it just takes a couple of weeks for you both to learn each other. My oldest liked to be held, but hated the blanket around him, my youngest loved to be bounced, while I was standing (if I dared sit, he would scream bloody murder!) Every baby is different, and it just takes a little while to learn your particular baby. DOn't worry, in a couple of weeks, you will be showing your hubby, mother and friends how to hold your baby 'just right' so he stops fussing! My youngest loved the foot ball hold, and to be carried around like that, as it helped relieve some of the gas he had, another thing he like was if I sat on the bed, and cradled him and bounced slightly on the bed. sometimes this was the only way i could get him to quit crying! (: well congrats again! I'm sure you'll do just fine!

I didnt go out much unless I really had to. There are so many diseases and people coughing and sneezing all around. I didnt want my bub to catch anything. I waited until he had his immunisations first. That way it felt safer to take him out. I just enjoyed lounging around at home enjoying every second with him.

You can take him for a walk whenever you want, as for keeping them entertained they really don't do anything apart from sleep for the first however long anyway, there's no point in trying to entertain a baby that only wakes for a little bit to feed - well, that's how my daughter worked anyway! My daughter didn't take her pacifier until after 4 months, when she started teething & it made her feel better then. She used to love being laid across my lap, on her belly, so i could pat or rub her back, she's 11 months now & still loves it! My little one also only ever fussed over hunger or belly ache - she never complained when she was wet or dirty! As i said, you can go walking but he cant sit up to see things, but he'll either watch the sky or go to sleep - you need to leave it a few months before he'll stay awake long enough to pay attention to things!

Congratulation to you! I have a 1 year old son...I remembered his just so quiet during his first month...so, quiet until I and my wife got worried...heh..now he is a big boy now, almost 14 months already and he is so naughty..but very funny boy...heh...I just couldn't believe how fast time goes on...heh.. And I use his picture (with his toys collections) as my avatar..

My babies loved the Baby Einstein Videos. The colors are great for them and the music is very soothing.

We didn't take Elliott out much when he was a newborn. Not because we were afraid of all the germs, but because it was just too cold! He was born February 1st in North Dakota. The average windchill the week after he was born was about 20 below zero. Even with blankets and everything, we didn't feel comfortable taking him out more often than we had to in that kind of weather. Once it started getting warmer, though, we took him everywhere! If we ever have a summer baby we will probably take him or her out when they are just days old and do whatever with them. Go for walks, go out to eat, whatever. Since I was home with my son all the time for the first five weeks (the only places we went were to church every week and to Walmart ONCE, the rest of the time my husband did all the shopping), we did a lot of reading and cuddling. He also ate every 45 minutes to an hour during the day, and every 2-2.5 hours at night during the first two or three weeks. By a month old, he was sleeping 4-5 hours at a time at night and up to eat every 1.5-2 hours during the day. When I went back to work, he cut back a little bit on the daytime feedings, because he hated the bottle, so he was usually screaming for me when I got home. I don't really have any ideas for soothing a fussy baby. My baby rarely fussed, and if he did, it usually meant we had just changed his diaper (he HATED clean diapers), or he was ready to eat again. Several people told me that he wasn't really hungry as often as I fed him, but he never got a belly ache from it and he never threw up (rarely even spit up for that matter) so I think he just needed that extra milk. He was a big boy!

If it's one of those strollers where he can lay down in it, go for a walk! We all went out to an Italian restaurant hours after I got discharged with a bunch of family that drove for hours to see us. The waitress was shocked, but I was starving for some good food after eating nothing but jello and biscuits for two days. I used to take walks all the time with my son if it wasn't raining outside. He was a little jaundiced so it was good for him to get sunlight. I used a clean finger instead of a paci until my mom stuck one in his mouth :( Also, when he got fussy, my husband would lay down on his back and we'd put our baby on his stomach for some tummy time, the pressure on my sons stomach would make him toot like an old man ;)

Your question: "What did you do with your newborn??" I don't know, you had it last!!!

We took our son out in the stroller when he was about 6 days old, he didnt do much, we kept him warm and put a heavy blanket on top of him to prevent wind and him rolling, even though he couldnt. Im a stay at home mom and honestly there wasnt a lot to keep me sane I went a little crazy, but it wears off after a little while, you start going out more you start playing more, cause babies dont "play" for a while. I spent a lot of time sorting clothes that no longer fit, moving things around the house, getting things done that needed to be done, sewing and whatnot and I read a lot, and when I read I would make a point to read outloud to our son. Stay sane! Good luck.

I have a 5mth old and we went to his baby party when he was 2 mths, we have been to parks, restaurants, to a movie with my 4 yr old son, to grocery stores, supermarkets, a recent party on Saturday, and little walks. He is happy just walking into another room because a different scene with different decor must be fascinating to him. Unfortunately, I can't give you any advice about the fussy issue because I had my soon circumcised in the hospital and when they brought him back to me, he had a pacifier.