Taking a baby to an apple orchard or pumpkin patch can be challenging! If they choose not to sleep or are feeling grumpy they can be difficult to deal with. So here are my tips to making your babies apple orchard and pumpkin picking experience amazing.
1.) Prepare in Advance
I’m sure this is stating the obvious, but make sure your pack all the things your baby might need! The biggest hurdles you will face that the orchard and patch is lack of supplies. Most of these areas are out at farms and are a good distance from most convenience stores. So make sure to bring all the essentials that you and your baby will need! I also would make sure to bring anything you might need, babies are messy so be sure to bring a change of clothes for you in case you get spit up everywhere!
My essential bag items were:
- 6-8 diapers – my daughter plows through diapers because she hates having a dirty butt!
- Wipes
- 2-3 extra sets of clothes – In case of blowouts, general dirtiness or random surprises
- Burp cloth
- Toys – Ball and Teething Ring
- Extra shirt for mom
2.) Change Diapers and Feed Baby
I’m bad about remembering this because by the time I get where we wanted to go, I want to get going! However, almost every single time my daughter needs to eat some and get her diaper changed to be in a good mood. Something about those car rides really gets her so we need to take a minute to reset before going out to do anything else. I’ve started taking 10-15 minutes once we arrive somewhere to change her diaper and feed her, especially if the car ride was longer than 40 minutes. It makes all the difference and is worth the few minute delay!
3.) Bring Support – If at all possible
This one is hard for me. With my husband in residency and us living a few states away, I don’t have family around us at this time. It’s really difficult to not have your mom around when you are trying to raise your baby girl. As hard as that is some days, if you are lucky enough to be near family or trusted friends coordinate having someone come with you. Luckily my parents were in town and were able to come with us and it was a huge blessing. They could hold my daughter and love on her so I had time to do fun things and they were able to capture memories that I wouldn’t have had.
4.) Go with the Flow
I know you want those Instagram perfect photos. But I think it’s the funny faces, the outtakes, that make photos the best. If you look below at some of our photos, my daughter is making all kinds of faces. Ranging from being content to being mad! But they are so fun to look back on and are great memories I will always treasure. I think going with the flow is pretty essential to all areas of being a parent, but especially with babies at new places. I had initially brought out our stroller to make getting her around the patch easier, but let me tell you that FAILED. So instead we grabbed my husbands carrier and just held her as we walked around. The carrier only lasted for a few minutes at a time but we just made it work! These babies have a mind of their own so try to be flexible!
Most of all just remember that it’s okay if everything isn’t perfect. Life with your new little is completely different. Embrace the change as best you can and just remember how amazing you are! You are everything your little needs right now. So soak it in and try to make the most of your babies apple orchard and pumpkin picking experience. xoxo-Kayla
