by Leigh Goessl

Created on: June 10, 2009   Last Updated: June 25, 2009

When a new baby joins your circle of family and friends, this is a joyous occasion everyone wants to share in. During the first few weeks or months after you are settled in and into a routine, chances are you are going to begin to receive invitations from people to come visit with your new baby. Most people are drawn to new babies and a lot of excitement surrounds a visit with a precious little one who's recently entered the world.

While you're probably excited to show off your new bundle, the first few trips with baby can feel pretty overwhelming. Even short trips to a family member or friend's house can be a major production due to all of the planning, packing and coordination that is involved with going on outings with baby.

As you organize your visit, a good way to approach the big day is to plan ahead of time. You'll have to figure out what you need to bring, the ideal time of the day to visit and how you will care for your little one when spending time at your host's home.

First and foremost you'll want to be able to tend to your baby's needs, and most importantly, their safety and comfort. This can sometimes be a delicate balance because you also want to respect you host's home. If your host is not accustomed to having children around, this could pose a few challenges.

During your visit you'll be feeding and changing your baby and you want to do this keeping etiquette in mind and still take care of your baby the way you're both accustomed to doing.

*Feeding

Privacy isn't an issue if you are bottle feeding your baby, but if you are breastfeeding, this will be a consideration. Nursing your infant in your own home is old news by the time you go on your first visit, but this may be uncomfortable if many other people are visiting to meet your baby.

When it comes time to feed your baby, you may want to consider asking your host if there is a quiet room you may borrow to feed your little one. By moving to another room your baby won't get distracted and you can nurse in peaceful quiet. You'll find most hosts are very understanding and happy to accommodate your needs, even those who aren't used to having babies around.

If your baby is a little older and eating solid food, this might be a little more challenging. Many babies beginning table food tend to make quite a mess! You can help reduce this by bringing along a mat for the floor, an infant seat which can double as a high chair, and have a small dish towel or paper towels handy.

*Changing

During

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