How long should I keep baby home?

When I had my third child in England the mother in the next bed asked the midwife when could she take her baby out. The reply was that the baby could go out immediately but the mother shouldn't go out for ten days. They are worried that the mother may hemorrhage with too much activity
 
for my 2nd baby, we brought her out in a sling on the 5th day to watch a movie :)

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seeing as how you have to take the baby to the hospital for checks... i'd say, by a couple of days, baby is good to go (so long as mummy is, too!)

why in the world would you keep your baby inside for 100 days??? remember, it's not the dark ages anymore. sunlight and "fresh" air won't kill your baby. it's actually good for the baby. and if you are breastfeeding, then any sickness such as cold you encounter, you will produce and then pass on the antibodies to your baby to protect it...doesn't happen when you formula feed, though.
 
I took my BB to a kid party at Play town for about 4 hrs, when she was under 30 days. She is still kicking and jumping :-D
 
Think with the first you ate a bit more worried / cautious...many don't bring their kids out till after 100 days (traditional Chinese I'm taking about) is because they cry alot or are nit "big" enough....no medical bCking of course...but when you hear it day and day out, you.tend to believe it. I woulnt worry though...my kid went out at 4 days in a sling...
 
I thought that the Chinese tradition was just to stay home for the first month.... And of course I didn't follow. I took my baby to the doctor when he was like 1 week old. After that, I regularly took him out for a short walk in the mall (I needed the escape, by the way, cause my parents were driving me nut ;-) ).
 
I was taking my daughter on walks around our village in a baby carrier when she was about 5 days old. I felt amazing at that time--even better than I do nowadays! Such good energy!

I think it depends on the mama--if she's doing well then taking the baby out isn't a big deal--as long as the child has no major health problems to think about. I wouldn't take my littlest baby into any really crowded areas at that point because I don't want the baby catching germs from people around me (even nowadays whenever we take my children around HK Island during busy times of the year she gets sick from all the coughing and sneezing and breathing air with so many germs). But taking the baby out in general is safe pretty much from day one.
 
Yes I had a homebirth with my first and he came out for dinner with us when he was 3 days old. I felt fine getting out and about so he was out and about with me every day from then.
 
I took mine out at a week old and daily from thereon to keep my sanity! Would have been sooner but I'd had a c-section and was kept in hospital (Tokyo). I was scolded a lot by older Japanese ladies though, who told me I should have kept him home for a month!
 
Gataloca said:
I thought that the Chinese tradition was just to stay home for the first month.... And of course I didn't follow. I took my baby to the doctor when he was like 1 week old. After that, I regularly took him out for a short walk in the mall (I needed the escape, by the way, cause my parents were driving me nut ;-) ).
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Same here!! Parents were very helpful, but a real pain :)
I took BB out after a 1.5 week and it felt so good! And as I'm breastfeeding, the vitamine D from sunlight was an extra.
What I can advise is: be careful going to crowded places since your BB didn't have all the vaccinations yet. And I think it's also important to dress her enough, especially in this chilly weather (babies can't regulate their temperature yet in the first few weeks). Enjoy!
 
first baby i did doctor's visits and walks in the neighborhood, but didn't do any public enclosed spaces (ie. malls, restaurants etc...) until after the first month. With #2, it took about 2.5 weeks.....
 
don't listen to the chinese superstition.
actually, it's good for the baby to get out -- fresh air, sunshine (well, not with the weather this week, but you know what i mean)
i didn't got out TONS the first month, but we did regular park visits after that.
in canada, way back when i was born, the nurses used to march the new mothers out of the maternity ward for walks outside with their newborns. even my hong kong mom joined in!
 
I was told NOT to bring my bb out once she is 2 mths old by a hkg lady. She told me bb antibodies from mom will be gone then and will get ill easily if I bring her out. Many old wives myths that I must say I personally hate it. Especially my husband's side, cope too much n I simply just ignored, eg: no matter how cold u must bathe your bb otherwise will have body odor in future, bb must be home by evening before sunset.. Lots more which I find ridiculous but I just nod my head when advised. Not to be rude that is all. :(

So far I'm happy bringing my bb out n she is happy too. Need to get out of the house!! :)
 
A baby will receive her mother's antibodies for however long she is receiving breastmilk. Depending in the duration of breastfeeding, the child will carry some of that immunity long after weaning, well into school-age and beyond. So taking a breastfed baby outside so long as mum feels up to it, shouldn't pose any significant health risk to the baby. A tiny new baby will probably prefer to be in a sling or carrier though rather than a stroller. Being close to his mother will reassure him and help him to feel safe out in the big world, plus no need to stop and feed, he can nurse right there from the sling :D
 
We were advised to avoid large crowds for at least the first 30 days. Taking the kid outside was more weather dependent in the first few weeks, but we were told not to go to a church or a mall with a child until they were about 30 days old to avoid contact with strangers (many of whom want to get in close and 'coo-coo' with a new baby).

The other advice, which might not apply on a day like today, is to avoid some of direct sunlight as newborn's can be sunburned quite easily.

But generally speaking, going to a quiet park or for a walk with a newborn is considered ok, and may actually help the mother who is probably wanting to get out of the house a bit.
 
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