Horses and new baby

Victoria25

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Hi all

Currently pregnant with my first baby and wondered if anyone had any advice to give me – in terms of farm life and horses!

Baby will be born in Summer (beg of July) so horsey will be out and not back in until around November. My horse is on DIY thankfully right behind my house so the plan is to wander up during summer months with baby in pram to check on her (if baby is with me) or if he/she is with her dad at home then I can wander up for rides etc. Come colder nights though – I can drive and park right outside my stable (if I need to take baby with me of course) but if I walk up (making sure baby is super warm of course) what do you all advise? Have a separate farm buggy? Daddy is super OCD and I doubt he’ll be taking baby out in a buggy smelling of horse crap – so thinking nice fancy one for family time and possibly a second hand cheaper one for the farm? Or did you use one of those slings?? Where did you put baby whilst mucking out – horsey will be tied up outside so he/she can be inside the stable of course. Do others do that?? xx
 

tatty_v

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I have a second hand “yard pram” that got loads of use when my daughter was very little - she would sleep wrapped up in it whilst I did my horsey jobs quite happily. This worked all over winter - with a snowsuit and a pram liner she was super snug. I liked her to be outside unless the weather was really bad so she wasn’t breathing in too much dust during mucking out.

If horsey stuff didn’t coincide with nap time then I used the ergo baby carrier (second hand off eBay) as I could carry her on my back, which I felt safer doing. She loves this (still) and is a big fan of patting our (very patient!) boys. You can’t pick out feet doing it this way though or bend down too much!

We are at the toddler stage now so just making sure she doesn’t come too close or startle the boys. It’s hard work but she really does love them and as a horsey first time mum that’s nice to see.

Best of luck with your pregnancy!
 

Littlebear

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I found a sling was much easier mostly for when the baby was small, i could not park right near my stable though so baby had to come everywhere attached to me, you most definitely need a second yard buggy for when you want to use one. If everything is in close proximity (muck heap/field etc) this will make life easier i couldn't let my baby out of my eyesight for 2 seconds when he was little!
In all honesty the first 6 months they usually have a clockwork routine if all goes well and i was always in 4 hours patterns for feeding so i knew after a feed and a change i had that amount of time to do stuff before he would want much else.
Its when they start wanting to get out and wander around and try to cause themselves harm every 2 seconds it gets harder, but after that bit is over you will have a handy helper if they enjoy it :)
 

clairefeekerry1

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Congratulations. Hope all goes well. Baby in car seat in a clean ish wheel barrow was what I did a lot of the time, especially for going across to the field. And yes a yard pram for stable and mucking out etc
 

Nudibranch

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Sling for non contact stuff. I bought a 3 wheeler 2nd hand buggy with cot for £40 and it has seen far more use than the posh brand new one! Big well inflated tyres are the way to go over fields.
I got far more riding done when baby NB was a sleeping newborn than I do now he's a demanding 3 year old. Babies are a doddle imo, it's toddlers you need to worry about!
By the way the Kaiser (or similar) sheepskin footmuffs are amazing. Worth every penny for keeping them toasty in winter over a snow suit, and just right in summer over a baby gro. Baby NB always had his naps outdoors, even when it was sub zero. The Scandis do it and I swear they sleep better.
 

mossycup

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Wimpy Eventer on insta has just had a baby and has been documenting how she juggles it all! A good sling is an essential regardless of horses so get along to a sling library now so you can use one confidently from the start
 

Flyermc

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sling, sling, sling! i never used my buggy with baby 2 and wish id known about slings with baby 1 (rolls eyes) so much easier!
 

Jellymoon

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I used to put the car seat in a wheelbarrow, quite handy.

I also used a sling, and good off road buggy, for different scenarios.

Being able to park the car somewhere safe near the stables is handy if baby is asleep.

When they get bigger, travel cots are useful as a little play pen.

I won’t lie, it’s hard work having babies on the yard, but I managed it and they survived!

The worst bit is when they start walking, you have to watch them constantly. I had a near miss which still makes me feel sick 10 year on - my then 2 yr old slipped head first into a large tub of water and had to be fished out by the legs. Luckily she was in the stable with me, doesn’t bare thinking about if she’d toddled off and I hadn’t seen.
 

Jellymoon

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Slings - actually I found a bit of a pain as you can’t bend down without the risk of the baby falling out into a pile of poo.
 

Not_so_brave_anymore

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I know it's almost impossible, but try not to have too fixed an idea of what you will/won't be able to do with the baby in tow (mum of 4 here). Some babies sleep very happily in a car seat/push chair for 2 hours at a time, but some don't! Similarly some love being snuggled in a sling for hours on end, some won't tolerate it at all. Don't beat yourself up if can't seem to manage to do as much as "everyone else"- you'll find your own groove much more easily if you're kind to yourself xxx
 
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