Age Appropriate Activities

we put our month old twins in the stroller and take the whole family for a walk every other evening. There are parks close by. The twins love the fresh air - they aren't fussy during the walk and tend to take an extra-long nap right after we get home. My husband and I love the exercise, and the freedom...and my other kids love the park.

it's all win win

Gymboree is not appropriate until your child can get around on their own--regardless of whether or not they have programs for one-month olds! However, I can totally relate to going stir crazy! I had a darling neighbor who was a grandma with grand-babies in another state, so I asked her if she would tend my little guy for two hours three times a week so I could just get out. We both thoroughly benefited from the deal! We still get together with those neighbors frequently even though we live in different cities now, and they always talk about how cute our son was when he was little. Of course, he's still cute! As for Gymboree it is a great program once your little one can get around on their own and understand simple directions. We did Gymboree when our son was a year old. It was heaven! We met some other wonderful mommies and formed a play group. There were 8 of us and we took turns rotating houses each week. We got together at 10 in the morning and went until the kids were done. We still have friends from that group and my son is now 15! Mommies would socialize and we had snacks for grown-ups and the little ones. We all had plenty of toys, so the kids had a blast. Sometimes we went to a park, but usually it was someones home. The other fabulous agreement we had was that on your play day for play group, your house got trashed, but anyone could leave when they needed to without feeling like they had to clean-up--the trade off was that on the other 7 days until it was your turn again was that you could leave when your little one was ready and no one would criticize you for not helping clean up the play room or whatever. We all decided that was a wonderful trade-off. We sometimes stayed together for 4 or more hours on those play days, and our children all got along really well. Keep in mind that none of us knew each other before hand, except for our association at Gymboree. After a few months of forking out to Gymboree, we all decided to save a buck and get together without breaking the bank. Looking back, I would do it again in a heart beat! Reach out and make some new friends...You'll be so glad you did. Parent hood is a lifestyle, so just like learning to be responsible at work, we have to learn to be a parent, too so don't be too hard on yourself. This is normal and you will make it! Good Luck!

Join a MOMS club. Get out where you can chat with other moms, babies don't need activites you do.

Feel free to take him out. You can't spend your life indoors just because you had a baby. What you really want to avoid is very large groups and people touching him. Keep him in a carrier or stroller and covered up (not necessarily the baby, but hang a blanket over the carrier or stroller) otherwise people just have this nasty habit of just reaching in and touching his hands and then he'll put them in his mouth when he's hungry and if they have any viruses or bacteria on their hands, then they might just pass it to your baby. And you'll have to learn to not worry about hurting other people's feelings by asking them not to touch him. Just say, "Oh, I know I'm probably just a nervous new mom, but I would prefer that he not be touched." You have to do what you have to do to keep him safe and healthy! If you go shopping, make sure you wash your hands before touching him (I just keep hand sanitizer in my purse) or feeding him.

As for activities, I don't know how much Gymboree benefits a one-month old, but what is important is that you and his father just spend time with him - talking, singing, playing, etc. That's pretty much all Gymboree is - playing with your baby (and I personally think it's too expensive!). You might want to check out www.momsclub.com or www.mops.com to see about meeting other mothers in your area.

I say go wherever you want. When my daughter was really young I just put a blanket over her car seat when we were out and if anyone came near I asked them politely not to touch because I didn't want any germs around my newborn.

He should be ok going out some by now - but ask your doctor, especially if there was a reason he was supposed to stay in to start with (like premature or illness).
When you do take him out, start with short trips. Remember, you're still recovering too and it is much harder to do anything with a baby along. Pack plenty of diapers and wipes, as well as a change of clothes for him (you never know when a diaper will blow out!) Make sure to keep him cool in this hot weather, but not too cold - many indoor locations are super air conditioned so take a thin blanket with.
Make sure you keep him out of the sun for more that a couple of minutes. He is too young for even "childrens" sunscrean, and this is prime sunburn season - which would be very bad for one so young.