Had our first real outing to a restaurant as a family

Dec 161 min read

Took the wife and 8-week-old to brunch in Seattle yesterday and I was so anxious the whole time I couldn't enjoy my eggs. Every time the baby made a sound I was like 'oh god is he annoying everyone?' Turns out he slept the whole time and nobody cared but my nervous system didn't get that memo. How do you all get over the anxiety of taking a newborn out in public? Does it ever feel normal or are you always on high alert?

9 comments119 views

Comments(9)

MMike T.RegularDec 17

Seattle brunch spots are usually pretty chill about babies anyway. Did your wife at least get to enjoy hers? Sometimes it helps if one parent can actually relax so you're not both in panic mode.

MMike F.RegularDec 17

This anxiety gets better around 12-16 weeks when they cry less and smile more. You're in the hardest zone right now where they seem inconsolable and you feel like you're doing something wrong. You're not. Hang in there.

DDean F.RegularDec 17

The eggs got cold didn't they? That's always the worst part of the anxiety spiral - you're too stressed to actually enjoy the one adult thing you're doing.

TTom E.RegularDec 18

Dude, everyone else was thinking about their own stuff, not judging you. An 8-week-old is gonna make sounds at brunch, it's part of the deal. The fact that you were anxious about it means you actually care, which is solid parenting.

BByron S.RegularDec 18

8 weeks is still SO early. Everyone's looking at their phone, not the baby. Nobody cares if he cries. You gotta let that anxiety go or it'll follow you everywhere.

PPete A.RegularDec 19

Real talk: at 8 weeks if your baby fusses a little bit, most people assume the parents have it handled and move on with their day. The anxiety you're feeling is way more obvious to people than a tiny baby noise would be. You were probably fine.

VVic G.RegularDec 19

Real talk: the other people at brunch either have kids or remember having kids or don't care. You were way more present to the sounds than anyone else was. I did the same thing and my wife was like "literally no one looked at us."

WWade G.RegularDec 18

The fact that you're THIS concerned about other people means your kid has a dad who thinks about his impact on others. That's actually the opposite of annoying - that's someone being considerate. Enjoy those eggs next time, you earned them.

BBrian L.RegularDec 19

It gets better but real talk it doesn't happen at brunch #1 or even #5. You gotta do like 10-15 outings before your nervous system stops freaking out. By month 6 or so you'll actually remember what you ordered.