Sometimes when you’re a stay-at-home parent with an infant, you just need to break up a long day. And sometimes that means a change of scene – for both of you! Veronika and I played around with this idea in two ways today, one way more for her, and one more for me.

First, if there’s a walk you traditionally take with your baby, you can mix things up with one simple twist: Pop open an umbrella! The more fun the pattern the better (a little kid’s umbrella fits the bill perfectly). We simply walked the usual grounds of our apartment complex, but she couldn’t stop gazing up at the umbrella shade. And wanted to grab the handle!

Having this funny purpose to our walk helped make the old seem new, even when we paused just to look at the regular view. A nice change of scene!

Now it was my turn. With my firstborn, I had a habit of ordering everything we needed online (hello, Amazon Prime). But one afternoon, I realized that the act of strapping baby into a car seat or stroller, making our way to a physical store, and buying an item there helped fill long days with a pre-verbal person! As a bonus, the baby gets all kinds of new stimulation from sights and sounds. So even if you need something simple – a baby item, a gallon of milk from the corner store, a quick cup of coffee – get out of the house, avoid the drive-thru and the internet, and make an event of it.

Today, Veronika and I strolled the downtown sidewalks…

…popped into a cute local boutique since she needed a few new bibs anyway…

…and otherwise soaked up the sights – and the change of scene!