Can I take my 3 month old to the eye doctor and dentist?

[andthentherewere10]

The summer is basically over and I go back to work (teaching) mid August...one of my remaining weeks I'll be traveling so I've just realized I need to get an appt this coming week for the eye doctor and the dentist.  Is it crazy to take my baby to these places?  My H is traveling out of state.  

I don't care if the one of the nurses has to hold him if he can't sit in my lap but I don't want to be a complete ass by expecting that to happen or needing that to happen.  

[drloretta]

I don't see why not. I'd ask if it was OK when you make the appointment

[spanikopita]

I think it's fine to take him, but I'd certainly not expect or count on having a nurse hold him. If you think that's inevitable I'd find a sitter.

[andthentherewere10]

I am not sure it is inevitable but I can't really predict, kwim? He's a pretty chill baby.

[jeaniebueller]

I would try to time it so the baby is napping in the infant seat during the appointments.

[jr009j]

I took DD to both when she was around that age. The only issue was during x-rays at the dentist, but they seemed used to handling it.

[gibbinator]

I could see you running into a bit more trouble at the dentist, but if he's a good carseat napper it would probably be ok.

[Deleted]

I would call and ask ahead. I don't think it's okay though.

[jackie011]

I've brought DS with me to both during my mat leave this summer and he was great both times! He slept through the eye dr (it was just a contact lense fitting) and slept through half of the dentist appt. He woke up midway through and all of the staff started to fawn over him. (It's a tiny office) He never nade a peep!

[andthentherewere10]

OK I'll mention it when I call. We only have a convertible car seat so that isn't an option (he never napped in the infant seat either, fwiw).

[IrishBelle]

I would try to find a sitter first. If that doesn't work, ask if you could bring a stroller into the room. I had to do that once. I would not take him to the dentist though and would not count on someone at either place being able to hold him either.

[h]

If you don't have an infant seat or another place to contain him, I definitely wouldn't do it. I don't think you can reasonably expect to either hold him or have an employee hold him for your entire appointment. I would only consider it if you could be 95% sure he would nap contained.

[Stingyshark]

I just took DD to the eye Dr on Friday (she's 7mth). I wore her in the Tula the whole time except for about 5 min when they had to do some test on my eyes that required me to be absolutely still. I had her on my back in the TULA, but she was wiggling around and the test wouldn't work so I sat her on the floor.

At 3mths, she would have been content in her infant seat the entire time, but her tolerance for her infant seat is much shorter.

As someone who works in a Dr. office, I would be annoyed if you expected me to hold your kid. I have had to wrangle patients kids bc they were running around the room and climbing on the furniture. I get paid for a lot of things, but wrangling other peoples kid isn't one of them.

[jackie011]

Can you take him in a stroller?  I didn't notice the part where you don't have an infant seat/carrier. 

[Jalapeñomel]

I wouldn't only because I would be anxious about him squirming/crying or that I was putting people out, asking them to hold him if need be.

[Redpoppy]

I wouldn't if you don't have a stroller. I have brought DS to many appointments and when he was 3+ I would tell him to sit and play on my phone (which he would have gladly done) and the receptionists would always steal him away to color and play with him. But I don't think they want him on my lap in the chair.

[Deleted]

Eye doctor I definitely would, but you probably do need to get a stroller at some point. I could easily do an eye appt holding a baby, or with baby in a carrier. I have done it, in fact.

Dentist is harder; I've taking a newborn with me to the dentist, but by 3 months the "sleep anywhere" thing has worn off. If you don't have access to a sitter, call them and ask whether it's okay rather than just assuming.

[redheadk]

Eye doctor, yes, especially for just a routine exam.

Dentist, no. You spend the vast majority of the cleaning and exam on your back with your mouth open and won't be able to tend to your child. If you had a stroller and could expect him to sleep the whole time then that would be one thing but I don't see how you could possibly hold him through all that.

[andthentherewere10]

I have a jogging stroller but it doesn't work at this age without an infant seat which we don't have.

I haven't yet felt the need for a stroller. Not sure why not? Guess because I don't go to the mall or have older kids. I wear him when I grocery shop or when i run other errands. How do you use a cart and stroller simultaneously anyway?

My mom just said she would try to go with me and baby wrangle. This surprises me because the day I told her I was pregnant the 2nd thing oUT of her mouth was "I'm not baby sitting. " (right after "I don't want to be a grandmother. ")

[anna7602]

Jul 27, 2014 6:54:33 GMT -5 jeaniebueller said:

I would try to time it so the baby is napping in the infant seat during the appointments.

This makes me want to laugh, but I guess there are babies in the world who have predictable schedules by 3 months of age. Personally, I just ended up making all of those types of appointments for the week before I went back to work, while I was test-driving our nanny. 

Also, I am not sure what in the heck an infant seat is. Car seat? DD screamed her head off in that. Bouncer seat? Too bulky to carry around with me just for appointments. 

[countthestars]

Jul 27, 2014 10:17:12 GMT -5 andthentherewere10 said:

I have a jogging stroller but it doesn't work at this age without an infant seat which we don't have.

I haven't yet felt the need for a stroller. Not sure why not? Guess because I don't go to the mall or have older kids. I wear him when I grocery shop or when i run other errands. How do you use a cart and stroller simultaneously anyway?

My mom just said she would try to go with me and baby wrangle. This surprises me because the day I told her I was pregnant the 2nd thing oUT of her mouth was "I'm not baby sitting. " (right after "I don't want to be a grandmother. ")

I'm sorry she said that. My mom also told me to not expect her to babysit but now that dd is here she loves taking her.

[milang]

I just took DS to the eye doctor with me. My sister was going to watch him but she was sick. I even nursed him during the exam. He was fussy and asked my doctor if she minded. ( I felt like a pro nurser after that.)

[spanikopita]

Jul 27, 2014 11:24:03 GMT -5 anna7602 said:

Jul 27, 2014 6:54:33 GMT -5 jeaniebueller said:

I would try to time it so the baby is napping in the infant seat during the appointments.

This makes me want to laugh, but I guess there are babies in the world who have predictable schedules by 3 months of age. Personally, I just ended up making all of those types of appointments for the week before I went back to work, while I was test-driving our nanny. 

Also, I am not sure what in the heck an infant seat is. Car seat? DD screamed her head off in that. Bouncer seat? Too bulky to carry around with me just for appointments. 

Really??
Infant seat = infant car seat.

[VillainV]

No,I would not take a baby to either, especially without a stroller or infant car seat. FWIW, depending on you our jogging stroller, you could probably put the baby in the regular seat as long as it reclines pretty far. We've been able to do it his with C. Obviously not for jogging, but it would work okay for just walking around. However, a jogging stroller would probably be too big to take into a small dental exam room without it being in the way.

[h]

FWIW, I think most doctor or dentist offices will say they don't mind if you bring your baby if asked. They are in a customer service business, and they want to be accommodating. That doesn't mean you aren't putting them out and taking their staff away from their work by expecting them to entertain a fussy baby.

[speckledfrog]

Jul 27, 2014 14:03:32 GMT -5 h said:

FWIW, I think most doctor or dentist offices will say they don't mind if you bring your baby if asked. They are in a customer service business, and they want to be accommodating. That doesn't mean you aren't putting them out and taking their staff away from their work by expecting them to entertain a fussy baby.

Agreed.  I'm sure there are exceptions, but I can't imagine rolling up to my dentists office and asking one of the staff members to watch my kid while I get my cleaning.  Its not a short appointment, either!   I haven't had an eye exam in a million years, so I don't recall how those go.

[andthentherewere10]

I never really said that I expected the staff to hold and entertain my baby. I said he's pretty chill and he is often happy for hours being carried in my woven wrap. But...you never know what might happen.

[lg28]

I take my newborn to appointments because she sleeps in her carseat, but I wouldn't to the dentist. If you end up being long for a filling or extra cleaning its a bad idea.

Get a babysitter!

[cinco]

I have taken an infant (and more recently my toddler for a quick LASIK check up) to the eye dr. They told me at previous appts it would be okay. I wouldn't for the dentist.

[mcfelix]

I called my dentist to ask and they said to absolutely bring. The ladies there loved it, even when he was being a cranky and fussing. Definitely ask and I agree with the stroller suggestion, since you don't use a carrier.