My daughter is 7mo old. I’ve had a very hard time getting out to the barn to ride enough. I have child care on days I work, but with the days so short, there is no daylight left when I get off. On my days off from work, no child care. I’ve thoroughly got about taking her to the barn… any moms have advice on how to accomplish this?? A pack and play next to the arena? Keep her in the stroller? What do you do while grooming and tacking up?? What about weather? Hot/cold days? And advice at all would be appreciated.
I keep mine at home and riding while they were infants was pretty much day by day.
At my previous boarding situation I know I would have had plenty of older ladies willing to “watch” my kids. We were a friendly and social kind of place 
Are there any boarders who might do that for you a couple days a week? Offer pay or help with horse needs? It is hard I know, but they don’t stay little forever.
Not a mom (closest I have is a 14 m/o nephew!), but congrats on baby!
Maybe set her up in a heated/AC tack room with a pack and play and monitor and put her down for a nap? And take monitor with you to arena.
We got my nephew a carhart suit on Zullilly, to use as a snow suit (since his parents are not horsey at all) – my very non horsey sister (his mom), was amazed how warm he stays when he has it on (and contemplated getting herself one, even though she has an offie job in DC). Maybe invest in one for baby girl?
When my daughter was very young, I always hired a sitter when I went to the barn that was outside my normal child care hours. I would never have just left her near the arena; I wouldn’t have been able to keep my concentration on my horse at all
In the summer, I did more than once bring the playpen and toys and set up my daughter in it, in the shade by the outdoor arena while I was riding, so I could keep an eye on her. She was an easy, happy baby who entertained herself without complaining. I would never have been able to get away with that with her younger sister lol
Anyone can have a riding accident at any time.
Leaving a baby unsupervised can be dangerous, and may be illegal in some areas.
There aught to be another person who will monitor the baby while you are with your horse.
Yeah I’m not a fan of riding alone with your kid in a pack n play. Accidents happen. I agree with the poster above who said theyd never be able to concentrate!
Find a teenager at the barn willing to sit with the little one (even just supervising the pack n play) for $20 while you ride.
Depending on where you ride, leaving the baby unsupervised may also be against the barn rules. Hire a sitter (even a local one who can come out and back with you).
No other friends with little kids to share the babysitting? How about riding when your husband is home…he can certainly give you a break so you can ride.
Yeah, I have 2 kids but I think it is irresponsible to leave one in a pack n play or stroller while you ride. Have your husband watch your kid, or ride before you pick her up.
One of mine turned out to be anaphylactically allergic to horses despite going out to feed with me in the stroller regularly before he was 1. Even though we live on a horse farm, he isn’t allowed anywhere near the horses. If I had not been with him all the time when he was first at the barn, he might have had a deadly reaction. This is my bad (and his) bad luck but it can happen to anyone. He got bad hives a few times before we figured out the allergy (thought it was dirt/a weed/hay).
a) have Husband watch baby. It’s his kid too.
b) hire a barn kid to watch her in the lounge while you’re at the barn. good way for kid to make money to ride.
c) any other moms at your barn or in your area who you could trade childcare with? could be riding moms, or just another mom who wants some “me-time”.
My husband does watch her on the weekends when he can. He is military, and gone often.
I’m boarding at a barn with only 3 other boarders. We are friendly (to say Hi and bye, and chat. But I don’t see them often.
We are a military family, and have lived in our town for a few years, but I don’t have any friends with teenage kids who could babysit. But, I’ll try to look around for a babysitter…
Any teens near/on your military base? If you are near a base?
Can you link up with one or more of the other moms from the childcare place and trade off watching kids? Even if they don’t ride, they probably have other activities they might like to do alone sometimes. Someone can watch your kid while you ride and then you watch theirs when they want to go shopping or to a movie or hiking or skiing or whatever their thing is.
Put in hay net and suspend from ceiling?
Jokes aside, it’s a challenge. I’ve just got back into regularly riding with 12yr old and 9yr old, and the last two years have been getting them riding independently so I can ride with them. I still need to focus on each of us individually to get any decent schooling done.
Good luck with whatever solution you find, but I’d echo the advice to have a responsible adult or older teen watch your child while you ride; stables can be dangerous places for small people.
What about some young teens that might want some riding time in exchange? Is your horse a saintly type that might like some attention? Or just outright pay them. It would probably only cost you like $15/20.
Can you join a military moms group on fb or through the base, and maybe work out some babysitting exchanges?
Can you have your sitter stay an extra hour or two if possible a couple of days out of the work week and head to the barn straight from work to ride.
I 2nd getting hooked up with the on base family support system. I’m sure there are teen’s or other Mom’s that would be willing to watch kiddo for a couple hours.
As someone who wants to board, relax, and ride. Please just don’t.
I’ll echo the others that suggest swapping babysitting hours or finding a motivated teen to watch her at the barn while you ride. Since you will be there you should have a wide range of options for care. Also, don’t panic. Kids always need your time but as they get older it will become easier to find care for her and someday, get her into riding too.
–R
