Post Punk Kitchen Forum

Looking for general ideas here rather than really specific geographical locations. (although examples are fine!)

Where do you all like to take babies/toddlers when you want to get out of the house and go somewhere? I'm looking for things I can do any old day of the week, either just Vi and I or the husband too, ideally inexpensive or free and where I don't have to be ridiculously self-conscious about a baby making noise. Crummy weather ideas are especially helpful!

Here's what we've done in the last couple weeks:

- Nature Center (good, although it started to rain :( )
- National Zoo (veganically problematic)
- Aquarium (ditto, plus my ticket was $30)
- Art museum (she slept in the ergo, yay, but also kinda pricey)
- Historic house and grounds (she cried during the tour and we had to take her out, this worked less well)
- kid-friendly coffee shop
- playground (she's still a little young for the equipment and the weather was on the cold side for her)
- library (great while she slept, had to leave immediately afterwards)

How old is Vi now?

One of my favorite things to do for a long time once the Emperor could sit unassisted was to go to a busy coffee shop with him and put him in a high chair while I drank a cup of coffee. (Just plain ol' coffee for thriftiness.) It was great for both of us because he got to smile and flirt with a ton of strangers and baristas and I got to sit without holding him for a bit.

What else... well, the park, if the weather's okay. Once the Emperor could walk, I started suiting him up in rain gear and taking him even when it wasn't nice out.

The library is always a good option for us. Pretty much every branch in our county system has a children's area and the biggest branch has an entire FLOOR that's just for kids. Ours does free storytimes too, which is always nice.

In that same vein, bookstores often have a kid area. Ours has toys (that are just for playing, not buying) out too and a rocking horse and stuff. We hit that on rainy days.

We used to go to the grocery store about a thousand times a week because it was something to do. So long as he wasn't screaming (and he generally wasn't, he liked looking at all the people and stuff in the store), I could browse for like an hour or two.

Ha ha, you have been EVERYWHERE I listed already!

see what your library offers. sometimes they have free memberships to places.

when my kids were young, we had memberships to all sorts of places (many of them gotten as gifts) because we went nuts if we stayed at home, and we needed to tire them out- we went out every Saturday and Sunday for years, literally. We did every single activity the library offered for kids, and we went to libraries all over the state if they had something that looked interesting. we also got involved with a group that gave us free sports and events tickets, and even as little kids, they went to hockey and basketball games... we went to amateur baseball games and cheered on people who must have wondered who the hell we were related to. and when the kids got upset, we just left- didn't feel bad that we had spent anything on the ticket.
there were even days when we went to the mall to walk around, if we were desperate.
ETA: i can't tell you how often we went to IKEA just to walk around and play in the play area. and for us it was a 1hour+ drive.

Isn't there a bunch of stuff for kids at Mystic Seaport?

We had a great time at a children's museum yesterday. Kai could run around and touch things to his heart's content.

We also go to the mall pretty often. I rarely actually go in any stores - I just push him around in one of the car-carts they have, then go in the indoor playground. Sometimes I'll even take him on the carosel. Its great for rainy weather.

We go on lots of walks. Also a few different libraries (story times and just to check out books and use their puzzles), grocery stores, coffee shops that have toys. We started going to the playground when he was about a year old and could sit in the baby swing. He also just liked sitting in the woodchips watching the big kids play. We got a membership to our local children's museum, which has a toddler area. We go there twice a month or so. Once V is really walking, you'll have a lot more options, and things will take longer/use up more of the day because she will want to explore.

We generally go for a walk to the playground, play, stop at the supermarket across the street for a "cookie bar" (Clif Bar), and walk home. When its nice out. In a couple months they will open up the community wading pool (its awesome with slides - like a mini baby water park) and we will go there as much as we can too.
When its snowing sideways I try all the toddler play areas (they have a Toddle Town, Explore and More, and Science Museum Play Place) where I live, or we just walk around the mall for a while and they babble loudly and run away from me.

Libraries are not doable, they are so loud and destructive. They love the zoo, but I am squeamish about taking them and it bums me out too much so we haven't been there in a while.

When my niece-in-law was here, we played on the UC Berkeley campus a lot. She liked seeing all the older kids and playing in leaf piles and trying to catch frogs. She's 4, so your mileage may vary.

Is there a children's museum near you?

looks like there is a kids museum in niantic
http://www.childrensmuseumsect.org/aboutus.html
another one in norwalk, which i know i've been to but can't remember to save my life.