I'm Beyond MAD

Hi! I just found out about a small water park in Grand Prairie called Splash Factory. It is ony $1.00 to get in. (He may be free.) And there is a toddler area which is just so cute! It has water sprinklers that spray up from the ground and everything is brightly painted. It is simple but very fun. My 19 month old had a blast and I saw some infants there too. You can do a Google search for directions.

www.aroundtownkids.com. You can not go wrong with this site!! Good Luck!

Hi J.,

I would be so upset - Im sorry about your plans.

The Wiggles Play Center in Frisco is a lot of fun - they have a section there for under 12 months that includes soft blocks and Wiggles toys. Its $6 for children and adults are free. Also, I heard from a friend of mine the Dallas Arboretum has very inexpensive concerts on Thursday evening (tonight they are doing an Elvis copy band). On the 21st Brave Combo is playing and their show is supposed to be very kid friendly. You can bring a picnic, too! You can check their website for more details.

Have fun with your son!
A.

You could try checking your city's web site. Sometimes they list fun summer activities for kids. Also you could try a water park. In fort Worth there's a man made lake called burger's Lake that might be fun.

I actually have to disagree about not going to the Aquarium. My mom's group went with a bunch of little ones around a year and younger, and I have to say they seemed to enjoy it. Obviously, they aren't getting much out of the experience, but they seemed to like the new environment and seeing things they haven't seen before. It is a little pricey, but if you want to go, then go for it; your baby will probably have a good time.

You could also go to the Arboretum. Or the Children's Museum http://www.natureandscience.org/ You could go out to Grapevine and walk around the Gaylord Texan and downtown Grapevine.

You could take him to a pool. There's a great zero-depth pool in Carrollton now at the Rosemeade Swimming Complex. It's only $5.00 for non-residents and infants are free. http://www.cityofcarrollton.com/leisure/parksrec/Athletic...

You could also find a nice park such as Arbor Hills in West Plano to walk around. And of course the little ones usually like good old malls. Is he crawling yet? The Willowbend Mall play area is great for really little ones. There are lots of low things for crawlers.

Well, honestly for me, I might just go by myself, but I can be stubborn like that!! I agree about not going to the aquarium, but what about the lewisville aquatics places? There is a cute play place for his age at Kidz Muze too. Even a pet shop is fun for all of my kids. The mall play places can be fun for little crawlers, but with it being summer, you may have lots more big kids. My son loves the water though, so for sure I would look into things like that. But, take some time to do things for yourself too. He can stay with a baby sitter for a little bit for you to get your hair done, or go see a movie etc. Try to have some time to relax, and find a way not to be furious at your in laws...I sure hope they have a really good reason!! ~A.~

Email me where you're located, and I can probably help. I have a playgroup in the Allen/McKinney/Frisco/Plano areas...we do some stuff in Richardson and Garland too. I'm sure I can give you a few ideas!

____@____.com

Make sure you hit the zoo really early because it can be really hard on an infant who will be riding in a stroller because of the heat. When my daughters were that age, the simple things seemed to work best. There are so many ways to entertain a little one in our area, here are some of our favorites.
Parks - find one with swings & you're set; try to go early before it gets too hot.
There are several pools that have baby/toddler areas - my girls love water and would stay in the pool forever if I'd let them even when they were a few months old.
Dallas Arboretum - great for wonderful pictures and picnics.
Mall playgrounds (Frisco, Mesquite, ect.) - the are perfect for crawlers because they are free to explore, plus it is air conditioned.
Frontiers of Flight Museum @ Love Field - really neat kids area for playing/crawling, plus my husband loves the exhibits.
Lakes (White Rock, City Lake, ect.) - there are lots of small lakes with ducks in the area and feeding them can be a lot of fun.
Rain Forest Cafe @ Grapevine Mills Mall - my girls love this place, it's like the zoo but air conditioned and the realistic looking animals come alive.
Libraries - most local libraries have infant story times during the week that are fun. They sing songs, read, and some have toy time, too. Or bookstores have them too, but they are usually very crowded and focus on the 3 and older kids.
Farmer's Market - so fun to be outside & let them help pick out & hold fruit.
Check out your citites parks & recreation page for more things to do and information on things they offer like pools, parks, etc. I know it doesn't sound like city events can be fun, but when babies are little they would rather be crawling or splashing or swinging than stuck in a stroller wondering what is in the distance. Also, it is hard to keep them happy, dry, fed, well rested, ect. when they are so little so remember not to expect them to love it as much as you do. I promise you will have so much fun watching her do things, even if they are simple. We took my girls to Galveston this past week with lots of plans to spend several days at Moody Gardens looking at the Rain Forest, Butterflies, Water Park, Aquarium, paddle boat, ect. However, when we got there all my girls wanted to do wat play in the knee high water and roll around & play in the sand! My husband & I were disappointed we missed the other stuff, but we were happy because they had an AWESOME TIME in the water (and we saved $100)! Kid's see stuff all of the time, but it's not very often they get to get hands on and experience things in new places. Wow, this is long - but I hope it helps!

My one year old LOVES the Dallas Zoo. They have a children's petting zoo area. He LOVES touching the horses' nose. He also likes Dave and Busters believe it or not. He likes the sounds and lights. You can also get some floaties and take your 9 mo old to a pool. Its never too soon to get them used to water!
Babies like to be outside or anywhere where there is lots of action. They like to observe. Whether or not they "understand" what they are seeing is not really important. The goal is to get them used to different environments and stimulate their senses.

At least now you have a week with just your little one! That can be fun enough, just hanging around the house. Your ideas are great, but bear in mind that little legs can tire easily. You might want to make sure you have a stroller handy by. Another great place with my little girl was the Dallas Arboretum. She also loves being outside, and all the grasses and plants were just too fascinating to her (textures, smells, bugs).

Good luck!
R.

J.-
Sorry about your plans!

Honestly, I wouldn't waste the $$ on the Dallas World Aquarium for a 10 month old. There isn't that much there for a little one. My 6 and 10 year olds think it is cool, the younger ones think it is boring.

I'm sure someone up in your area knows where there are some splash parks. Or even some of the public pools have great infant area (sorry I am down in East Dallas, I can give you a ton of them down here!)

Try Guidelive.com and the put in preschool activities.

I'm sure he will just love the change in routine and the chance to "hang out" w/ mom!

D.