Looking for social spots for one year old....
Hello Moms!
I am a mother of two wonderful teenage girls that are now 14 and 17 but I am also a caregiver to my one year old niece. In other words, I am S....lol.....and I do a really good job! I am looking for play groups or outside functions that my niece might like to go to for some socialization time for her and also it is nice for me to meet other moms or caregivers as well. I try to keep my little girl challenged and always moving in a forward direction with regard to her care. She loves other babies and children and is a very gentle child. I also don't want to incur expense for my brother and sister-in-law if that's possible so I was wondering if you guys know of any really good and FREE activities or meet-ups in our area. When my kids were young and I stayed home with them, we did story time at the library, story time at Barnes & Noble, McDonald's PlayPlace meet-ups, and I had a huge circle of stay-at-home moms that we socialized with each week. I'm 42 now and this is my niece but I want the same experiences for her too. Anybody have any ideas for me? I'm open to suggestions.
Our mall has a "soft play" area that is designed for 3 and under. It has extra padding under the carpet, the climbing aparatuses are all padded and the rules say "No Shoes." Lots of moms (and caregivers) take the kids there during the day. We love it.
The Park District and the YMCA would probably have good opportunites. Not free, but fairly inexpensive.
Meetup.com has been great for my son and I to find activities and friends!
http://www.meetup.com/LUNA-Moms-Club-Wellington/events/16...
Have you tried searching for a Yahoo group or Google group for moms/caregivers in your area?
I met a lot of moms through a Music Together class. It wasn't a lot of money and gave us something to do on a regular basis. Many days, a few of us would go to a nearby park afterwards. Most of the classes were for 10 weeks or something along those lines, giving us the chance to get to know one another. Honestly, if you are doing this for free (bless you!), I wouldn't feel bad about asking for some money for some activities once in a while.
Other than that: parks, libraries, city park & rec dep't...
Good luck & have fun!
I would start with the things you used to do with your kids. I take my kids to story time at the library and I know our library has a toddler time too. Since the weather is getting nicer you can try parks and outdoor play areas.
We have a local botanical garden with a great childrens playground. Membership is roughly 80 a year per family. They host all sorts of great kid friendly activities... do you have anything like that in your area?
