The Children's Museum of Denver

Sitting at the non-mobile infant play area- the pond- overlooking the mobile infant
and start of young toddler  play areas. The aspens looked beautiful!

  The Children's Museum of Denver is great for infants and toddlers. The first time that I went I was expecting a small enclosed play pit similar to those that I've seen elsewhere, but was pleasantly surprised to see a very large, multiple room set-up that was especially made for non-mobile infants (a sort of soft pond play area with posters about talking to and singing with your children for caregivers), mobile-infants (a wide open space with a big basket of soft toys and balls, and all sorts of things on the walls to touch, spin and manipulate, a small hill-like stairway, and lots of tunnels and nooks to crawl in and under), young toddlers (a small boat to sit and rock in, a slide, textured floors and small climbing areas), and older toddlers (a small grocery store, pretend play areas). There is also a small gazebo type area with curtain in the room for nursing moms. Make sure to bring your socks- the infant toddler areas are shoe free!

In a small cave with mirror.

Rolling balls in the open play area.

  A visit here is pretty self-explanatory, basically just follow the child's lead. Let them crawl around and touch everything and encourage them to explore new areas as well. For non-mobile infants you can lay them in spot where they can see and hear other children playing, and bring them different toys to touch and shake. 

  When my little one started to get fussy just shy of an hour in I carried him as we walked briefly through the rest of the museum. I let him touch the lights on the firetruck, and then watch the balls fall from the ceiling in the ball room. He didn't seem to show interest in the bubbles in the bubble room, but did really like spinning the large flowers in the cave room. This took less than 15 minutes and then we headed home for food and a nap!

Spinning Flowers.

  I would definitely recommend the Children's Museum for little ones, but make a few notes before going to save yourself from large crowds and an unpleasant experience for you both: 

- Mondays are group-free, so can be less crowded. You can also call and ask how many people they are expecting for any given day (see their website)

- Hours   M, T, Th, F  9:00- 4:00
                              W  9:00- 7:30
                 Sat + Sun 10:00- 5:00
      *The first Tuesday of each month is FREE from 4-8pm

- Not the cheapest outing in my opinion, but worth it once in a while: Under 1 free, Age 1 and Seniors $7, Ages 2-59 $9.

- Free parking in a large lot connected to their building is a perk!

- Next to their lot is a large playground, area for picnicking, and the beautiful walking path that goes past the Aquarium and down the trolley path to REI. Maybe bring the stroller and take a little cruise before heading home. 

- The Museum itself asks on their website to have a "stroller free visit" as there is limited space for stroller parking. I definitely noticed this myself and was glad that I only brought a backpack and carried him in. 

- Small lockers for $.50

- And, for the safety of all guests, there are no adults allowed in the museum without children, and no children allowed without adults. (lol, it seriously says this in bold next to an asterisk on the website!)


*All information gathered came directly from their website.

Book Babies Cherry Creek

  I love Book Babies! There is no other way to say it and I don't care how crazy I sound, but Book Babies at Cherry Creek is absolutely amazing and the best storytime for babies that I've been to. As a nanny in Portland, Maine I took a toddler to story time and watched as her and the other children jumped and hopped around as the librarian tried to read books that may have been a little too lengthy for rambunctious toddlers coming together at mid-morning playtime. Nothing against them, I'm glad that it was still offered and I did try to encourage my little one to listen to the stories each week when we went, but for the age group they may want to consider rearranging their activities based on the development stages of of the kiddos they reach out to. 

  The first time that I went to Book Babies with my little one I couldn't find it. I asked the lady at the front desk of the library where the children's section was and she pointed to a corner with only a few children. I went over, wondering if that was going to be it for Book Babies, but then overheard someone telling two children it was time to go downstairs for it, so I followed. When I got to the basement and saw the community room PACKED with adults and children I almost turned around and left (thanks anxiety). But for the baby's sake we ventured in (*Note that I now get there about 15 minutes early to eliminate this nervousness and to allow time for us to park, walk down the street and then settle in before it starts promptly at 10:30am). 

  The lady who leads Book Babies, Kimberley I believe, is amazing. When you enter there is a table where you can grab a shaker egg, a two-sided handout with all of the songs that you will be singing that day so that you can follow along, and then 2-3 board books that you read in between singing with your own little one. Sometimes you follow along with your board book as Kimberley reads, or other times she reads a different story aloud and gives moments where you read independently. The library must have a room with numerous plastic totes containing these collections of books for Book Babies, and I would love to see it!

  Everyone then sits in a haphazard circle and sings along- and boy do they ever! I have never seen so many adults get into singing and interacting with their babies like this, and it brought tears of joy to my eyes that first day (I'm a sucker for adults sharing in literacy moments with babies). Not to mention I've led a zillion circle times or impromptu song and dance sessions with little ones that something like this is second nature to me and I have no problem getting right into it, but I know that it can seem so strange to someone who hasn't sang a children's song in forever, or moved their hands to mimic the Itsy Bitsy Spider. 

  Kimberley knows what to do. She starts right on time and keeps moving, as babies do not have long attention spans! We go down the list and sing, and stop every now and then for the books. I also like how Kimberley stops once or twice a session to relay a critical literacy skill to the adults so that they can support their children's language development. You know those babbling sounds that baby makes? Yeah, they actually are meaningful and the foundation of that child's verbal language skills. When baby makes those sounds mimic and vocalize with baby, encouraging them to make more sounds and "converse" with you. Not all adults know these things because not everyone has an interest in infant brain development, so being able to hear simple notes like this are huge because although it may seem like a simple thing for baby, these vocalizations are extremely important and now the adult can support this skill and make that foundation of speech a bit stronger. 

Book Babies is highly recommended by me! Below is an example of the handout. This is just to give an example, please do not share this elsewhere unless you otherwise have permission from the library. 

What's the Point?

  What's the point of bringing a baby out and about in the city? You'll have loads of things to carry. What about if you need to change a diaper? Will the stroller fit through there? What exactly will I DO with this little one once I am there? 

  This can be a very common thought process for anyone who takes care of an infant or young toddler- from parents to nannies, grandparents to babysitters. However, we also know that staying in the house everyday with the little one is just not an option and at times you don't know who's going more stir crazy, you or the baby. Although I am not a parent I do know from personal experience! Not only have I worked directly with very young children and preschoolers for over 10 years, but I have also spent several of those years as a private nanny. Although I've loved being a nanny, I have quickly learned that there are some things you must do that you never thought you would, like going to the Museum of Nature and Science for a whopping 1 hour. Or visiting 10 different playgrounds despite the fact that they are all within a 10 mile radius of one another. Repetition, redundancy and tedious are words that you'll just have to throw out the door now if you want to relax and enjoy your time with the little one. 

  I've created this blog as a way to share how to make the best of short, simple outings with a little one. You don't have to make whole-day trips, and you surely don't have to feel like you are accomplishing something important. What is important is spending time with your little one and providing them with a plethora of opportunities to see the world through all five senses and to interact with peers and adults and people of all backgrounds. By getting out you can also help your little one to move their body and challenge their minds more, helping them to have more of an appetite at meal time and be more restful at nap and bedtime. It may take a little while to get into a good routine of figuring when is best to take your little one out so that you can still get the nap/s in and still provide a nutritious sit down meal or picnic. You'll learn through time, so don't be discouraged if your first few outings seem a bit hectic or you feel like you should've prepared something that you didn't, write these notes down so that next time you venture out you'll remember. 

Briefly, here are the areas of development for a young child and how it can relate to venturing out:

Cognitive Skills: Thinking and processing skills, exploring cause and effect relationships. *Watching machines, animals, people. Thinking about what is happening and how it happens.

Social Skills: Interacting with peers and adults. *Children watch you as you interact with adults and children, and they begin to learn for themselves appropriate ways to play with other children or approach an adult. 

Motor Skills: From gross motor movements such as reaching and grabbing and beginning to crawl, stand-up, or walk, to fine motor skills like manipulating an object with fingers and hand or using the pincer grip to pick up small bits of food. *Children can explore different senses in a variety of indoor places as well as parks and outdoor areas, and also use motor skills to touch, manipulate or climb on various things. 

Language Skills: Remember both oral and aural, being able to speak and also being able to listen to and interpret spoken language. Both oral and aural skills are crucial building blocks to future literacy skills (reading and writing). *Watching various people speak and use language to communicate in different ways; seeing written words and signs to relay information gives significance that print is important and can relay a message.

Emotional Skills: Learning how to handle one's own emotions and putting oneself in the realm of a community versus self. *Learning how to interact with others and how to communicate needs and wants, especially in group situations or places outside of the comfort of home. 

Although you may not think of the above things when you're standing around at the park watching your little one bang pinecones together, if you stopped for a moment and just watched them you'd realize just how much their little brains are taking in every second of every day. Why not provide them with the best start to grow into a happy, positive member of our community?