When does it become fun to do city activities with a baby/toddler?

[Anonymous]

Things like kid friendly museums, afternoon tea, lunches, going to bookstores etc that parents would enjoy as well. Have a 9 month old and it still doesn’t seem very fun and am wondering when I can look forward to this.

[Anonymous]

Oh man...definitely not when they are little babies like that. At that age, it is just baby management. Once they can walk it becomes much better, but then be aware - you're not really enjoying the latest exhibit at the museum - you are going to be in the kid play area and you will enjoy. Part of the thing you enjoy is seeing your kids enjoy themselves.

For mutual enjoyment, I have had good luck with nature-based activities because we all kind of enjoy those at the same level. Also festivals, picnics. Anything where I can park myself on a blanket and watch kids play.

I didn't enjoy anything meal-oriented until age 6!

[Anonymous]

Small excursions tend to work best with the youngest set. Local parks, breakfast out, a stroll around the mall. For kid friendly museums you will likely have to wait until they are two or three.

[Anonymous]

Depends on the kid. Museums were fun at 3 - we only went to the kiddie area and when they were done playing, left.

[Anonymous]

Oh boy. You won't do anything that's fun for both of you for years! Even when they're preschoolers, "fun" will be riding the escalator a million times, going to the playground, getting wet at splash pads or going on the cabin john train 800 times. Meals are pure disaster management until about age 4. I am only partly kidding.

[jsmith123]

Maybe 3 or 4?

When they're little and mobile with no common sense, doing anything where you'll have to say "no" a lot can be exhausting.

[Anonymous]

It depends. Those things have never been enjoyable with my kid because he doesn't like them. Never has. As he got older he tolerated doing things I enjoy in order to be kind, but then we weren't BOTH enjoying them, I was. We found a small set of things that we both enjoyed but that was neither of our favorite, and we've done those together for the past 14 years (he's now 15). Basketball, mini golf, watching super hero movies, ropes courses, walks, boating of any sort. I have lots of friends whose kids DO enjoy the same kinds of activities as their parents, but not all, in which case you have to find some middle ground.

[Anonymous]

Age four. No naps and eats normal human food. Can handle no stroller but still small enough to carry at the end if needed.

[Anonymous]

3-4 years it gets much easier therefore much more fun

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oh boy. You won't do anything that's fun for both of you for years! Even when they're preschoolers, "fun" will be riding the escalator a million times, going to the playground, getting wet at splash pads or going on the cabin john train 800 times. Meals are pure disaster management until about age 4. I am only partly kidding.

jeez. with that attitude...

[Anonymous]

Ok, I guess I’m the outlier. I have been enjoying museums, bookstores, gardens, etc. with my kid since they were born. I definitely took my 9 mo old to museums and bookstores, and my 18 mo old, and my 2, 3, and 4 year old.

I actually have found 3/4 the most difficult age for this, specifically because they have such specific interests and entertainment needs. Taking my 4yo to an art museum now is generally a very short (like less than 30 minute) trip through the collection or a specific exhibit, and then a trip to the cafe or a picnic outside, and then like an hour of free play time in a nearby park. Whereas when the kid was 2, we could spend 2 solid hours in an art museum just looking at art and both be happy. I’ve had to go with the flow a bit.

So I think the key is to plan ahead and really think about your kids needs. And also be realistic about what you want. If you get really attached to a certain kind of interaction (like going to a museum and looking at the exhibits with an attentive, engaged child), you might be easily frustrated. But maybe you can look at exhibits while your kid looks at a book in his stroller. Or maybe you look for things that are more likely to appeal to your kid (I once walked around a museum with my kid looking for paintings with dogs in them— it was fun!). Don’t idealize it. Let it be whatever you and your kid need it to be.

And always: bring snacks. Lots of snacks. More than you think you need. I cannot emphasize this enough.

[Anonymous]

I have an 18 month old and we have fun doing activities like these, but it's really about finding the part of it your kid enjoys and then making sure there is something fun for yourself too.

For example, at nine months, my kid loved going on a walk in her stroller to places where there was good people watching. This was during covid peak, so we were more limited, but we had a lot of fun doing a walk and picnic at the Mall around the monuments or walks at botanical gardens that I enjoyed.

I definitely wouldn't say dining out is super-fun (she's usually done much quicker than we are), but she does love going to a coffee shop to get "snacks." People watching, new food to try, etc.

I basically just pick an activity for myself, but add a playground or running around time to it. For example, art museum walk in stroller followed by running around the mall.

Or pick an activity I know my kid will enjoy like running around The Wharf, but add something to it for myself, like stopping for a fast casual lunch.

[Anonymous]

I used to take my babies to Barnes & Noble almost every Sat! I could get Starbucks, they do a free story time for kids, and there’s usually a train table/small kids section for them to crawl/walk around. There were always other families doing to same.

For the bigger outings, if your LO likes stroller walks, start going to places YOU want to see and walk the stroller. I think the outings became more about the kids closer to 3

[Anonymous]

When they are 5

In seriousness, I think it was when the diapers were done that adventures became more pleasant. We were never stroller people either (I liked the pouch bc I found it easier), so if that's a big thing, it might also be more fun once they can walk around on their own.

But the fact that museums are free here was so great - we would go around age 3/4 and could leave when they got bored and not be out lots of $$

[Anonymous]

If you're in the city, try biking with your kid. I always find that this:

- Is free
- Gives everyone something to do
- Is fun
- Works great for DC when you don't want to look for parking/pay for parking
- You're getting Vit D and exercise (good for your mental health)

I loved taking our son to the National Mall, the Zoo, downtown, etc. all in his bike trailer. Then you can just peace out whenever. He was around a year old when we started.

But yeah, anything "fun" at this age will be catering to their needs/their idea of fun. Splash pads, picnics, parks, etc. Try to meet other friends with kids there and it's more bearable!