Rookie Moms

All my in-laws live in Washington DC now. They went from being spread out in NYC and Boston to congregating in one city. If I can survive the travel, I’ll test drive this fun sounding week of activities in our nation’s capitol.

Local DC Mamas, do these sound like fun to you? Let us know what’s missing!

This week of action came to us courtesy of Ciao Bambino, a global guide to family-friendly vacation properties (editorial and community reviews for awesome destinations worldwide with cute symbols to indicate baby- and toddler-friendliness).

Monday: It’s monumental
You can’t possibly be in Washington D.C. and not visit the national monuments. But instead of fooling yourself into thinking you’ll pop in and out of all the major landmarks along the National Mall without breaking a sweat, be forewarned that they’re spread so far apart that you’d be better off blending the monuments in as part of a day of fitness. Pack your baby up in a jogging stroller and go for a nice run/walk from the Capitol Building to the Lincoln Memorial.

Take a break in the center at the Washington Monument, where the flags will mesmerize your bambino and he can get in plenty of tummy/crawling/wandering-around time while you lick a strawberry shortcake bar from the corner ice cream man. (That’s about the only food you’ll find at the National Mall.)


[picture your baby here]

Tuesday: Get to know George
Georgetown’s vibe is a bit more college than mama, but that’s why you’ll like it. It’s always hoppin’ and there’s plenty of shoppin’ to do with a baby in tow. Clothing shops rule the roost, so come on a day when your body confidence is at a peak. Stop off for lunch at Clyde’s of Georgetown, where they make a mean crab cake and give out cute plastic cars to little ones. Save room for an ice cream at Ben & Jerry’s.

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I love this idea that Thrifty Toddler shared as her favorite rookie year outing during our recent blog blast: Start a weekly Breakfast Club. She and her girlfriends take turns at each other’s houses serving breakfast and drinks and allowing the babies to play (or just roll near each other as the case may be).

She’s enjoyed meeting women she might not otherwise have met and the babies get to grab and slurp on all new toys. They’ve been going strong for over a year now.

It’s cheap, it’s social, and it’s breakfast — what’s not to love?!!

Related links:
>> Full story on Thrifty Toddler
>> Favorite pancakes on 101 Cookbooks
>> My favorite cheap mocha at home

By the time you have a toddler, you probably know the best way to keep a small child occupied is to show them something they’ve never seen before (no, not TV).  And how about something that they can smush, squeeze, or secretly taste a tiny nibble of?  Even better!

In our recent blog blast, SusieJ generously imparted some wisdom that must come only with being the mother of four boys.  Her amazing post regarding eating out with the whole family (especially for those of you who aren’t rookies, but are dragging a larger crew around with you) is packed with tips.  My favorite part, however, is the suggestion to ask the chef or waiter for some dough for your children to play with.  I’ve been to a Mexican restaurant where giving the kids tortilla dough is part of their schtick, and it’s just brilliant.  I’ve never thought to make this special request at a different restaurant before, and you can bet your sweet buns that I’m going to start.

The uncooked dough is smooshy and wonderful to touch, and guaranteed to keep kids busy making “doughnuts” and snakes. And if you want to get all Martha on me, you can even bake it when you get home.  Or just toss it and be grateful for a relatively peaceful meal.

AKA “Give your baby a tomato facial”

Go on, what are you afraid of? Let your baby really experience her dinner by getting all up in it.

To be perfectly honest, I don’t think I could have ever let Holden get this far into his food. Sure, I fed him on the floor and let him eat cottage cheese with his bare hands but this photo makes me really impressed with Mother Hoodwink for letting baby Boomba take it as far as he wanted to.