by Whitney
I’m not really so much of a treehugger myself. I’m all for the values associated with it, I just don’t like being cold or wet, so my hiking adventures are limited to sunny days. But not too sunny, because I don’t want us to get burned.
Hiking is such a great thing to do as a family, though. Going for a hike takes you away from the house, the chores, the tv and computer. Babies usually are soothed by the light and air. Preschoolers are intrigued by every stick and leaf on the ground. Compared to Heather’s family who is on a car fast this month, mine hardly remembered it was Earth Day. Something to improve on for next year, I suppose.
Another pair of Bay Area moms just let me know about their blog, Tree Huggers In Training, on which they review local trails (both paved and off-road) from a new mom perspective, paying close attention to trail conditions, weather conditions, and general “Goodness, how would I do this with a baby?” conditions. Dana and Beth hope that new (and expert) moms, as well as dads, use the site as a resource to get out and enjoy all walks and hikes that the area has to offer.
They encourage us to take the Treehuggers In Training Oath, centered around three “B”s: beverages, blankets and bumcover disposal methods:
- I promise to pack beverages - Milk for me (in whatever form I prefer) and water for mom
- I promise to never leave the house with out the blanket- on which to sit, with which to cover, and to share
- I promise to be responsible with my bumcover- Tree Huggers always pack out what they packed in. A ziploc is your friend.
Help the TreeHuggers build their reviews of outdoor excursions by taking one yourself and then sending them a write up. Send them a note at reviews AT treehuggersintraining DOT com. Even if Dana or Beth have already reviewed a hike or a piece of gear, they welcome all other first-hand experiences.
by Whitney
Look around and choose a vegetable your baby hasn’t tried yet. Bring it home and steam and puree or mash with a fork.
Does this not sound like enough action for you? Believe me, it is. Navigating the stroller through the market area is a challenge and there are so many things to look at for your baby, it’s worth the effort.
There are Farmer’s Markets in Berkeley each week on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday sponsored and organized by The Ecology Center and another festive one in Rockridge on Sunday.
The beautiful Farmers’ Market in the San Francisco Ferry Building is on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. Check the hours>
by Whitney
Taking the baby in the pool is both scary and funny.
If you are alone, think carefully through the logistics of how you are going to change your clothes, change baby, get in the pool, get out of the pool, get on dry stuff and get back in the car. You are not as smart as you used to be and you will probably mess up part of this process and end up walking out to your car in just a bra and towel holding your baby in one arm and a diaper between your teeth. Let me just help you out: Take your stroller with you into the dressing room. That way you have someplace to put the baby, towels, wet bathingsuits and diaper bag while you get dry yourself.
In El Cerrito, there is a beautiful saline community pool and we take the babies in to splash around during family swim. At Berkeley High, there’s a warm pool reserved for seniors and babies. Friday afternoon there’s a drop in class for $4.50. Check the PDFs linked from this page for details.
Here’s a list of all the San Francisco public pools… only $3.
This is also a fun activity for a very pregnant friend.
by Heather
A fun suggestion from our friend and fellow rookie mom, Rosa, is to pack yourself up and head into the city for a museum outing. Assume you go to a cocktail party sometime soon. When someone asks what you do, instead of mumbling about maternity leave or bursting into tears when you think about how you can’t drink much because you have to nurse every 3 hours and wake up at 6 am, change the subject and say “Have you seen the Rothko show?”
Many museums waive admission fees on the first Tuesday of the month. Make that your big day.
Rosa reports that SFMoMa was a successful outing. “Both babies were intrigued by the colorful modernist paintings and sculptures,” she brags. “Mommies get to chat and enjoy the art too.”
For our Bay Area mommas, she suggests that you arrive late morning to San Francisco and use the Nordstrom mother’s lounge as home base. There is a great changing/nursing area for comfort and privacy. You can lunch in the mall’s basement food court, Sony Metreon or if the weather permits, eat outside in Yerba Buena Gardens.
Becky in Boston said that her baby Nick was a trooper at the Museum of Fine Arts. “He was patient. After lunch he nursed and went to sleep in the stroller, I pushed him around and looked at art, when he awoke, we looked at art together - I was amazed at what a great day we had together.”
I took Holden to the BAM/PFA here in Berkeley with some other mommy friends and he enjoyed it a lot (which means no screaming fits — yay!). We ate a nice lunch at the little cafe and negotiated tables, strollers, nursing, and crowds. Parking was kind of a pain. Seriously folks, what do you do when someone parks too close to your car and you have a bucket car seat baby with you?!
