My friend Mary (who had her son Del in the same hospital the day after I had Julian) gave this idea to our moms group. She said that 13-month old Del loves the pet store where he can check out the animals, especially the birds.
Does your baby love animals? Mine really did (and still do) but when we went to the Zoo, I found that he couldn’t really see the large animals that were so far away from him in their habitats. A visit to Petco where he could get right next to the turtle tank and mouse cage was just as much fun — and closer to my house!
To kill two birds with one stone (no-offense, bird lovers), you could be a really nice friend and offer to pick up pet food for that post-partum friend of yours, meanwhile taking your older baby on a super fun and free outing.
This is your 37th weekly challenge for rookie moms. Baby not old enough to appreciate the fish tank? Start at the beginning.
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We love the pet store as a fun outing! We can easily kill an hour looking at the fish, birds, cats up for adoption and dogs if any are being groomed. Plus, I can pick up cat food if I need it, or just use it as a free way to get out of the house!
I blogged about this for Berkeley and Oakland residents over here: http://www.510families.com/content/fish-and-lizards-and-rodents-oh-my
I do the same thing with my son who is 18 months. We also have a rescue organization that often lets us hold the bunnies and cats. Even cooler is a “feed store” or hay store that often has baby chicks and other farm animals!
This is so awesome in the winter when its miserable outside. I always refer to the Petsmart as “Ithaca’s zoo.” And, when it comes to toddlers it is the perfect replacement. Who needs a guerilla when you can have a chinchilla? Not my 1 year old!
We still do this with my 3.5 yr old twins. They love it, it’s free, and it’s a great activity for rainy days. When my boys were still preemies and we needed to get out during the winter months I would take them to the largest hot house/greenhouse garden nurseries I could find in the area. We’d just walk laps around the hothouses looking at all the pretty plants and flowers while soaking up the warm humidity. My mood would always be lighter after that outing in January.
We’ve done that too! So fun! In fact, we were recently at another pet store with no animals and my son kept asking for the birdies and fishies!!
My little girl adores the local Petsmart. The fish and the birds fascinate her. She can really get up close to them, too. I think she misses some of the animals at the zoo because they are far away and there is too much other stuff to see. I typically avoid any cats or dogs up for adoption for my own sake! We have enough of those at home.
Thanks so much for your blog. I just adore you guys!!