My friend Jeanine once told me there’s lots of fun time to be had with a baby at an outdoor store like REI: you just set up a sweet pad in the display tent with several of the Thermarest mattresses, chirping bird toys, and bright colored water bottles and have a blast.
The first time I took Holden as a baby he was most interested in chewing the tags off the Nalgene bottles. When I brought him back as a toddler, he hid among the large racks of clothing and totally terrified me. So, it might have something to do with temperament.
Whitney had a much different experience when she brought a mellow toddler, Julian. She told me:
We went to REI today and had a good time.
First, it’s wonderful for tiny toddlers who just want to follow the path around the store endlessly.
Second, they sell “Just Corn” and “Just Peas” which is my new method of feeding Julian vegetables. (More tips for feeding picky toddlers here.)
Third, putting a kid-sized backpack on your child without him noticing is an entertaining preview of the first day of Kindergarten.
And finally, if you are nearing the one year mark, I suggest purchasing the Nalgene sippy cup (now BPA free!). We are big fans. In this photo, Julian giving his opinion on framed packs to anyone who will listen.
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P.S. I’ve heard that if you take your baby there in a backpack, they can help you adjust it for optimum comfort.
Thanks for the tip on REI carrying just corn/peas. We were really disappointed that our grocery stores all stopped carrying the dried corn in the baby food section…
We LOVE REI. I’ve been shopping at REI since I was pint-sized, and have lots of fond memories. Both my kiddos, age 5 and 2, love to try the bikes, climb on the ‘try your hiking boots on our fake rock’, sit in the chairs lay on the sleeping pads, etc. etc. etc.
We got our kids the Nalgene water bottles for x-mas but they are having a hard time drinking out of them… too spillproof! Any suggestions?
I think I might set up a tent tommorrow in the living room just for fun! Thanks for the idea…my 18 month toddler will love it!