Take your baby to the movie theater! Really! Look for a Mom and Baby Matinee, offered by many theaters around the country.
We live in the Bay Area and also run 510 Families about current fun stuff to do in the East Bay with kids!
Paint your baby’s feet
Ready for another challenge? Take baby to a paint-your-own pottery studio and get footprints made on a tile or frame.
A love letter to Music Together
After many sessions of Music Together, this is my unpaid love letter to the class that fills the void in my afternoon and my home with music!
Sensory-friendly movie theater showings for little kids
Movies today are louder, faster-paced, and more startling than they were when we were kids. I have only noticed that because when I’m at the movies (without kids) I am aware of what sensory overload it would be for little ones. Add that to any sensitivities with which a child may be hardwired, and movies […]
Give longer life to your cutest kids shirts
When I saw Mike Adamick, local dad and writer, on an afternoon talk show talking about decorating cute shirts for his daughter, I thought it was unlikely I’d learn something new. I mean, I’ve already written about decorating onesies in just about every way I can think of. But behold, Mike taught me yet another […]
So proud of myself — both toddlers and me at a restaurant
This past Thursday, when Alec had his Dad’s Night Out, I decided to really roll the dice and take both toddlers (age one and two) out to a restaurant by myself. It was pretty fun. I tried to call it our Big Adventure, but Holden said we shouldn’t call it a ‘venture. So I asked, […]
Find a messy art place
Keep your Pottery Barn Kids table and chairs pristine by finding a place outside your home for your small one’s artistic messes and creative exploration. In the East Bay, we are so lucky to have a few options: The Oakland Museum of Children’s Art (MOCHA) is free for gallery visits and has an awesome Drop-In Art Studio […]
Pitch a tent
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 […]
Stuff parents with boobs should know about
This post includes some affiliate links. I have four unrelated golden nuggets to share today. First, I was treated to a bra fitting by Molly, the bra buyer for Title Nine stores, who made me fall in love with her and the bra she put me in by talking about how important it is for […]
Meet a monkey at the zoo
It’s time to introduce your baby to lions and lizards. And won’t you feel like an official parent when you brag that you take your child to the Zoo? My friend Sarah gets credit for this one. “It’s fun for parents, too,” she says. Honestly, I think it’s mostly fun for parents. Even at 12 […]
10 Things to do in Oakland, CA with a baby
When we’re not busy raising kids or writing RookieMoms.com, we manage {510} Families, a website for East Bay parents. Whitney and I created the resource we wish we had when home with our firstborns wondering what the heck to do with our time on maternity leave: a calendar with drop-in events and fairs (always ready […]
Join a museum
Like they used to say on TV, membership has it’s privileges. Both of the Bay Area children’s museums that I have been to are part of a consortium of Children’s Museums that have reciprocal memberships. This means that if you get a one-year membership at Habitot in Berkeley, for example, you can go to the […]