i’ve seen a ton of lists featuring ideas for summer fun with kids — but the thing is, most of them don’t apply to someone as young as annabel. she is currently 2 months [edited to add: she’s 3 months now, but was 2 as of the writing of this post!] and summer weather is certainly upon us in NC, even if the calendar doesn’t agree.
as much as i’d love to take her to the zoo . . . the beach . . . disney world [ha], i realize i need to think a little smaller and more low-key for now. reasons?
★ sunscreen. as in, it’s actually not recommended by the american academy of pediatrics until babies are 6 months old! that makes it hard to plan on spending hours in the sunshine without elaborate shade and cover-up schemes.
★ feeding schedule. a is still eating every 2-3 hours, which would make traveling somewhat challenging. i’m actually very sad to be missing my 10 year college reunion next weekend [shout-out to any williams alums attending, if there are any reading!] because it would have involved 2 plane trips and an hour car ride just to get there. the logistics made my head spin so i decided to sit this one out.
★ attention span. no need to rush annabel — the truth is that right now, she’s as enthralled by her own hands on the playmat or me emptying the dishwasher [seriously] as she likely would be by disney characters at this point.
in fact, the dishwasher scene is probably more exciting because it stars her favorite character — ME <– i realize this won’t last and she may end up a daddy’s girl, so i’m enjoying it for the moment.
BUT, i still want to get out and enjoy a few summer outings, both during the remains of my maternity leave and then later on over weekends off.
ideas for summer fun with a [very] little one:
1. outdoor bbq with friends. family friendly, and if it’s for dinner, the sun/heat issues are off the table. plus, it should be easy to duck inside to breastfeed, or just use a nursing cover.
2. brunch outside! this is my favorite meal out with baby. it doesn’t last terribly long [so no need to worry about feeding], the time schedule can be loose, and with an outdoor location, it’s easy to turn the stroller into a shady umbrella.
3. early sunrise walks/runs with the stroller. once i head back to work, the early AM will become my prime time to work out. on days that i don’t want to hit the treadmill, annabel and i can head out for walks — and once her head control improves [3-4 months or so] we can take the stroller out for RUNS! these would be done super-early to a) beat the heat and b) allow me to get to work on time.
4. the beach. i know — i used this as an overly ambitious example above. but i still think we may want to try this for a weekend getaway! we’re 2 hours from wilmington, and a low-key trip would be a fun escape from our usual weekend chorefest. we’d have to really limit our sun time and make sure to cover her up with protective clothing, but i think this would be a nice adventure — perhaps in august or september [we have long summers here!]
other ideas? i’d love to hear them. also, if you’re a parent — how old was your little one when they first went swimming? i’m ready to try annabel in a swim diaper, even if it’s just for a few minutes!
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