Summer is always a fun time of year! BBQs, late night kickball or frisbee games, day hikes, long weekends away, tanning by the pool, late afternoon naps in the hammock. Ahh. Snap back to reality. You have a baby now, sista! That pretty much nixes everything except BBQs & a quick late afternoon nap.
I love staying home. I honestly do. But we get hot & bored sometimes. Ok, fine, I get hot and bored. I came up with a list of things to do that are baby friendly, take 3 hours or less, & don’t involve a lot of computer, TV, or prep time! Here’s our list, from cheapest to most expensive. A full summer for around $300, give & take my spending mood of the day… What a fun summer we have in store!
Park: Free!
We do a walk to the neighborhood park basically every day. And all Isaac can really do is the baby swing, but it’s a wonderful way to get out of the house without using the car!
Littleton Museum: Free!
I hear this museum has a petting zoo & probably some other stuff too. I know nothing about it except the name but think any museum with animals is good for me!
Splash Park: Free!
There’s a Splash Park in Centennial with outdoor water features & it looks really fun! It’s about 30 minutes from our house, which is pretty far when you’re talking infant-in-a-carseat, but I think we’ll try it out anyways!
Baby Story Time at the Library: Free!
Every Friday the Columbine Library holds an infant story time for 1 hour.
Work in Garden: Free!
You should see the expanse I call Weed-Land (Not that kind, I’m growing legally thank you very much). It needs some TLC! Isaac can sit in his exersaucer or play in the pool with basically no water, or roll around & eat grass. Any of those are perfectly acceptable to me.
Bake treats for self or neighbors: Free!
This has to be on a cool day because we don’t have A/C. So this might not happen. Just warning you.
Make cards for family: Free!
Even though he can’t write, I know family would love to get cards “from” Isaac. Even if he holds the crayon & I move the paper, I’m sure it brings the grandparents back to the days of '’Hang my art on the fridge!’
Finger Paint: Free!
Figure out how to make edible paint (or watch very closely) while baby paints (hopefully) the paper.
Playdates with other Mommy friends: Free!
Nothing like getting together with other mamas & letting our babies play together!
Photo shoot: Free!
Who wouldn’t love to dress up a cute boy & snap some photos! Requires: cute clothes, a good nap, a baby in a good mood, & a nice backdrop!
Blanket & new toys outside in shade: Free!
Sometimes going outside, even if it’s your own backyard, helps to feel like your day is different than the norm. Bring toys he hasn’t played with in awhile, a spray bottle to keep cool, a popsicle, & just hang out in the shade!
Dog Park: Free!
Isaac loves to try to catch Grizzly & pet (aka grab & pull) him, so I’m sure he would love to see other dogs too! Plus, Grizzly would love me forever if I let him go to the dog park.
Water play: Free!
We call this a “sensory activity” that I picked up somewhere online. Get a bowl full of water, & play with measuring cups, pitchers, & other toys. Baby learns the difference between 1 cup and 1/4 cup (…or something).
Walk around the mall: Free!
Sometimes you just need a little A/C! I may treat myself to a shake or something, but otherwise free!
Hike: Free!
Hello, I live in Colorado. I should hike like every day.
Workout video: Free!
Ugh working out. Well, if I’ve got a free afternoon I’m sure Isaac wouldn’t mind watching Jillian Michaels kick my ass. Scuse the language.
Crochet & let Isaac play with yarn: Free!
I have tons of projects in mind for the Fall & really need to get started! I’m sure playing with yarn will keep Isaac occupied for all of 5 minutes.
Volunteer at AIDS Walk: Free!
Ok, so don’t hold it against me that our “volunteer” opportunity is required for work. Whatev. We’re giving our weekend to a great cause & helping our clients is just a secondary benefit! Right?!
Bear Creek Park: Free?
Never been, should probably go since I think I live really close…
Museums: Free?
There’s gotta be more museums around here that I can take my son to, but obviously I’m not the educational champ that I should be because I don’t really know where they are. I’ll find them before the summer is over!
Surprise Dad for Lunch: Dad pays. Free for us! :-)
And by “surprise” I mean call him in the morning, tell him not to eat lunch because we’re going to lunch at 2pm after Isaac wakes up from his nap… Someday we’ll eat at normal times again.
Sprouts for groceries & sushi: Grocery Budget!
I love Sprouts (formerly known as Sunflower). They have great bulk dry goods & great produce. They also have a patio where we (by we I mean I) can enjoy some of their great sushi for lunch!
Zoo: Free! (Guest Pass); $80 annual membership
Thanks to friends who have guest passes!
Aquarium: 2 Free passes! Or $17/adult
We have 2 free adult passes that we’ve had for a long time that I must use this summer!
Bubbles: $1
What baby doesn’t like bubbles? And thanks to the trip to the dollar store, we should be entertained for all of 10 minutes!
Gymnastics $4
The local rec center offers drop in gymnastics for 9 month olds, so on July 11th we’ll try it out!
Dollar Store: $5
Who can’t find a treasure at the dollar store?!
Marble painting: $5
Do you remember when you were a kid, putting paper in a shallow tray, dropping some paint in & rolling marbles around? Isaac may be young but I’m eager to pass on the fun! I don’t think we own marbles or a shallow tray, or paints for that matter, so a shopping trip is in order first!
Baby Pool in Backyard: $7.99 for pool
Babies R Us has cheap baby pools that hopefully will entertain Isaac for awhile on a hot afternoon!
Pinterest Craft: $10
How many DIY ideas do you have pinned? Now, how many have you actually done? How about actually doing one?! Wow! Novel. Gotta pick a baby friendly, quick craft but hopefully I’ll have one done by summer’s end!
Thrift Store: $10
I love thrift shopping. As long as I have a budget. So, $10 it is, to find “something for Isaac.”
Fireside Books & Coffee: $4 for coffee & $15 for books
There’s this awesome used book store/coffee shop close to us that I think would be the perfect way to spend an afternoon! I’ll get a coffee & pretend to look at children’s books while I buy myself 5 or so new (used) books!
Farmer’s Market: $20
Are there Farmer’s Markets open during the week? I’ll find out & if so, we’ll go grocery shopping!
Sweet Beginnings Class: $45 for 5 classes
This local store holds classes like Baby Sensory, Music classes, Tyke Gymnastics, & Yoga classes! I never thought I’d spend money on stuff like this but I guess that’s what being a stay at home mom will do to you!
Mommy & Me Swim Class $48 for 10 classes
Registered for 2 classes per week for 5 weeks, starting July 8th!
Rockies Game: $50
We love baseball!!! We need to instill the love in our son before his first birthday. No questions.
Swimming: 24 Multi Visit Punch Card $94
We have the best kid’s pool close to our house that we’ll have to go to often this summer!
Rec Center: Part of 24 Multi Visit Pass; $3.50/hour childcare
There’s a cardio room, weights, fitness classes, & childcare! Like I would workout for more than an hour, so I would only pay $3.50 for Isaac.
So, there you have it! 38 things to do this summer. Anything else you’d add! Leave a comment with your suggestions!
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