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| Baby #1 checking out the pumpkins at a local market |
With the outdoor temperatures quickly dropping, I find myself looking for new indoor activities for our active baby. She attends a gymnastics class twice a week, but I haven't found any other regular activities in our neighborhood. We do have a heated pool in our building to which we try to take her weekly, and there is a local library with story time that she seems to thoroughly enjoy.
I have been searching for nearby indoor playgrounds, but have come to the conclusion that Montreal is simply bereft of them. Growing up, I remember playing in malls with designated children's play areas, but after an exhaustive internet search, I have concluded that there aren't any nearby. Finding child-friendly, non-fast-food eateries has also been a challenge.
Then just last evening, we found the perfect kid-oriented restaurant with a play area to boot. It was very unexpected. I had mentioned to my husband that I wanted to pick up a few wall shelves for our bedroom, and suggested that we stop by our local Ikea. It was around dinner time, and I had heard the Ikea had a very affordable restaurant. Within 15 minutes, we had arrived at our destination, and made our way to the cafeteria-style restaurant. The baby's meal came to a mere 1.99$ and included milk. There were plenty of high-chairs, and even a separate eating area for kids with kid-sized furniture. After she had finished her meal of fish and veggies, we headed out to the children's section of Ikea, which was adjacent to the restaurant. There were a number of kid's showrooms, and our active baby spent a good hour trying the swivel chairs, climbing through tunnels and playing with the large variety of toys. After about an hour, we were able to pry her away so that I could show my husband the wall shelves that I had been considering for our bedroom.
On our way out, baby #1 noticed the drop-off play area at the entrance, and seemed intrigued by the plethora of colourful balls. She was approximately 10cm shy of meeting the height requirement though, not that she would have gone in without insisting that one of us accompany her.
Who would have thought that Ikea would be the perfect place to spend an evening with an active toddler? And a 1.99$ meal was our only expenditure!
I have been searching for nearby indoor playgrounds, but have come to the conclusion that Montreal is simply bereft of them. Growing up, I remember playing in malls with designated children's play areas, but after an exhaustive internet search, I have concluded that there aren't any nearby. Finding child-friendly, non-fast-food eateries has also been a challenge.
Then just last evening, we found the perfect kid-oriented restaurant with a play area to boot. It was very unexpected. I had mentioned to my husband that I wanted to pick up a few wall shelves for our bedroom, and suggested that we stop by our local Ikea. It was around dinner time, and I had heard the Ikea had a very affordable restaurant. Within 15 minutes, we had arrived at our destination, and made our way to the cafeteria-style restaurant. The baby's meal came to a mere 1.99$ and included milk. There were plenty of high-chairs, and even a separate eating area for kids with kid-sized furniture. After she had finished her meal of fish and veggies, we headed out to the children's section of Ikea, which was adjacent to the restaurant. There were a number of kid's showrooms, and our active baby spent a good hour trying the swivel chairs, climbing through tunnels and playing with the large variety of toys. After about an hour, we were able to pry her away so that I could show my husband the wall shelves that I had been considering for our bedroom.
On our way out, baby #1 noticed the drop-off play area at the entrance, and seemed intrigued by the plethora of colourful balls. She was approximately 10cm shy of meeting the height requirement though, not that she would have gone in without insisting that one of us accompany her.
Who would have thought that Ikea would be the perfect place to spend an evening with an active toddler? And a 1.99$ meal was our only expenditure!
Wow! Bravo for Ikea and its child friendly play area! I am sure your sweet little girl is going to enjoy herself for hours in that amazing place.
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