Boxing Day: Kids Version

Pre-kids, we spent Boxing Day in a very different manner. For starters, we actually went shopping. However, post kids, the day has become all about the kids!

In recent years, we often travelled to Ontario on Boxing Day to visit with our friends and relatives. This year, with three young ones, we decided to stay put.

We thought that the Biodome might be closed, but when we discovered it opened at 9, we headed over there very close to opening time. And for the first two hours, we almost had the whole place (and animals) to ourselves. 

We did meet another family with three young boys. The mom and I had a good laugh and she suggested exchanging "recipes".

Upon exiting the Biodome, we discovered an indoor play area for kids and headed over. It was set up as an "animal rescue centre" and the kids had the opportunity to dress up as veterinarians, feed alligators, and watch eggs hatch. And there was a play structure as well. #3 was very calm, and perhaps the best behaved of the three.

We had an excellent morning, and congratulated ourselves on thinking of the outing in question while many were out shopping in packed malls. The afternoon went by quickly and the older girls even got in a swim before bedtime.

It was almost a perfect day until our #1 child woke up every half hour with what we could only assume were nightmares. At one point she clearly said "I am finished looking at the animals!" Perhaps the Biodome wasn't the perfect idea we thought it was...

Who would have thought...

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!