Baby's First Museum Trip

After our long car seat-testing drive to DC, and the delirious never-ending day, today has been AWESOME! I finally got a chance to get out of this hotel room and explore the city with my little one. Even though I used to live in DC I never really had time to explore all the touristy things there are to do, so I was so excited when today I was able to take in a museum with baby.

Taking baby to a museum is a lot more doable and enjoyable then I ever would have thought. It's a great outing for a few reasons.

1. It's stimulating for you.

I really enjoyed checking out the Fossil Lab at the Natural History Museum. It's basically a window into these offices that have "volunteers specially trained in fossil preparation" working on thousands of year old fossils - crazy AND who knew?! They are volunteers...you can do it too! (It says that on the piece of paper that is hard to read AND you can get more information about reinforcing your employable skills by being a fossil volunteer or another type of volunteer here. Gosh, I miss DC!)

2. It's stimulating for baby, (or they can sleep.)

I was really surprised by how many newborns were strolling around. For the most part they were sleeping in their carriers or strollers, and since it's actually pretty quiet, that seemed to work out well. For my 9 month old son, he just got a hoot out of looking around. He LOVED the fish display.

3. It's an easy place to nurse.

I actually think it would be a great place to try nursing in public if you are a little nervous. My son is to the point where eating requires about a dozen smile/look around/play breaks. He needs a really quiet place with very little to look at and no people around - at the museum there are tons of little benches and nooks perfect for just that.

4. The bathrooms are really clean.

Let's be honest, using those diaper decks in public restrooms, they gross me out. I use them but I just feel kind of germy afterward and so I limit use to "have-to" situations. (Especially the ones at rest stops and airports, because you know they prob get a lot of use.) The look of the bathroom also correlates with my idea of how clean the changer is and museum bathrooms are super clean!

So that covers the basic eat, sleep, play, and change of the museum experience. Hope you are able to get out and try it yourself!

Sincerely,
Jordan