Insane 2 year old found abandoned by exhausted parents

November 27, 2011 8:21 AM

Seattle 2 year old is going stir crazy every day and needs to get out of the house. We're getting tired of our usual local activities, what are some of your favorites?

2 and 3/4 year old entering an exceptionally whiny, oppositional phase, a brand new baby brother at home, preschool just starting and we have 9 more months of winter ahead of us. There's only so much Aquarium and Children's Museum I can handle. Looking for fun 2-3 hour distractions within 30 minutes of Seattle to survive the winter.

I've checked ParentMap and they have some ideas there, and a friend turned us on to the Lynnwood Recreation Center wading pool which is awesome. These are the kinds of suggestions I am looking for.

posted by Slarty Bartfast to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (15 answers total)

The library has not just books, but also tables full of easy puzzles, stuffed animals, DVDs and CDs you can borrow, and storytimes (though Wallingford does not appear to have those, you may have to venture to University for that). Museum of Flight is also nice, both the museum as a whole and the hands on kids' room.

Also, take them to the beach or the playground. Yes, even if it is raining. You can always go home and change when you get cold. (Wallingford Playfield and Gasworks are both great.) Tilth has neat gardens to walk through too.
posted by Margalo Epps at 9:19 AM on November 27, 2011

Most community centers have toddler gym time with toys once a week. I hear the Beacon Hill one is the best, with several bouncy houses and a ton of great toys.
posted by bq at 9:26 AM on November 27, 2011

What neighborhood are you in? A couple of the far-suburban malls (Alderwood and bellevue square) have what I call "run and shrieks," indoor playgrounds so-described because when children are on them, they run and also shriek. Those are great. Also, the Zoo, believe it or not, can be great in the winter, if just for the Zoomazium.

(I did not know about the Lynnwood Rec Center. AMAZING.)
posted by KathrynT at 9:47 AM on November 27, 2011

Third Place Commons in Lake Forest Park is a good place to kill some time. I prefer the children's museum in Everett to the one in the Seattle Center. Pump it Up has some playtime, as does Seattle Gymnastics Academy. I adore the Shoreline YMCA, which has great babysitting.
posted by The corpse in the library at 9:48 AM on November 27, 2011

The model boat pond by the Center for Wooden Boats has boats available to rent on Sundays.
posted by nomisxid at 9:54 AM on November 27, 2011

I have no children, so I don't know from parenting, but The Little Gym might be fun.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 11:37 AM on November 27, 2011

• West Seattle Water Taxi! The crossing only takes 10 min and it is cheap (cheaper with ORCA). You might want to have Parent #2 pick up at the other end unless you know that Child will enjoy a return trip.
• The Pacific Science Center, of course.
• Watching the skateboarders at Lower Woodland Park.
• Museum of History and Industry.
• A walk around Chinatown and a visit to Fuji Bakery
• Alphabet Soup bookstore.
• Kubota Garden? The Arboretum? I'm not so sure.
• Northwest Puppet Center.
• Seattle Children's Theater.
• Odyssey Maritime Discovery Center.
• Pike Place Market (throwing fish! free samples! and the gum wall, ewwwwwwwww).
• A ride on the monorail, Link Light Rail, or the South Lake Union Streetcar (also known as the SLUT).

Here are some places to look for more ideas:

• Seattle Weekly has a events calendar with a family events category. The ideas right now aren't amazing, but it's worth checking.
• The Dealmix offers a Kids & Parents category which might occasionally be useful.
• Neighborhood Blogs (such as Wallyhood and their forums).
• Green Lake Moms mailing list, if you qualify.

posted by grouse at 11:43 AM on November 27, 2011 [1 favorite]

Not an everyday thing, but Great Wolf is pretty awesome.
posted by guster4lovers at 12:03 PM on November 27, 2011

This sounds nuts, but my daughter is now four and since she was two, I would take her to the dollar stores. She was fascinated with the variety of things she could look at. I could pick up stuff like baskets for gifts I make and cheap stocking stuffers while she amuses herself walking the aisles with me. If there was an item she had to have, it's only a dollar!
posted by Yellow at 12:59 PM on November 27, 2011

Daiso, across the street from Uwajimaya, is a fun dollar store.
posted by grouse at 1:31 PM on November 27, 2011

When my kids were that age we'd drag them out to the country to visit feed stores. Most places we found actually gave us carrots to feed the horses and goats and whatnot. Of course they also have little chicks and ducklings. Your 2 year old should love it and be nicely worn out.
posted by snsranch at 1:42 PM on November 27, 2011

Response by poster: Great suggestions so far, I think perhaps we are getting old enough for live theater, especially the puppet theater which I've never been to. Might try a movie too. I keep forgetting about things like Gymboree or Seattle gymnastics academy, but something active like that you can do on a drop in basis is what I'm thinking is ideal.

For posterity and for other interested parties, here are the indoor things we enjoy already: the bouncy playground at Arena Sports as well as Little Kickers, the aforementioned Lynnwood Rec Center pool, Music Together Classes (available multiple places), and yoga dance classes at Om Culture center.

*Love* going out in the weather but just had to share a funny "only in Seattle" story that happened today -- we went down to go watch the Seattle Marathon today just for fun, in full on rain gear braving the horizontal freezing water droplets when I was accosted by a woman driving by who actually got out of her car to inform me of the harm I was doing to my child bringing him out on a day like this. Really, it's ok lady, I'm a pediatrician, the car's right over there, and we have dry clothes waiting for us. She stood and watched until we were safely in our car. Awesome.
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 2:27 PM on November 27, 2011 [4 favorites]

Oh! You can get museum passes from the library.
posted by The corpse in the library at 3:40 PM on November 27, 2011

Response by poster: Awesome list of rainy day activities just added to Parent Map.

Went to go see A Year With Frog and Toad at Seattle Children's Theater and was amazed, it held my kid's attention for 2 hours, and was a totally entertaining production for the under 5 crowd. Lots of babies in arms too. Children's theater is a wonderful thing.
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 8:08 AM on January 1, 2012

Another list of rainy day activities just posted to Wallyhood.
posted by grouse at 7:34 AM on March 13, 2012