A Resource for Mom's

Having an infant is sooooo much fun. But let's face it, sometimes it can be very hard trying to figure out things to do with them! When they are 3 months old they just lay there and smile and coo, don't need a ton of entertainment. Fast forward 7 months later, and you have one active little one who wants to get into everything! As many toys as we have, you would think Kaylie would be entertained for at least 5 hours straight, but right now, she just wants to move. She wants to explore, crawl, open things, pull up on things, climb, whatever she can get into. Kaylie loves her My Gym classes and they are a great outlet for her. But her classes are only on Fridays. We take her to the mall and let her play in the kids play areas, but she usually is getting run over by bigger kids. :)
I decided to hit the internet. We live in the DC metro area, with as populated as this area is, we have to have places to take our kids to play! After some research, I found quite a few great spots. Perfect for cold or rainy days. Some are free, some have a charge to get in, but for you moms/babysitters/nannies, whoever, check out this list and then go have some fun!

FUNFIT FAMILY FITNESS CENTER (17511 Redland Rd. Rockville)
We decided to check this place out today. They offer classes to sign up for, but they have an open free play every Wednesday from 10am-2pm and Fridays from 12-5:30pm.
It is $7 per child 8months and up. Siblings are $6 but they have a maximum charge of $15 for a family. This place was pretty cool. It is a little small, but when you first walk in, they have a toy area with tons of toys, blocks, a train table, books, ect. Towards the back of the place they have a little "gym" Kid sized treadmills, stationary bikes, ect. all designed for kids age 5-13. Then they have a padded area with tumble mats and soft gym equipment. They also have a moon bounce set up. In the back, they have a little room with tables and chairs for eating and coloring. The staff was really nice, and Kaylie had a nice time for the 45 min. we were there. $7 may be a little steep, but it is nice that you don't have to be a member to go, and you can stay for all 4 hours if you want! http://www.funfit.us/opengym.shtml

HILLS GYM (7557 Lindbergh Drive Gaithersburg)
This is a little hard to find, it is back past the emissions station in Gaithersburg off of Woodfield Rd. This place is perfect for older kids. We took Kaylie yesterday and she had fun, but will love it a whole lot more once she starts walking. This is a real Gymnastics center. Home of Olympian Dominique Dawes, Hills is a great place for kids who want to take gymnastics classes. They have an open gym Monday-Friday from 12:15-1:15. It is $5 per child, prewalkers are free. This place is huge, and the kids can run around, jump on all the trampolices, use the balance beams, jump into a foam block pit from a rope, or even practice tumbling on the tumbling mats in front of the big mirror. This place is great for any age, and since it's free for Kaylie right now, we will be here a lot. :)

CHUCK E CHEESE (516 N. Frederick Rd, Gaithersburg/5270 Randolph Road Rockville)
I always thought of this place as being just for birthday parties and insanely overcrowded. Go during the week, morning or afternoon. I hear the one in Rockville is a little bigger. Well we went last Friday night. Admission is free, you pay for the games and the food. It is great with a little one, we only spent about $2 in tokens for the rides. They have a toddler area with a slide, and some cute rides. There wasn't a ton of stuff for Kaylie's age but she was entertained for about a half hour and then we ate dinner there. The food is way overpriced, but the salad bar if you get it is actually pretty good. Kaylie enjoyed the crackers, grapes, and even an olive. :)

INTERACTIONS LEARN AND PLAY (3809 Farragut Avenue Kensington)
Haven't been here yet, but plan to go in the next week! This place looks really cool. There are no classes, it is an open play center. Open from 10am-7pm it costs $12 to get in (siblings 50% off), but you can stay as long as you want, even bring lunch to eat there. It is designed for kids aged 0-4. They have toys, books, ride toys, puzzles, ect. It looks like their goal is to challenge kids physically and mentally. Should be a pretty cool place! If you go to Kensington, check out the Kensington Caboose for consignment kids stuff, and Continental Pizza for some AMAZING pizza! :) http://www.interactionslearnandplay.net/index2.html

PLAYWISE KIDS (6570 Dobbin Rd. Columbia)
This place formerly known as "Exploraworld" is awesome. I used to take the boys I nannyed for here all the time. I haven't Kaylie yet, but I think she will love it once she starts walking. This place is a huge warehouse turned into like a mall for kids. There are tons of different "stations" full of something for every kid. They have a real old firetruck for the kids to climb and play on, a grocery area for shopping with carts, plastic food, and registers. They have a huge sandbox to play in, a dance area with costumes and a dance floor, computers to play learning games, an arts and crafts area, and soooo much more. You could spend probably a whole day here. That's the great thing because even though it is a bit pricey: Age 12-23 months $6.95 Age 2-10 $9.95 and Adults $4 you can go, even leave and come back in the same day. They have a cafe area where you can eat lunch also. During the week the cafe is usually not open so you can bring a bag lunch and eat it there. The cafe is open on the weekends but they have vending machines always there. This place is so big and there is so much to do, the only thing that is hard is if you have 2 or 3 kids wanting to do different things they could be all over the place! :) It is a great place though! http://www.playwisekids.com/drop_in.htm

ROMP N ROLL (12851 Wisteria Drive Germantown)
Along the same lines as My Gym and The Little Gym, this place offers an open gym to non members. They have different open gym times every day Monday-Friday, even some evenings. There is a fee but you would have to call, it does not say on their website. This place looks a lot like My Gym which any kid would love, and they have great equipment for young ones! http://www.rompnroll.com/germantown/open_gym.php

Ok I have to throw in these 2 in Virginia just in case you are nearby or just feel like driving to Northern Virgina for the day!

TYSONS CORNER MALL
Tysons 1 has a great kids play area on the 3rd floor right by the foodcourt. This play area is a lot larger and nicer than the ones around here. We enjoy taking Kaylie there and then grabbing lunch at the foodcourt. Just don't bother going on a Saturday or Sunday. Try early in the day on a weekday. It's way too packed on the weekends!

AT PLAY CAFE (2254B Hunters Woods Plaza Reston, VA 20191)
Ok I have never been there, but it looks so cool I will totally go there. This place is a cafe where moms can take the kids to play, get a cup of coffee, sit and relax, even get on your laptop if you want! They have workers that play with the kids so that the mom's can sit and relax! They even have sandwiches and snacks to buy at the cafe. They have a play area which is open every day $8 per child, siblings $6. You can sit and watch your child play, or even sign them up for a class they offer, which they can take in the "Gym Studio" They also offer some activites daily that come along with the admission fee such as Playdoh Playtime, Storytime, or Messy Art. The staff cleans up everything for you and your kid! Basically, you can sit, drink coffee, and WATCH and ENJOY your child having fun without having to run after them and pick up. We need a place like this in MD!! This place is designed mostly for preschool aged kids and younger. http://www.atplaycafe.com/home

Anyway, that is all I have for right now. I am so happy to have this many options that I never knew about until I just did a little research!

One more GREAT thing! If you love to find consignment deals on things for the kiddo's, this is a GREAT event! Tot Swap. They just had one at the fairgrounds in Gaithersburg, and I got a ton of great things for Kaylie, even a few things that still had tags on them! There is everything from clothes, to toys, to shoes, to strollers, anything and everything you could want that has to do with kids. They have one in Columbia April 15th-19th. If you are a new mom (only one child under 2, or pregnant) you can sign up for the presale Thursday night and get first dibs before the sale is open to the public. Then it opens Friday and is open till Sunday to the public. If you have things you want to sell, you can sign up to consign and get first dibs on purchasing also! After going twice now at the fairgrounds, I really have gotten some great deals. I think I am heading to the one in Columbia. Tell your friends also!! Website: http://totswap.net/index.php

I hope this helps you mom's, feel free to pass along this info to anyone you think it may help! :)