Do you do a lot of "kid activities"?

My DD is only 19 months so sometimes I feel like I am wasting money on certain large activities yet we can't sit home all the time and you can't always find fun free things to do. So events like "breakfast with santa" "disney on ice" etc do you still take them to bc its about the memories and experience or will you/do you wait until they are older?

Re: Do you do a lot of "kid activities"?

DH and I have different opinions on this. We have an almost 3yo (she will be 3 in February) and an 18 month old. I am all about saving money and DH wants to make memories.
DH said he would love to go to Disney over the summer...i am so against it and plan to wait until they are older.
I try to do a lot of free or inexpensive activities...i take out the museum pass from our local library and we go to LICM often. I also get a pass from my job and can get into NYC zoos and museums for free so I do that as well.
I also get some activity coupons from groupon (wood kingdom, Jones beach holiday lights) just so that we can do things but also not spend an arm and a leg.
I am that mom that doesnt plan birthday parties for my kids. For a fleeting moment this weekend when I was at a birthday party with DD i thought i would have one for when she turns 3...but when I actually looked around, yes she was with her "friends" but she wasnt playing with them...she was playing by herself, in the same room as them. She was just as happy spending 3+hours at LICM alone with me as she was at the party. IMO we are able to make memories without spending a ton of money. When they can ask for things that is another story...and probably when she turns 4 I will start parties with friends as they start interacting more with each other instead of play independently.

Message edited 12/7/2015 3:24:15 PM.

Do you do a lot of

Breakfast with santa yes, disney on ice will be next year when she is 3. I do try and curb it to her age to a point but some things we do every year so it will just be a tradition.

Do you do a lot of

Disney on ice and kid's concerts, etc no. That stuff to me is more a one time, maybe some day thing. I went to disney on ice once as a kid around 6 and I remember it, don't need to do it every year. We makes lots of memories but usually in a cheaper way lol. Right now driving around looking at Christmas lights has my 3yo in awww! We do parades, parks, etc. We did get zoo memberships and did sesame a few times so it's not like we don't do anything. It's definitely personal preference and what your kid will enjoy but making memories doesn't have to be about going somewhere $$$

Do you do a lot of

Things that are $$ like Disney, Disney on ice, etc. I'm waiting til she's a bit older she's 21 months now). But I do like to have some sort of activity that we can do. We are currently doing an 8 week session of baby and me ballet.

Do you do a lot of

The only thing we did with DS when he was that age was the light show. We started taking him to a lot more when he was three and he was much more into things.

Do you do a lot of

We also reserve the more expensive stuff for when DS is older. He went to Disney when he was 4 (he's 6 now) and doesn't remember a thing. However, we hate hanging around the house all weekend so we're always doing something - going to the library, playdates, Laser Bounce, kid's museum, etc, just so he can get some energy out in an different environment.

Re: Do you do a lot of "kid activities"?

We are just starting now to do some of the bigger stuff. Even in April when dd was 2 years, 4 mos., I didn't think she appreciated the disney show we took her to. She's just as happy going to the park, playground, street fair, etc.

Re: Do you do a lot of "kid activities"?

I did more free or less expensive activities when they were under 2. We did the Bronx Zoo and the winter train show at age 2 and 3 for ds. Disney on ice was age 6 ds and 4dd. We saw local theater shows starting at 3 1/2 for both. We went to Broadway at 7 and 5 respectively. Radio City is this year at 8 and 6 respectively. Honestly, I would rather they remember the more expensive things. I would wait until things are age appropriate unless you have a lot of funds to do things annually with the understanding that at age 18 months it is more for you than them. We did go to disney when ds was 14 months old and he loved it. We did it for us because it was a great family friendly vacation.

Message edited 12/7/2015 6:25:05 PM.

Re: Do you do a lot of "kid activities"?

Mine are 20 months, 3, and 4.! Never been to Disney on Inc, breakfast with Santa, Disney World, etc!

We do free things! Part of it is because taking all 3 kids to any of the above would not be easy and/or enjoyable! Part is because I am a working mom with 4-5 hours of sleep! They don't know the difference!

We use free library passes to go to LICM, etc.

Do you do a lot of

My DS is the same age. We try to do activities that do t cost an arm and a leg. In the fall, we went to local farms and participated in their activities. He had a ball. For Christmas, we went to a Christmas street fair yesterday for free and will be seeing Santa next weekend at our aerospace museum for $5. I don't want to waste money on stuff he won't remember.

Do you do a lot of

Yes, but I try to keep it age appropriate. Some stuff we do every year as a tradition, but other things we'll do once. My husband works weekends so I like to find things to do with my DD to keep busy.

Do you do a lot of

I love all the insight and perspectives, thanks so much moms! =)

Do you do a lot of

We started doing big shows when DD1 was around 2. DD2 really enjoyed the ones we went to at 13 months, so we could have started earlier with DD1. I love to watch the kids enjoying the shows.

Do you do a lot of

I've always done a slew of activities with my kids from an early age on. Life is all about making memories, and having fun memories in print to look back on....at least for me!

Re: Do you do a lot of "kid activities"?

I feel like we've always done a lot with my ds. He's gone to the zoo and aquarium countless times, many children's museums, a puppet show, random trips to various destinations with me and my dh.... Thomas Land, sesame place.. So someone please explain why at like 28 months he's become such a homebody!! His favorite activity is having a play date and playing at home with his toys!

Just wanted to add, there are good ways to have free fun at that age. My ds really enjoys going to the pet store, for example. I've also apparently found a way to make Target fun because he asks to go there as well.

Re: Do you do a lot of "kid activities"?

I've done a lot with my kids, I know they won't remember ALL of it but they enjoyed it while it happened. Also, there are 4.5 yrs between my DS and DD so realistically, if I wait for the little one to be ready for everything I feel like the my older one misses out. They are 7 and almost 3............we've done Disney, brunches with Santa, Disney on Ice, theme parks, vacations, etc. I'd rather enjoy things now and make memories then wait.

ETA - We do little things too, not everything is a big blowout, expensive event.

Message edited 12/8/2015 8:35:27 AM.

Re: Do you do a lot of "kid activities"?

Posted by PennyCat

I feel like we've always done a lot with my ds. He's gone to the zoo and aquarium countless times, many children's museums, a puppet show, random trips to various destinations with me and my dh.... Thomas Land, sesame place.. So someone please explain why at like 28 months he's become such a homebody!! His favorite activity is having a play date and playing at home with his toys!

Just wanted to add, there are good ways to have free fun at that age. My ds really enjoys going to the pet store, for example. I've also apparently found a way to make Target fun because he asks to go there as well.

Re: Do you do a lot of "kid activities"?

We don't do big activities like Ticketmaster events but DS has a blast doing little things like classes at the library. We also have a membership to LICM which is really worth it.

We made a trip to Sesame Place this summer and he would not go on one ride...so we know not to do Disney for a while!!