Future FT SAHM and looking for things to get me & baby out of the house at little to no cost

[summer63]

Other than daily walks and trips to the farmers market (we love cooking w/ fresh produce and I don’t mind grocery shopping multiple time per week since it’s close to home), I’ve also found a free mommy & me yoga class on Friday’s and a free storytime at our local library.

What other ideas should I look into? Anything that gets me out of the house to socialize that is baby/toddler friendly.

 

[gladysrivera]

@summer63 If you live near a zoo/aquarium/natural history museum/children’s museum etc, look into getting a membership, or ask for a membership as a bday/holiday gift. They can be really affordable—our annual zoo membership is $130 and because we’re members I take little one all the time and don’t feel guilty if we only stay an hour.

 

[akags]

@gladysrivera MIL gets us a zoo membership for Christmas every year and it's great. She'd spending the money either way (and would otherwise be buying 100 toys we don't need), and we get unlimited zoo trips throughout the year! And one of the best things about a membership is that there is no pressure to stay all day or see everything.

Also some attractions are part of reciprocal membership networks, and membership to one may get you discounts at other attractions in that network as well.

 

[phamydag]

@akags Or the library might have passes! Ours here are first come first served but they have lots of passes for free entrance to multiple museums and attractions.

 

[davenoonan]

@summer63 Similar to the free classes and story time, I’d recommend a play group. The same families generally go each week so we all get to know one another at least casually and it becomes a more familiar environment for our kids (while still providing socialization with newish people). Check your local health department or other community organizations with child-focused programs, they might run one. I love it because unlike with a play date, I don’t have to do any of the organizing to get people together!

 

[theonewhotends2wander]

@summer63 Look for mom meetups on sites like meetup.com. Some of them will have play dates at homes or or reduced price or free special events. When my kiddo was a tot I set up a free trial Little Gym class for the group and I had a firefighter friend who arranged for the group to visit a firehouse, meet the fire fighters, and check out the trucks. Another mom set up tours of local bakeries and candy shops. Still another got us a free tour at a local goat dairy where we could play with the baby kids and taste fresh cheese (although it was a bit of a drive… some of us car pooled). That’s also how I discovered an alpaca farm in the center of town 10 minutes from home, also free. So different moms can help get access to new things to do.

For that matter there are a lot of kiddie services and lessons that start very young and offer free trial classes. Plus our local city pools offer cheap swim lessons at all ages and I believe you can even get that subsidized if you can show financial need.

I am a complete, awkward introvert. But I learned very early to get out of my shell and meet other SAHMs. It really helped my kid to meet other kids very early, and meeting those moms early on not only gave us great experiences, I was able to find all kinds of extracurricular and fun programs, not to mention how to get in to better schools. Things I wouldn’t have otherwise known. And it’s not like we’re best friends (although you can be). But at least in the beginning it’s more like you become coworkers at the job of helping your kids develop.

 

[akags]

@summer63 A lot of malls have indoor play spaces for little kids, and those are usually free. Can be a good option especially on rainy days and such.

Parks, playgrounds, nature centers. We live near a park so go there a lot...but I also really like driving around to check out different playgrounds- I've found some of them have more interesting equipment than others, or some are more toddler-friendly than others. Some of my local parks also have free nature centers with some toys, activities, books, and even animals inside. Sometimes these parks organize free programs for adults, families, or even like toddler and preschooler-specific events. I follow my favorite parks on FB so I can see when they post info about upcoming events.

Similarly, you can look for local events like fairs that will be happening throughout the summer. My city has a lot of different fairs and festivals, and some of them are even specifically for families and kids. I see a lot of touch-a-truck type events happening, too. Last year, we went to a local Honey Festival and I actually really liked that lol! And again, I kinda just follow local FB pages and try to keep an eye out for any events that I see being advertised.

And then I agree with the other comment about getting a membership to something like the Zoo. My MIL gets us a membership for Christmas every year, and it's great. You could also look for things like science/kid museums, indoor playgrounds, botanical gardens, aquariums, trampoline parks, etc. Just check out the prices and see if any memberships are affordable for you, or if perhaps you could request a membership (or even gift cards) in place of other holiday gifts.

 

[frozenhockeypuck]

@summer63 The Barnes and nobles near me has a free story time and my toddler likes to go up and down the escalators and look at the books and toys. Pet stores can also be a fun and free outing. Parks of course. The Children’s museum near me has free days. The aquarium near me also has free days for Bank of American card holders. Sometimes churches will have playrooms that your kid can play with for free. And keep your eye out for open houses or grand openings for business related to children. I went to one for a preschool and it was so nice with pet zoo, balloon artists and more and all for free. Also, lastly Ikea is a great place to take kids if there’s one near you.

 

[fender75]

@summer63 I cannot recommend hiking enough. It’s free. Most libraries have state park passes that can be reserved and checked out (they’ll have museum passes, too). But being outdoors in nature will be so good for your kid. I’ve been hiking with mine as a free activity since infancy and now he identifies native plants, birds, and animals on the trail accurately (he’s five). It has also made him so appreciate nature and beauty. He will stop and get everyone’s attention just to have you stare at a beautiful view or a flower. It’s probably been the most rewarding thing we’ve done. I think Hike it baby is a national group that organizes hikes for parents and kids, but meetup or Facebook will also be avenues for connection.

 

[cas]

@summer63 Lot of great suggestions already.

I’ll add that you should check out your local community center.

Ours hosts “indoor toddler rec” for 2hr twice per week during the cold-weather months. It’s $1 per child. The block off a large gym and fill it with gymnastics mats, tricycles, scooters, soccer balls+nets, low basketball hoops+balls, plastic bowling pins, bean bag toss, etc etc. They also had big blow up bounce houses a couple times. My kids loved it!

Now that it’s warm out, we watch the local Parks & Recreation website. Lots of fun stuff

 

[kymom2022]

@summer63 Membership to our library can get us free or reduced costs to museums, gardens, etc.

 

[marisasa]

@summer63 If you are ok with something with religious undertones (they are hosted at churches) I highly recommend looking to see if there is a MOPs (mother of preschoolers) group in your area. While not completely free it’s like $30ish for the entire year of meetings/playgroups/moms night out etc. gives you and baby something to do and provides you with a mom tribe. Also, if going to the gym interests you my kids and I love to go to the gym. They play in the childcare area while I workout.

 

[pastork]

@marisasa Chiming in here to say it's $30 to join the MOPS organization but then individual groups set their own costs. Sometimes they elect not to have additional fees and do volunteer childcare but ours was $150 a year. Something to ask about.

 

[sithum]

@summer63 Check out your local churches, some offer playgroups for babies (especially the ones that have preschools attached). We have a science center near us (basically a science museum) that has a baby area that is amazing - museums are a good spot to check out! So worth having a membership to something that is nearby, indoors and fun for baby for days when the weather isn’t great for outdoor play. Also look into music classes and swimming classes - they can both be somewhat expensive but very useful for baby and a good way for them to interact with other babies!
In addition to story time at the library, keep up with what’s going on at your local library - for instance my library regularly gives away free passes to baby play gyms and will sometimes randomly offer playgroups.

Biggest tip is to invest in lots of gear/clothing for all weather for you and baby. We live in a city so we walk basically everywhere but it can be cumbersome when it’s pouring rain/super cold/ super hot and you don’t want to stay in the house all day. Better to be prepared! Hope that helps!

 

[apostolic1ness]

@summer63 Play groups at local schools and churches

 

[elrefale]

@summer63 Memberships for things nearby are great and usually save a lot of money on overall expenses

 

[brad94]

@summer63 Are you Breastfeeding? La Leche League meetings are free and are often followed by lots of socializing and connections among moms and their kids.

We do lots of playgrounds. Multiple library story times (our library system is county based) we bought a membership to the zoo and the children’s museum. I also do a religious book study that was designed for moms with young kids.

We made one other full time SAHM friend her daughter is only a few months older than mine and we spend lots of time with them.

This seems to be enough. I’m actually pretty worn out from being on the go so much.

 

[regisdominus]

@summer63 I have two really gorgeous botanical gardens in my area, and have memberships to them both. I prefer going to them more than a playground. My child wanders in nature and explores dirt, sticks, and rocks, while I get a beautiful environment to enjoy. There are plenty of other people there, and I can usually bring a guest and their kid in on my membership to play dates.

 

[heatherb1993]

@summer63 Babies/toddlers really don't need a ton of toys. Ask people to instead buy memberships to children's museums/zoos nearby my mother-in-law pays for a zoo membership and children's museum membership for us. My mom buys our state parks pass every year so we can hike. Depending on your preference, a pool pass could be useful, too.

 

[sparkykarl]

@summer63 Can I plug starting a social media available nature group , a local mom does a meetup every Monday at 9:30 at different locations taking all comers and it’s so sweet! Also not charging, some people do similar things but charge $ , that not only is bad for peoples pockets but makes a weird dynamic.