Playseum/Port Discovery/Please Touch, etc. - worth it for 1yo?

umdbride

All these reviews have me really excited to visit with DS, but then I wonder if  he's too young to get it?

He isn't walking yet and rarely cruises, but he is really starting to love exploring around the house.  Is it better to wait until he's walking?

Are any of these places better for the just walking crowd?

TIA!

Hey Jellisy

We went to Please Touch this weekend, I haven't been to the others, so I can only speak to Please Touch.  My son, who is just 13 months, had a ball.  He also has a ball at the mall play area, playgrounds, the soft room at the rec center so I am not sure I would spend $15 per person at his age.  Most of the exhibits were a little too old for him, but they had these play areas for children 3 and under that he adored.  DS is a walker, but I saw some pre-walkers there as well.   My daughter, who is nearly 3, was walking on cloud nine all day.  At her age there was so much to do and to engage in.  The museum is seriously amazing btw and we all enjoyed ourselves immensely.  I would definitely go, but would probably wait a year.     

kafunder

Hey Jellisy:

We went to Please Touch this weekend, I haven't been to the others, so I can only speak to Please Touch.  My son, who is just 13 months, had a ball.  He also has a ball at the mall play area, playgrounds, the soft room at the rec center so I am not sure I would spend $15 per person at his age.  Most of the exhibits were a little too old for him, but they had these play areas for children 3 and under that he adored.  DS is a walker, but I saw some pre-walkers there as well.   My daughter, who is nearly 3, was walking on cloud nine all day.  At her age there was so much to do and to engage in.  The museum is seriously amazing btw and we all enjoyed ourselves immensely.  I would definitely go, but would probably wait a year.     

We were at the Please Touch this weekend too! They had a blast. I'm so glad we went, but we think they'll have so much more fun when they're older and "get it" a bit more in terms of pretend play.

For Port Discovery and Please Touch, I'd say definitely wait until he's walking pretty well, especially at Port Discovery where there are older kids running around. We went to Port Discovery when the LOs had only been walking for about a month, and they tired out quickly b/c their little legs weren't used to walking that far (so in the middle of playing, they went back to crawling b/c they were tired). Also, at Port Discovery, it's not overly stroller friendly so if he's not walking yet, you'd have to carry him in between the various rooms, find stroller parking, etc.

WinesNotWhines

Port Discovery has one room dedicated for kids under 3, and there were quite a few pre-walkers in there, but the rest of the place is geared toward slightly older kids. The main negative is the cost. Kids under two are free at PD, but you have to pay for adult admission ($14) and parking ($7 on weekends). So you'd have to decide if it's worth $35, assuming you and your husband both go. I think the Please Touch museum costs about the same. They do have an annual family pass you can buy, which is a little over $100, and that may be worth the cost if you're planning to go more than a couple of times per year.

The Playseum is less expensive - only $6 per person, and you can also find cheaper parking. You may want to check that out first and then go to one of the other places in a few months.

Another option is to head down to the Smithsonian museums. They're fairly close, they're free, and you can find free parking on weekends if you get there around 10 am. We've taken M to the Natural History museum several times, and he always has a great time.

JKM416

I agree about waiting until he's a steadier walker for the Port Discovery, especially if you would only be taking him on a weekend (and therefore battling with the crowds of older kids).

Regarding the Playseum, I also think waiting until he's about 18 months would be better if you want to get the most out of the visit.  The one in Bethesda used to have a baby area, but it got converted into a pretend Pizza Hut kitchen.  I haven't been in a few months, so maybe things changed again, but it's geared more toward toddlers and preschool-age kids.  Mine love it, so I think it's a worthwhile place.  But I brought DS1 a few times before he could walk, and it was tiring to help DD play while hanging onto him.  He was old enough to want to explore everything but not mobile enough to do much, so he was a squirmy boy the entire time.  However, since you only have one child and he'd probably be happy just grabbing everything he can get his hands on and inspecting it, he might have a lot of fun.

Hey Jellisy

I forgot to add, if your LO is in the stick everything in your mouth phase (like my DS), I would either wait till after cold season is over or wait till they have more self control. It was pretty much constant vigilance to keep toys out of DS's mouth.

umdbride

Thanks everyone for the advice and suggestions.  I didn't even think about the cold season/things in the mouth issue - that's definitely us.  I also didn't consider places like the natural history museum or building museum - great ideas!