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Winter Mom Blues...
So I'm only 2 weeks into my maternity leave and I'm already going stir-crazy inside with my newborn. I'm so jealous of summer, spring and fall moms right now! And once the real winter hit I'm worried I'm going to end up like the movie the SHINNING.
Anyone have any suggestions on places to go and things to do downtown with an infant Jan-March? Everyone keeps saying "Go to the mall". I'm looking for something a bit closer. I don't want to be driving to 30/40 minutes just to "get out".
Any moms groups that meet in the day? Play places? I live in the South Loop.
thanks in advance!
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Re: Winter Mom Blues...
Are you near the Brown line? You could take it to Addison to go to Family Grounds Cafe. It's a play place where you can chat with other parents, have some coffee. I think they also offer classes.
There's the art institute, the Navy Pier children's museum, Water Tower Place. Look and see if the library closest to you offers story time - many do in the winter. You can get to the aquarium, the nature museum, the field museum and the planetarium by bus from downtown if you don't want to drive. It'll drop you off right in front.
Active Moms Club has a location in the South Loop and they offer infant massage classes, among other things.
I'm not sure of locations for Bubbles Academy, Gymboree classes or Kindermusik classes, but those are all classes you could look into. Kindermusik is really fun (I don't have experience with the others).
Also you can do a class at Old Town School of Music called Lullabies for babies birth to 5months. Great way to get out of the house once a week and meet other moms.
https://www.oldtownschool.org/classes/register/CourseDetail.php?course=2635
Harold Washington Library Center in the south loop is free and has great programming, even for infants!
peace,
katharine
Book-Kitten blog
I know this is a super old post but rather I just physically went to an indoor play area that a friend has been telling me about yesterday. It's run through the Park District and it's on 18th and Indiana, in the Vietnam Veterans Museum/Cafe Society building, on the ground floor. The moms there were quite friendly and there's a playschool like playhouse, a small climbing wall, another climbing/jungle gym type apparatus and a couple of other things. Perfect for the kiddos to run around in. Most of the kids there were preschoolers. My little guy is only 7 months old but he still got to practice his crawling and loved watching the other kids play. Anyway, I would definitely recommend checking it out.
https://www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/parks/Chicago-Womens-Park-and-Gardens/