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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask when children get fun

70 replies

mangobongo · 13/01/2018 16:50

NC for this one!

Anywho, Just wondering when children become fun to take out. My 9 month old has a solid like 4 hours in a day where I can take her out and she'll be both well behaved and presentable,those hours are usually spent shopping and/or "doing coffee" with other mums or "retired parent visiting" with the odd swimming lesson thrown in. I can't wait to take her trampolining and horse riding and theme parks etc etc when do they get to the right age for that?

At the moment I love my time with her but I'm ready to go back to work because the day to day stuff is getting a bit fucking tedious to be honest!! Don't get me started on baby classes.... yawn!

Spose I should be thankful she's too young for the shudder soft play hellholes for now! So lighthearted AIBU to think babies are boring??

OP posts:
RicStar · 13/01/2018 17:23

My two are 5 and 3 they are so much fun. They play together all kinds of daft games / we have done some family theme parks / loads of parks / woods / streams / beach. It's different as when they were little they tagged along on chores much better but now they want to do non adult things. Don't get me wrong they can moan and winge and be plenty naughty and I sometimes wish they were babies again who were happy chewing a rice cracker in the buggy sometimes.

raviolidreaming · 13/01/2018 17:25

When my DD was 9 months she wouldn't even consider letting me sit down in a cafe for even five minutes without whinging or crying

Same. I think I gave up meeting people for coffee when he was about 6 months. Now, at a year, it's soft play or nothing - he wants to be on the move constantly.

Laiste · 13/01/2018 17:25

Well there are babes in arms at our soft play and every age up from that to about 6ish.

I think every phase starts out good but gets tedious before it changes again. Unless you've got a lot of cash the horse riding, trampolining and and theme park aren't going to get you the average week anyway tbh. First of those two are only about half an hour per week and the other is once a month max i would have thought.

DD4 is 3 and at the moment we're at the
soft play
walking in the woods/fields
first ballet class
thrash about a bit at the local pool (rare)
garden center to see the animals
toast in costa for 20 mins max before the wriggles set in
bit of throwing flour about baking
half an hour at the swings

stage

Doing each of these once a week gets very samey after a few months even though the thought of them all seemed amazing when she was still little Grin

We do the zoo or sea world occasionally, that sort of stuff. But it's not often because ££££

TinklyLittleLaugh · 13/01/2018 17:26

9 months they start to get fun though, crawling and climbing and walking, learning to talk, to look at books and observe the world, to pile up blocks and put shapes in a hole. I liked the toddler years: something new every day.

Jassmells · 13/01/2018 17:32

Oh I get it I really do, equally I think around 8 months you (hopefully) start to get a bit more recognition back which is nice.
First bits of soft play are hard when inevitably getting trampled on by bigger kids. By age 2 they should be able to get round independently. Age 2 can do a lot more at parks. Age 3 is a big turning point for being able to go to swimming lessons on own and that kind of thing (I.e in the pool on their own not rocking up to the pool alone!)
Most trampoline places will offer a "toddler time" session.
Re theme parks depends on your expectation and how much do a thrill seeker you are but mine have been going to places like Peppa Pig World, CBeebies Land and even Disneyland since 18 months and they are all great fun in different ways.

PocketCoffeeEspresso · 13/01/2018 17:34

imminently.

Then of course it all goes to hell, because they get things like opinions Grin

southeastlondonmum · 13/01/2018 17:36

Seriously unless there is a medical reason do not go for a long age gap. I have two years between mine. They are 5 and 7 and it's really fun

m0therofdragons · 13/01/2018 17:38

3 yos are hilarious until tired or hungry 😝

eurochick · 13/01/2018 17:40

Mine is 3.5 and this is a fun age. We took her to Chessington for her third birthday. There was a lot she couldn't go on but she still had a blast! And you can chat to her. When you are too tired to interact she will happily sit and watch a Disney film. That also helps for travel. We tried a seven hour flight with her recently and it was fine.

Notcool1984 · 13/01/2018 17:46

About 3 or 4 I would say!

Mookatron · 13/01/2018 17:48

FWIW my kids are 7 and 9 and we are just in the little ideal pocket before tween/teenagerhood kicks in. I have not had a day where I've silently thought what my life might be like without kids since... I can't remember!

BetterWithCake · 13/01/2018 17:49

I’d prefer coffee shops to hellish soft play or theme parks anytimeGrin I get baby boredom but enjoy the time where they sit still and you can actually go places without having to chase after them.

Chugalug · 13/01/2018 17:50

Best bit is when they leave home,no more washing ,clearing up after them🙄..half joking

wendz86 · 13/01/2018 17:50

I would say from about 4. I took my youngest to a theme park at 2 but she was terrified of half the rides while my 6 year old went on a rollercoaster with her uncle.

Sparklingbrook · 13/01/2018 17:50

Get some teenagers! They are really fun. Hmm

Goingalonenow · 13/01/2018 17:51

2 is pretty fun. We have conversations and play hide and seek.

Amanduh · 13/01/2018 17:52

My 13mo is fun. Loves the park, soft play, arts ans crafts. Can run faster than me 😂 chats away in his own little language and repeats what you say to him, understands instructions (basic ones 😂) and loves dancing to music! I enjoy his company actually haha

DailyMaui · 13/01/2018 17:53

Noooooo have one sooner rather than later - my two still play together and they are almost 15 and 13! It gives you such a break. I used to take them to soft play and they'd go off together for ages while I read a book, ate crisps and had an entire hot beverage in one sitting.

I started really enjoying it when they became about 2 and were bonkers. Toddlers are fabulously crazy and naturally eccentric. My son had a bathroom obsession for a while and used to love a trip to bathroom shops so he could pretend to flush all the loos and try out the taps. I still wind him up about that particular love (it followed great passions about red buses followed by tube trains, and the "the dark.") And since then I keep thinking that every year gets better. Even now - teens are brilliant fun. Honest.

tictoc76 · 13/01/2018 17:55

My youngest have just turned 2 & 3 and I tend to do full days out with them if that’s what we want, we go to trampoline parks - I love it and so do they. I would happily take them to theme parks - in fact we have been to Disneyland Paris twice when oldest was 3 and then when second was 3 - was absolutely fine but will admit I wouldn’t do it with the 4 of them until the youngest is about 4.

Horse riding I am afraid is going to be a little while I would imagine - saying that I’m not a horse rider.

I stopped the baby groups and mums coffees because it was just more fun doing normal stuff with the little ones and catching up with friends in the evening when I am child free

pestov · 13/01/2018 17:57

If you live close to attractions then get season passes from about 18 months. I got a merlin pass and DD loves Legoland the most. We've never spent a full day there but will go for a morning or afternoon and do something different every time. She's almost 2 now and absolutely hilarious. Took her to a farm last week and was 2 hours of LOOOOK MUMMY!!! MUMMY LOOOOOK!!!

NoFuckingRoomOnMyBroom · 13/01/2018 17:57

Yes, if you leave a big age gap they are less likely to play together as will be at completely different stages & have very different interests. Mine have 2 years between them & whilst they sometimes bicker & fight they do play really well together.

BestestBrownies · 13/01/2018 17:59

Well realistically the correct answer is NEVER.

The only way to have any fun with kids is to borrow a really, really well-behaved one from a sibling/friend for a couple of hours and then crucially GIVE IT BACK to the parent to deal with when it's tired/on a sugar comedown/getting on your nerves.

HTH

PocketCoffeeEspresso · 13/01/2018 18:00

Re theme parks depends on your expectation and how much do a thrill seeker you are but mine have been going to places like Peppa Pig World, CBeebies Land

We took ours to CBeebies land a couple of years ago for Christmas.

lets just say, that height limits are the work of the devil (as far as 2 year olds are concerned), rain doesn't stop enjoyment, and finally, you haven't lived until you've left CBeebies at about 8pm, one of the last to visit santa, with your two year old slug over your shoulder yelling 'WORST DAY EVER!' because he didn't want to go.

Littledrummergirl · 13/01/2018 18:01

If I was taken shopping and to coffee shops whenever I was quiet I'd scream all day.

My idea of hell.

DrRanjsRightEyebrow · 13/01/2018 18:05

About 3, 3.5? DS is just about to turn 4. We go trampolining a lot, he has ridden donkey's and a pony! He loves swimming and can ride a pedal bike since 3.5. He's a great laugh and we have fab conversations. I think it's easier when they don't nap and you don't have to plan days around facilitating naps. Allows for better, further afield adventures.