Meet a monkey at the zoo

It’s time to introduce your baby to lions and lizards. And won’t you feel like an official parent when you brag that you take your child to the Zoo?

My friend Sarah gets credit for this one. “It’s fun for parents, too,” she says. Honestly, I think it’s mostly fun for parents. Even at 12 months, Julian could not pick the animals out of their environments with his untrained eyes. We’d stand right in front of an enclosure with giraffes in it, and couldn’t be sure that he could see them. He did see a lot of running water that excited him, though, and there are areas for babies and toddlers to crawl around.

Just like the children’s museums, when you join, you get to go whenever you want all year. My local Zoo membership includes free parking and a few other benefits. Also, the Zoo is a non-profit, so membership is a feel-good thing (not to mention a tax deduction). The money helps take care of the animals. Since as a mother, you now have a Responsibility to all things living, including those startling reptiles your child will soon be fond of, this is a Good Thing.

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Whitney

RookieMoms.com co-founder Whitney lives with her husband, son, and daughter in the San Francisco Bay Area where she writes about parenting, crafts, and activities that moms can do with babies in tow. She and Heather also publish 510Families.com, a site for East Bay parents.