Take 'em out to the ballgame (even babies & toddlers)
A great summer activity that I have yet to partake in is a ball game at PGE Park. There's a part of me waiting for the kiddies to get a little bigger, but with this new find, I think all of us with the littler tykes and tots will feel less daunted by taking the little ones to the ball park. Take 'em ALL out to the ballgame - infants and toddlers too! Thank you Anita for this heads up.
I want to share a baby-friendly find I was delighted to discover last weekend. PGE Park has an Infant and Toddler Suite that you can hang out in with your baby for no extra charge when you go to games (we went to a soccer game). They have toys, art supplies, dvds, play mats and a changing station so you can experience the event as well as let your baby have a safe and quieter place to be once the excitement of the stadium wears off. They ask for a 20 minute limit when demand for the suite is high, but it was half full when we were there. I was so happy that my family-friendly evening activities could expand beyond cafes and brewpubs.Also, I'm wondering if others know of accommodations like this besides the cafes, pubs & theaters that have been discussed here...
Wow! Wish we would have known about this last week...we were invited to a game with a child-less couple and we chickened out at the last minute when we got nervous because Anders had a short nap that day and we feared a major meltdown...our reputation as the family with such a "nice little guy" was at stake! :)
Posted by: NoPo Mama | June 06, 2006 at 09:48 AM
Cool! I didn't know that PGE Park* had those type of accommodations for our little tykes. We went to a baseball game last summer, but didn't stay for the entire game since our toddler was having a hard time sitting still near the end.
*Boy, I'm still having a hard time saying PGE Park. PG & E keeps wanting to come out of my mouth! DH and I think that this is going to be a really ingrained and hard habit to break! Any of you other Californians having the same problem? :)
Posted by: betty | June 06, 2006 at 01:55 PM
Yes, PGE Park on a summer night with the toddlers and some good friends... we did it and will be going back for more this summer! Good job PGE Park.... we may not get major league baseball in Portland, but you're doing a major league job of keeping up a very family-friendly ballpark. While we walked our one-year-olds around the stadium a PGE Park concierge ever-so-politely told us there was a space entirely devoted to babies & toddlers in Suiet 8 (once in the entrance, turn right and walk to the end of the suites - it's the last one). We were blown-away at the thoughtfulness put into this space. The toys were very CLEAN, educational and abundant. There was colorful and relevant artwork on the walls, a cozy padded changing table, mobiles on the ceiling, padded floors and couches (for nuring mamas or resting dads!). And the best part was it was a luxury suite -- which meant the game was right outside the floor-to-ceiling window with several seats on the balcony where mom and dad could take turns sitting and baby-minding while the babes played inside. This was the perfect interlude to our regular seats. Plus, the sheer size of the stadium and all the action and mascot really was fun for our one-year-old. Apparently PGE Park just added the baby/toddler area this year and I hope enough of us write, compliment and use the space to encourage them to keep up the good work.
Posted by: Amanda | June 11, 2006 at 10:10 AM