Baby’s Day Out in Southern California: Fun Places to Go With Babies and Toddlers (Paperback)
Review
Best Travel Guide for children. — L. A. Parent
Product Description
Revised second edition of this popular travel and adventure guide for exploring, learning, and having fun with babies and toddlers in Southern California. More than a travel guide, Baby’s Day Out is an educational activity book filled with creative ideas to introduce babies and toddlers to a world of new experiences, sights and sounds. More than 200 appropriate places to take babies and toddlers are featured with complete information, directions, hours, accommodations and “Good Things to See and Hear.” Line art “Picture Guides” of objects, plants and living creatures toddlers may encounter are great learning aids. Websites, suggested reading and fun neighborhood activities are suggested as well. Whether the destination is a well-known museum, garden or zoo or an offbeat activity such as the schoolbus yard or a racetrack to picnic and see the horses’ morning workout, each new experience is designed to enhance a child’s later ability to learn and reason, while creating fun adventures for parents and child to experience together. For parents, grandparents, caregivers, and day care or nursery school teachers. And, it makes a great baby shower gift!
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great resource for Southern California
I have found this book very useful. When we have a free weekend and want to make sure our son has a fun time, we use this book as a guide to planning our day.
Finally there is a Southern California tour guide especially geared towards parents of babies and toddlers. Your children learn best through first hand experiences and Baby’s Day Out is chock full of great places for the young (and not so young) to experience the things they love like animals, trains, parks, aquariums, tide pools, hands-on museums and more. My 10 year old and 61/2 year old twins still love to visit many of the places listed in JoBea Way’s comprehensive guide. They also have a list of many new places for us to visit as well.
The book is broken down into eleven chapters covering major areas of interest for young children: Museums, Our City, Gardens and Nature, The Zoo, Aquariums, Trains and more. There are over 224 separate sites reviewed. Locations covered include the expected Los Angeles and San Diego Zoos as well as many less well known places like the Goodyear Blimp Airfield, Tierra Rejada Farm and Pasadena Unified School Bus Lot.
The book includes many helpful tips for making outings more enjoyable and each review contains a concise description, directions with Thomas Guide page references, and cross references to both similar sites and nearby attractions. Easy to spot icons let parents know if the locations can accommodate single and or double wide strollers (most do), and whether gift shops, snack shops or picnic areas are available so parents can plan accordingly. I love the lists of children’s books on topic related to each entry and the special pages with simple graphics of animals or things that go, etc. These pages are designed for young children’s use before, during or after their visits. For example, the first picture pages are of cars and trucks children might see on the way to their visit.
The final chapter includes a month-by-month “Things to Look For” section featuring holiday, special events and seasonal changes to watch for geared to Southern California. There are comprehensive listings of Fourth of July displays, Holiday lights, Farmer’s Markets and more. These lists alone are a great resource whether you have young children or not.
The number and variety of places listed is truly impressive. Our family has been enjoying working our way through the book and finding many new favorites. I plan to give this book as a shower gift to all my pregnant friends and think the book is a great resource for parents of school age children and teachers also.
5.0 out of 5 stars
its just awesome and a must have
i just had to go out and buy this book after reading the reviews on it, my son is ten months old and just gone down for a nap, and i am reading through the book and getting so…
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great for any age.
This book is filled with fun things to do at any age and for anyone who has some time to spend in the L.A. area.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Not your typical guide
Baby’s Day Out in Southern California provides a wide range of age-appropriate excursions. Crammed to the bursting point with places to go, things to see and do, special events,…
Where was this book when I had my first child? This book is a great way to help plan fun outings with little kids, especially if you’re new to parenting or Southern California. It’s well organized, very thorough, easy to use, and formatted so that you can get an overview without getting bogged down in too much detail. I like how you can check out the events that occur by month, like the harvest festivals or holiday events. I highly recommend this book for new moms and moms who are looking for adventure and wonderful memories with their kids.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great resource for any location
I grew up in the San Fernando Valley and never knew about 90% of the places suggested in this book! In addition to the usual spots (Disneyland, parks, etc), the book suggests…