Visiting Seattle With A Baby

Over Memorial Day weekend we took our annual getaway for our anniversary, however this time rather than just being the two of us it was the three.  Such a new adventure for us this year. Instead of massages, foot soaks, and cocktails we were off to enjoy more family friendly places.

Travel:

We debated taking Amtrak from Portland to Seattle so that Edith wouldn’t be stuck in a car for 3+ hours and because Neil has a love of train travel. Instead we decided that we would just drive since we had never been to Seattle and didn’t know how getting around would be and if we might just want the car, which in the end we did. We lucked out and Edith slept the whole way there and most of the way home. I made sure to bring some toys and books to toss back to her if she didn’t sleep but in the end we didn’t need them.

Hotel Stay:

We usually bring the pack n’ play with us for Edith to sleep in but since on our last few hotel stays she had no interest in sleeping in it we decided not to lug it around with us. Instead I called the hotel ahead of time and requested a crib for our room, I wasn’t sure if Edith would even sleep in it but I thought it wouldn’t hurt to have it in case she did want to. When we arrived I also asked for a kids club kit that I had read about online.  It contained electrical outlet covers, a mini-first aid kit, a nightlight (that didn’t work) and a rubber duckie. It was nice to have those electrical outlet covers because if you have little children you know the first thing they do when they see one is try to put those little fingers in it.

Sites:

I wrote all about the sites that we saw over on Running With Tongs today so you can check out a more detailed post of them there. I’m just going to tell you about our favorite baby friendly sites. First off I would say you can skip the EMP Museum, the Space Needle is okay but again you could skip it and instead head straight to the Woodland Park Zoo or the Seattle Aquarium.

The Woodland Park Zoo is a really nice zoo and is pretty huge so you could probably spend all day there. They have a variety of animals and even farmed animals that your children can go in and meet. Edith loved meeting the goats! This zoo was perfect for both adults and children of all ages. I have to say my favorite part of the zoo was watching these two monkey orangutan around…

Another favorite spot for us was the Seattle Aquarium, again perfect for all ages. They have these pools where you can touch sea life which was so much fun for Edith. There was a huge octopus that Neil and I were amazed by and then of course there was tank after tank of beautiful fishes and other sea life to look at. Edith was mesmerized by all of the colors and sea life.

In addition to these two spots Edith enjoyed going to the farmers and Sunday markets. She was able to people and dog watch and see lots of colors and fruits and veggies. There was music for her to groove to and of course her favorite samples to munch on.

 Dining:

Now this is one thing that we ran into trouble with in Seattle. We found a few spots that we were really interested in going to but due to Seattle’s crazy zoning laws no minors allowed! That being said we did find some tasty baby friendly spots such as Elysian Brewery, Chaco Caynon and Portage Bay Cafe.

Getting Around Seattle:

We ended up driving a bit but most of the time we walked and took the bus or monorail. It was pretty easy to get around the city but what saved us was babywearing. I brought a few different Ergo styles and our sling as well. I have to say I wore the sling because it went better with my outfit but it wasn’t as easy for me on the go especially when Edith wanted to nurse. With the Ergo I can just have her nurse right in it and with the sling while I can do that as well it is a little more challenging and she usually only nurses on one side. We also brought the stroller which we used a bit but honestly it was just easier to wear her.

What are your favorite things to do in Seattle with children?

Do you have any travel tips to share?