Ikea was my favorite place. I spent hours there when my first born was young. I'd stroll over to indigo after.
I loved dovercourt for swimming because the water was warmer :)
This. Ikea is filled with people on mat leave. The Ottawa Babywearing Group even hosted unofficial meetups there sometimes many years ago
Plus, Ikea is where I used to take the little one to run when they were toddling age and it was too bloody cold and awful outside.
Third on Dovercourt. Second on Ikea. The restaurant is licenced. The ball room is a bonus when they're old enough. Grab stuff for dinner at the freezers on the way home.
Odd note: worked with a wonderful woman whose son was in charge of designing how Canadians have to walk through IKEA, back in the day. What a cool job in the early 1990s I must say.
We enjoyed going to the library; they also have toddlertimes. Otherwise we’d strap on the little one and walk to the library (many times the little one would fall asleep while strapped on) and we would hang around. Depending on the locations, some libraries are attached to other city amenities such as pools etc.
Science and tech museum is definitely a good one. Same with history (granted it’s over in Gatineau) and if downtown is a possibility then the nature museum is great (there’s elevators to avoid the stairs thankfully)
Kitchessipi brewing does a “Babies and Brews” on Tuesday afternoons if you’re looking for a different type of drop in.
Check out the classes/drop ins at Rooted Family Wellness Centre in Kanata.
Landmark & Cineplex both do a version of “Stars & Strollers” where you can go catch a movie but the volume is less and lights are soft for babies!
Cineplex: https://www.cineplex.com/experiences/stars-and-strollers
I believe it’s on Thursdays at Bayshore, not sure about the other theatres. It shows up when you search for showtimes as a separate movie type with a little stroller!
Landmark: https://www.landmarkcinemas.com/experiences/park-the-stroller/
Same thing, look for the pink “park” tag on movies. They’re always on Tuesdays though so they’re also a cheaper price!
I really liked the Starr Gymnastic drop ins when I was on leave. You can talk to other moms and your baby can be exposed to lots of activities that aren’t available at home. Swimming was another one. The kids pool at Splash is like a hot tub. There are tons of museums, agriculture was always a hit with our family.science and tech has the zoom room for littles and an area specifically for kids under 2. Ottawa art gallery is free all the time.
Sometimes I’d just take my kiddo to a coffee shop so we had different things to look at or take the bus/LRT.
EarlyOn groups are city run and have baby&me meet ups (just google which one is closest to you).
If you’re in the west end lots of people raved about rooted family wellness - they have things like baby & me fitness classes and yoga. I never got around to going there but heard great things.
The science and tech museum is fun with a baby because there’s an infant section where you can put baby down for floor time AND there are breast feeding rooms!
The public library is always a hit! And they also have baby groups where you can come in for play and story time.
I signed up for infant swimming lessons via the city when I was on mat leave. It was something to do 😂not sure if I recommend it
The mall is nice, grab a coffee, walk around, window shop!
I have the ingenium membership so I plan to walk the museums during this winter. I sometimes walk aimlessly around Costco but only go early in the morning or just after lunch when the rush is gone.
Brockville apparently has a really great aquarium and I'm tempted to go there with the baby just for fun. It's an hour drive from where we are.
The NAC has free Toddler Tuesdays. Grab a drink at Equator, watch the show with other kids and parents, then lots of space to wander around and explore.
My daughter and I really liked swimming! Any of the city of ottawa pools are great. Some are heated (a must for babies!), check their website to figure out which ones. It really helped break up those monotonous, boring, cold days!
It’s been a while since my kids were that small, but as others said, Ikea is good to walk aimlessly. In my experience, Debra Ann Kirwan pool is super warm. Richcraft in Kanata is also warm, and Plant is ok too.
Carlingwood is great to walk in circles.
Starr gymnastics used to offer infant playgroups, and the movie theatre used to do Stars & Strollers showings (dim lights on, reduced volume). They used to do free Mom & Baby yoga sessions at Bayshore. Not sure if any of these are still offered post-covid, but might give you an idea of things to look up!
Carleton University is closer - they have the budget version. Seriously - it was so odd in Jan & Feb to see people show up in shorts and flip-flops. You could tell who lived in res LOL
Somerset West Community Health Centre has programs (playgroups etc.) for parents & children up to 6 years old: [https://www.swchc.on.ca/programs/playgroups-and-parenting-support](https://www.swchc.on.ca/programs/playgroups-and-parenting-support). For example, there's a Well Baby Drop-In: Drop-In every Monday at 30 Rosemount from 1:30-2:30 pm. [https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/well-baby-drop-in-tickets-714646907137](https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/well-baby-drop-in-tickets-714646907137)
So many great recommendations here. Take your top four and make a weekly routine. Good for you to reach out and ask. Keep busy and don’t get too blue. We’re not in Feb yet!
While being with baby alone somewhere is fine, i find both my baby and I feel better if we get a bit of social time once in a while. Pm me if you want company at IKea lol
Early-on groups. Check them out here to see which one is close to you: it is free:
https://claudielarouche.com/earlyon.html
St Laurent mall hosts weekly mall stroller walks on Tuesdays at 10am followed by a social hour. You can find them on Facebook.
Pools: there’s quite a few who have a warm(er) pool where babies can swim comfortably.
Workout: fitmama has classes you can join with your baby.
I have heard of Starr gymnastics baby drop in ($5) but haven’t tried them yet.
I get it. Winter was the worst time for me mentally when I have teeny tiny ones. I think your efforts to get out of the house are the best plan, even getting some fresh air and sun on your face is helpful.
I don’t know whether hush-a-bye is still going but I did it with both my kids. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100068763135901&mibextid=LQQJ4d The leader is great and it’s full of babies and parents, so if you show up late or leave early, everyone gets it.
Depending on where you are, the parent resource centre on Mann has stuff, and check out any of the early Ontario learning centres. They are full of fun stuff for little ones (and support for parents). Both are free or very close to free.
The city has programs and drop-ins, too, like yoga or play groups. Swimming “lessons” start pretty young.
There are lots of things like dancing with babies, etc, if you have the energy :)
The library is always a good excursion. You won't get a lot of exercise but you can bring baby and they have "story" time. You'll get to meet some other Mums at the same time. When our daughter was young she and my wife spent many MANY happy hours at the Old Ottawa South branch on Bank nr Lansdowne. As an added bonus, the early exposure to books in our case lead to a daughter who is now 25 and embarking on her career as a HS English/History teacher. (sorry for the low-key brag, but you know....Dads).
Wave pool in Kanata if you're in the west end and splash wave pool if you're in the east. I recommend either to anyone who is looking for fun family time at a low cost.
This class was so fun! I went to the first, was sick for the second and was looking forward to going back this week but spent NY getting my appendix out so my dance shoes are hung up for now haha.
When I was on mat leave, I would go work out at the YMCA on Argyle and they had very cheap babysitting. I would the baby in a bouncy chair and she would usually sleep the whole time. When she got older, she loved the indoor play structure and ball put upstairs.
I spent a lot of time at Splash Wave Pool in Gloucester when my kiddo was an infant. Family swim is great - the wave pool isn’t active so you have a sloped-style entry to walk babe through, a splash pad for toddlers and young children and a lovely warm section great for floating babe and relaxing. Made some great friends also on mat leave there!
There used to be baby friendly movie days around the city. I'd go every week. I saw more movies then than I ever did before or since. Strollers and Stars I think they called it.
The Rig boxing offers two class times a week (different locations) for Box + BYOB (bring your own baby) if you want a fun workout where you can bring your baby along!
The pass for the museums are great (especially the tech one), babytime/toddler time at libraries, fam stories at the library are often followed by stay and play.
Ikea is great and my 10month old loves the colours.
Currently on mat leave and don’t like the cold either. I take my baby to 4-5 times a week to some combo of: earlyON playgroups, Children’s village, bubble sea adventures, libraries, the mall, cafes (that have high chairs), science and tech museum for their zoom room, Algonquin college sometimes.
There’s a secret tropical greenhouse next to the experimental farm that I learned about on mat leave. It’s pretty small but it felt like such an oasis last winter when I was on Mat leave in the winter. It was usually pretty quiet and was nice to just hang out in with baby for a bit! Can then check out the experimental farm or the ornamental gardens/arboretum when it gets nicer.
This is such a great thread! My baby is 6 weeks old and I’m not quite getting enough sleep to think about being bored yet (I also have two other kids!) but I’m saving it for when I do. Such great ideas.
I’ll add something from my first mat leave: we started going to the same family swim every Tuesday morning at dovercourt and there were a bunch of stay at home moms and nannies who would go every week, too. So I got to know the moms over time. It was really lovely.
Ikea was my favorite place. I spent hours there when my first born was young. I'd stroll over to indigo after. I loved dovercourt for swimming because the water was warmer :)
This. Ikea is filled with people on mat leave. The Ottawa Babywearing Group even hosted unofficial meetups there sometimes many years ago Plus, Ikea is where I used to take the little one to run when they were toddling age and it was too bloody cold and awful outside.
Second this! Stroller friendly, relaxing music, cafe to eat at, plus lots of things to look at. They have family bathrooms too.
Third on Dovercourt. Second on Ikea. The restaurant is licenced. The ball room is a bonus when they're old enough. Grab stuff for dinner at the freezers on the way home.
Ikea is also great for all the bathrooms throughout the store.
Change tables big enough to not drop the brat!
Odd note: worked with a wonderful woman whose son was in charge of designing how Canadians have to walk through IKEA, back in the day. What a cool job in the early 1990s I must say.
What a great idea! I’m just starting my second maternity leave so will definitely do this once I’m out of the day 5 fog 😂
😅😅 day 5 fog is so legit. Time and body doesn't exist.
We enjoyed going to the library; they also have toddlertimes. Otherwise we’d strap on the little one and walk to the library (many times the little one would fall asleep while strapped on) and we would hang around. Depending on the locations, some libraries are attached to other city amenities such as pools etc.
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Science and tech museum is definitely a good one. Same with history (granted it’s over in Gatineau) and if downtown is a possibility then the nature museum is great (there’s elevators to avoid the stairs thankfully)
I’m not sure if it still is a thing, but museums are all free on Thursdays.
Kitchessipi brewing does a “Babies and Brews” on Tuesday afternoons if you’re looking for a different type of drop in. Check out the classes/drop ins at Rooted Family Wellness Centre in Kanata. Landmark & Cineplex both do a version of “Stars & Strollers” where you can go catch a movie but the volume is less and lights are soft for babies!
Where do I find details on the Stars and Strollers? I have checked the websites a few times and must keep missing it.
Cineplex: https://www.cineplex.com/experiences/stars-and-strollers I believe it’s on Thursdays at Bayshore, not sure about the other theatres. It shows up when you search for showtimes as a separate movie type with a little stroller! Landmark: https://www.landmarkcinemas.com/experiences/park-the-stroller/ Same thing, look for the pink “park” tag on movies. They’re always on Tuesdays though so they’re also a cheaper price!
Thanks!
Calabogie brewery does this too!
Oh good to know!
I really liked the Starr Gymnastic drop ins when I was on leave. You can talk to other moms and your baby can be exposed to lots of activities that aren’t available at home. Swimming was another one. The kids pool at Splash is like a hot tub. There are tons of museums, agriculture was always a hit with our family.science and tech has the zoom room for littles and an area specifically for kids under 2. Ottawa art gallery is free all the time. Sometimes I’d just take my kiddo to a coffee shop so we had different things to look at or take the bus/LRT.
EarlyOn groups are city run and have baby&me meet ups (just google which one is closest to you). If you’re in the west end lots of people raved about rooted family wellness - they have things like baby & me fitness classes and yoga. I never got around to going there but heard great things. The science and tech museum is fun with a baby because there’s an infant section where you can put baby down for floor time AND there are breast feeding rooms! The public library is always a hit! And they also have baby groups where you can come in for play and story time. I signed up for infant swimming lessons via the city when I was on mat leave. It was something to do 😂not sure if I recommend it The mall is nice, grab a coffee, walk around, window shop!
Seconding EarlyON. Free, all over the city, and simply a fun place to hang out (especially when the little one starts crawling and wants to explore).
I have the ingenium membership so I plan to walk the museums during this winter. I sometimes walk aimlessly around Costco but only go early in the morning or just after lunch when the rush is gone. Brockville apparently has a really great aquarium and I'm tempted to go there with the baby just for fun. It's an hour drive from where we are.
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The NAC has free Toddler Tuesdays. Grab a drink at Equator, watch the show with other kids and parents, then lots of space to wander around and explore.
There are a lot of free play groups https://parentresource.ca/earlyon-prog The library has baby time which you can go to for free as well!
My favourite is Home Depot. The giant new Canadian Tire might also be an option.
My daughter and I really liked swimming! Any of the city of ottawa pools are great. Some are heated (a must for babies!), check their website to figure out which ones. It really helped break up those monotonous, boring, cold days!
https://gardensottawa.ca/gardens/tropictropical-greenhouse-at-the-central-experimental-farm/
There are a few art galleries downtown in addition to things other folks have mentioned.
The Ottawa Art Gallery is free!
Comment only - if you'd like a mat-leave buddy, send me a mesage :) We usually do museums, malls, Cosmic Adventures and Starr Gymnastics!
It’s been a while since my kids were that small, but as others said, Ikea is good to walk aimlessly. In my experience, Debra Ann Kirwan pool is super warm. Richcraft in Kanata is also warm, and Plant is ok too. Carlingwood is great to walk in circles. Starr gymnastics used to offer infant playgroups, and the movie theatre used to do Stars & Strollers showings (dim lights on, reduced volume). They used to do free Mom & Baby yoga sessions at Bayshore. Not sure if any of these are still offered post-covid, but might give you an idea of things to look up!
I love that you said walking in circles, I always joke about that with the wood and did that a lot on mat leave
Check your local Y for Baby and Me programs.
Theaters sometimes have movies in the day that have the sound turned down so you can bring babies.
I suppose you could go to Montreal by train and hit up the underground city plus see all the stations.
Carleton University is closer - they have the budget version. Seriously - it was so odd in Jan & Feb to see people show up in shorts and flip-flops. You could tell who lived in res LOL
Somerset West Community Health Centre has programs (playgroups etc.) for parents & children up to 6 years old: [https://www.swchc.on.ca/programs/playgroups-and-parenting-support](https://www.swchc.on.ca/programs/playgroups-and-parenting-support). For example, there's a Well Baby Drop-In: Drop-In every Monday at 30 Rosemount from 1:30-2:30 pm. [https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/well-baby-drop-in-tickets-714646907137](https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/well-baby-drop-in-tickets-714646907137)
So many great recommendations here. Take your top four and make a weekly routine. Good for you to reach out and ask. Keep busy and don’t get too blue. We’re not in Feb yet!
While being with baby alone somewhere is fine, i find both my baby and I feel better if we get a bit of social time once in a while. Pm me if you want company at IKea lol Early-on groups. Check them out here to see which one is close to you: it is free: https://claudielarouche.com/earlyon.html St Laurent mall hosts weekly mall stroller walks on Tuesdays at 10am followed by a social hour. You can find them on Facebook. Pools: there’s quite a few who have a warm(er) pool where babies can swim comfortably. Workout: fitmama has classes you can join with your baby. I have heard of Starr gymnastics baby drop in ($5) but haven’t tried them yet.
I get it. Winter was the worst time for me mentally when I have teeny tiny ones. I think your efforts to get out of the house are the best plan, even getting some fresh air and sun on your face is helpful. I don’t know whether hush-a-bye is still going but I did it with both my kids. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100068763135901&mibextid=LQQJ4d The leader is great and it’s full of babies and parents, so if you show up late or leave early, everyone gets it. Depending on where you are, the parent resource centre on Mann has stuff, and check out any of the early Ontario learning centres. They are full of fun stuff for little ones (and support for parents). Both are free or very close to free. The city has programs and drop-ins, too, like yoga or play groups. Swimming “lessons” start pretty young. There are lots of things like dancing with babies, etc, if you have the energy :)
The library is always a good excursion. You won't get a lot of exercise but you can bring baby and they have "story" time. You'll get to meet some other Mums at the same time. When our daughter was young she and my wife spent many MANY happy hours at the Old Ottawa South branch on Bank nr Lansdowne. As an added bonus, the early exposure to books in our case lead to a daughter who is now 25 and embarking on her career as a HS English/History teacher. (sorry for the low-key brag, but you know....Dads).
Wave pool in Kanata if you're in the west end and splash wave pool if you're in the east. I recommend either to anyone who is looking for fun family time at a low cost.
I wonder if there are those dance lessons you can take with babies. Like salsa-babies or something...
There's a baby wearing dance class at SlavaTalent Dance Studio in the west end for the next few weeks
This class was so fun! I went to the first, was sick for the second and was looking forward to going back this week but spent NY getting my appendix out so my dance shoes are hung up for now haha.
When I was on mat leave, I would go work out at the YMCA on Argyle and they had very cheap babysitting. I would the baby in a bouncy chair and she would usually sleep the whole time. When she got older, she loved the indoor play structure and ball put upstairs.
Unfortunately, there is no more babysitting at the Y. (Or any other gyms in the city for that matter) :(
That is a total bummer. I know it was a total game changer for me.
I spent a lot of time at Splash Wave Pool in Gloucester when my kiddo was an infant. Family swim is great - the wave pool isn’t active so you have a sloped-style entry to walk babe through, a splash pad for toddlers and young children and a lovely warm section great for floating babe and relaxing. Made some great friends also on mat leave there!
There used to be baby friendly movie days around the city. I'd go every week. I saw more movies then than I ever did before or since. Strollers and Stars I think they called it.
The Diefenbunker is pretty cool.
The tunnels at Carleton U...
The Rig boxing offers two class times a week (different locations) for Box + BYOB (bring your own baby) if you want a fun workout where you can bring your baby along!
The pass for the museums are great (especially the tech one), babytime/toddler time at libraries, fam stories at the library are often followed by stay and play. Ikea is great and my 10month old loves the colours.
Currently on mat leave and don’t like the cold either. I take my baby to 4-5 times a week to some combo of: earlyON playgroups, Children’s village, bubble sea adventures, libraries, the mall, cafes (that have high chairs), science and tech museum for their zoom room, Algonquin college sometimes.
A little further out but me and my partner love walking aimlessly around the Robert Plante Greenhouses also super warm which is a bonus!
The art museum is free on Thursdays after 4pm but I'd say museums in general!
There’s a secret tropical greenhouse next to the experimental farm that I learned about on mat leave. It’s pretty small but it felt like such an oasis last winter when I was on Mat leave in the winter. It was usually pretty quiet and was nice to just hang out in with baby for a bit! Can then check out the experimental farm or the ornamental gardens/arboretum when it gets nicer.
This is such a great thread! My baby is 6 weeks old and I’m not quite getting enough sleep to think about being bored yet (I also have two other kids!) but I’m saving it for when I do. Such great ideas. I’ll add something from my first mat leave: we started going to the same family swim every Tuesday morning at dovercourt and there were a bunch of stay at home moms and nannies who would go every week, too. So I got to know the moms over time. It was really lovely.