ADVICE regarding this weather with a small child (mall, deal)

[sean98125]

Friends of ours have a climbing gym inside their house for their young ones. Others have one of those plastic Little Tykes play structures in their family room.

We invite other friends over to play on really bad days. Kids can have a great time with friends and toys. Lately they've been making

My 7-year-old daughter will actually pick up a book or a comic book and read. I know, crazy, right?

It's a good thing to teach kids to find ways to keep themselves entertained without having to direct them to some external stimulus all the time.

[VeronikaW]

We're also looking into getting a very small one of these for our toy room:

Rhapsody Indoor Playset, Playbed, Slide, Jungle Gym for your Playroom | Cedarworks

[carroll4628]

Got to the pool! Just an example of the one in Lynnwood. http://www.ci.lynnwood.wa.us/docs/NR...Rec-Center.pdf

[mrsincredible]

Originally Posted by carroll4628

Got to the pool! Just an example of the one in Lynnwood. http://www.ci.lynnwood.wa.us/docs/NR...Rec-Center.pdf

Thanks for the link. I wasn't aware of that Rec Center in Lynnwood. It looks pretty cool, like a mini indoor waterpark. I don't know if I would count on getting into that Pool Facility though: Lynnwood Recreation Center - Lynnwood, WA

Quoted from Yelp:
"We drove about 2 hours to take my 2-year-old to this place and when we got there, they said they can only let in the first 300 people. Even though people were clearly leaving the open swim area and there weren't 300 people there anymore, they would not budge with their word. If the website had stated that only the first 300 people get in, I may have called in advance to see if there was a chance we could get in, or I'd have gotten there extra early, or not even bothered to drive (knowing that when the weather is dull, it's more than likely to have reached 300 capacity) ... anyway, they need to mention this on their site so people aren't driving miles and wasting gas just to be turned back home."

[Harrier]

Too bad 9/11 ruined Sea-Tac playground ... I mean airport. Used to be if you were bored you could go to the airport and ride the tram or slide down the middle of the escalators. Now one needs a boarding pass to ride the tram and the escalators have barriers in the middle.

[eskercurve]

During the rain season people go out anyway.

How else do you expect hedges and grass to be cut in the winter?

If everyone decided to stay indoors whenever it drizzled a little they'd all go bonkers! A little mist isn't going to hurt anyone.

[SaltyDawg]

Rare is the weather that is bad enough to truly warrant staying inside. Your preconceptions are what will keep you in.

Yes, there will be days with howling winds or downpours, but they aren't frequent.

Kids are way tougher than adults who have decided that it has to be 70 degrees and calm to do anything outdoors.

Have the right gear, know the great parks (there are countless) and utilize the indoor suggestions made by previous posters.

It's not like living in a frigid winter climate. At all.

[Adrian71]

Your kids will be fine. It's not as if there's a constant downpour in Seattle. Most of the rain here falls as mist or drizzle -- nothing you can't go outside and cope with. Most of the time you don't even need an umbrella. And by the way, summers here are warm, clear, dry, and beautiful.

Welcome to the PNW!

[Transmition]

You can always go to the mall, they have kids play areas. Tend to be quite busy on rainy days solely with moms trying to wear out the kids, no intention of shopping there.

[newguy416]

I have the same concerns. I personally don’t like getting out in the cold and rain so why would I make my kids do it? I don’t think that playing in the rain is the answer, and from what I have seen, most don’t either. I don’t think I have ever seen kids playing outside here in the rain. I am sure it happens, but it is definitely not the norm.

Maybe that is why people here are known to be more isolated.

We do go to the mall a lot, and we joined the play museum. It helps, but we are looking forward to the summer.