Oh, my goodness! Congratulations! You have a baby (or you are expecting). If you are anything like me, you may be wondering, “What now?” Well, first let me tell you that you can relax. It’s going to be okay. This is your baby guide to Twin Cities resources.
We continue to update this list, so check back as often as you need. And drop us a comment if you have ideas for anything we should add or research. Are you a resource for new parents? Same deal. Leave us a comment, we’ll check it out and add as appropriate.
Getting Outside the House With Baby
Best Baby Outings
If you are looking for a way to get out with baby that has the added bonus of age-appropriate developmental benefits, you’ll love our list of the Best Twin Cities Baby Outings. Here we share specifically Twin Cities spots that are perfect to visit with babies and toddlers and the developmental opportunities these venues provide. The list includes:
- Our favorite art museum to visit with tots and babies
- A brightly colored market
- Baby story time at the library
- Neighborhood parks
- Local aquariums
- The zoo – Because babies and grownups love to watch live animals
- ECFE classes.
- The Children’s Museum
- Malls (See Stroller Strides below)
- Restaurants and coffee shops
- Grandparents
- Mommy & Me exercise classes
- Plus: 5 Reasons to Take Your Baby to the Pumpkin Farm!
Need a Fun Social Baby Outing?
- Bump Club & Beyond – An online community with local meet ups for new moms.
Favorite Restaurants to enjoy your baby
Start with our list of 10 Baby Friendly Restaurants in the Twin Cities. We like these restaurants for the atmosphere, staff and menu selections.
For national restaurants, our reader favorites included:
- Boston Market.
- Noodles and Company.
- Applebee’s
- Red Robin
Diapers
- Do Good Diapers – Twin Cities Diaper Delivery Service
- Cloth Diapers – A Parent’s Review of The Options
Favorite Twin Cities Baby Boutiques
These are some of our favorite baby boutiques:
And these come highly recommended, too.
- Moss Envy
- Good Night Moon
- Lil Tulip’s–Stillwater
- Baby Grand
- Enchanted Tree House
Exercise with Baby
- Babies at the Barre We loved partnering with Tori Levine, founder and owner of Babies at the Barre to bring you barre exercises you can do at home. They don’t currently have a Twin Cities franchise, but you can also follow the YouTube Channel:
- Baby Boot Camp, Maplewood & Woodbury
- Hike It Baby, Minnesota Chapter
- Stroller Strides/Fit4Mom: In 2015, Gianna met up with Stroller Strides at the Mall of America to review the program. Read about why she loved it here.
- Blooma – Offers prenatal, baby-wearing yoga and classes for all ages in between
- Check out our Family Sports Calendar for Stroller-Friendly Events
Baby Classes, Workshops & Resources:
- Pacifier often offers FREE workshops for new and expecting parents.
- Amma Parenting Center offers resources for new and expecting parents at several metro locations
- ECFE – Find your community’s ECFE developmentally appropriate program for parenting support and classes. This is your go-to for Early Childhood Screening, Head Start, Even Start, Early Childhood Family Education, and School Readiness.
Reading With Baby
- Baby Story Time @ Red Balloon Bookshop
- The various library systems offer Baby Storytimes. Find one close to you here:
- St Paul Public Library Storytimes
- Hennepin County Library Storytimes
- Ramsey County Library Storytimes
- Dakota County Library Storytimes
- Washington County Library Storytimes
- Anoka County Library Storytimes
- Carver County Library Storytimes
- Scott County Library Storytimes – Also check out a Take Home Play Kit Jr. to bring home books and activities curated just for babies and toddlers.
Baby Book Recommendations
Looking for some good baby book recommendations?
Local author and illustrator Cori Doerrfeld
(The Rabbit Listened) has illustrated a series of lift-the flap books that follow Baby and Puppy through the seasons. These would be a cute addition to any nursery bookshelf.
Baby Names
Haven’t picked a name yet? You are in luck. While you probably know the Social Security Administration releases an annual list of the most popular baby names for the country, did you know you can search by just your state? Get some inspiration or pick names you want to avoid from their list of the Most Popular Baby Names in Minnesota.
One of our favorite things to do when our kids were babies was to go see live music on an outdoor patio. If it was loud, we would bring headphones, but outdoor shows usually weren’t overly loud.
Great idea, Emory. We’ve already had tons of submissions to our 2024 Guide to FREE Summer Concerts in the Twin Cities. These shows would be ideal family outings with a newborn or toddler in tow.
Wow, superb material! I have a 3-year-old and 6-month-old. Please direct me toward open gyms where we can bring our own ride on toys and baby walker. We are hoping some open gyms would allow baby walkers because they have flat surfaces and be free of furniture that baby might run into and tip over.
Miquel. Here is our list of Tot Times around the Twin Cities. Most bring out their own riding toys, so they would likely allow you to bring your own, clean riding toys. But, I would call ahead just to avoid disappointment.
Baby Hazel Games has more than 300 girl games to play online! We have collections of dressup, makeover and different kinds Of girl games.
That sounds interesting, Sheryl. There are also some really good FREE paper doll templates online. That — with a box of crayons — can entertain children offline all day long.