Growing a family can add a strain to your family budget, but that doesn’t mean you are limited in things you can do to have quality family time together! There are plenty of free activities you can do with your baby that gets them out of the house and engaged. As a single income family ourselves we get creative on way to do family activities without needing to put any strain on the budget. I will share with you a list of 10 free activities you can do with your 10 month old (or older) baby.
1| Go to the Library
One of the BEST places you can utilize in your community for free is your local library. They are filled with opportunities of activities to do with your 10 month old and can be a place for you to have a nice chat with someone as well.
Depending on your library, some activities that are often available are:
- Children’s Section with Board Books
- Storytime – Just check with librarian on when.
- Other Children Events – Again, check with librarian.
- Museum area
- Cafe if you do feel like having a coffee.
This is one of my favorite places to go with baby because they are usually a fairly baby safe space, especially in the children’s section. I’m never too worried letting him crawl/walk around and explore while I try an read a book to him.
2| Walk to Neighbors House
Now this will depend on your baby’s abilities, but our little man started walking at 10 months old. So from then on out I began a morning activity of walking to the neighbors house and back home (literally next door).
This may sound simple, but they will be interested by EVERYTHING they see and at their pace walking to and from the neighbors house could easily use up 20 to 30 minutes. You can point out the neighbors flowers, their dog, the chicken on the road, and anything else that is around or passes by (yes this happened to us once, a winning morning for little lad).
3| Actually Visit the Neighbor
Do you have an elderly neighbor on your street who is home alone quite often? Why not get out of the house and share a cup of coffee together. Often they will enjoy a nice, short conversation and getting to meet your little one.
Being neighborly is a great way to grow your social network (offline, just to clarify haha). Plus, it’s a free place to go that is not far from home. If they need to get home quick before nap-time you won’t need to fret.
4| Community Garden
Have a look and see if there is a community garden in your area. You may not be able to do a lot while having a 10 month old with you, but you could contribute a little section or carrots or another easy to tend to veggie. Otherwise, any help with weeding will usually always be appreciated.
This is a great way to get outdoors with your baby and show them new places and things. You can show them the fruits and vegetables as they grow and introduce them to new words.
I enjoy bringing a mini snack picnic when I go. Sitting down and being in the moment while I am there, making sure not to make it just another “to-do” on my list. Make sure you keep it fun and not a task to be completed.
5| Mother’s Group
Have you looked into joining a mothers group? Maybe you didn’t even know such things existed.
I know I didn’t go looking for one at first while I was trying to adjust to home life with a baby. As little fella got older it became something on my radar once he was sitting and scooting around. These are great play date and mom catch-up option with no costs involved.
Places you can check for mothers groups in your area is with your child health nurse, your GP, local library, or have an ask on a community FB group.
6| Bike Trail
Looking for a bit of easy exercise with some scenery? Get a map of your local bike paths and make a route to somewhere interesting. Find a baby seat that suits your bike and a helmet (ok, so an initial cost is involved) and your’re good to go.
Follow along a local river or head under the shade of a tree tunnel while getting some fresh air with your baby. This is a great way to get a little further from home than you normally would walking.
My little one is obsessed with bike rides, he absolutely loves going on them. I found it a great way to go do things a bit further from home, like going to the park, without needing to take the car. Now that he is 1 1/2 he goes and gets his helmet and comes to be to ask if we can go on “bike ride” and points. It’s so cute!
7| Local School Sports Games
Get the schedule for the local sports games for the kids teams in your area. Supporting your local community is always a positive, plus entry to their games is almost always free.
This is great because if your baby doesn’t have the attention span to last whole games it’s no big deal leaving early. It’s not like you are losing out on paid tickets.
You baby will enjoy watching all the activity. Games like soccer, football, and baseball which are played outside will be easier to enjoy.
Bring a picnic blanket and sit on the side and point out what is going on. They may not show interest for a long amount of time, but it can be a fun 30 – 40 minute outing. This also might be a time you can catch-up with other friends and family. Even if you don’t know anyone it shouldn’t be an issue to go out and support your community kids teams.
8| Visit Pet Store
So going to the zoo might have a cost, but how about looking at the cuddly creatures at your local pet store?
Depending on your store you can show your baby turtles, fish, bunnies, gerbils, and more. It’s like the pet version of a zoo. Fish especially can be quite interesting for a 10 month old to watch. The bright colors and against the usually dark blue backgrounds really catches their attention.
All the perks of have a pet without needing to feed them or clean their poo. Mom win in my book!
9| Botanical Garden
Another often overlooked community space that is great for taking babies, the botanical garden! Filled with beautiful trees to provide shade over resting areas and speckled with color of different flowers and plants.
Our local botanical garden has a specific kids play area within it that is gorgeous. Get out and take your 10 month old on a walk through a unique assortment of plant life. This may not be the best during the Spring if you suffer from allergies, but don’t turn a blind eye during others seasons such as autumn!
10| Go Geocaching!
Have you ever heard of geocaching before? Sounds like something that might involved the space station, but it’s actually a modern version of a good ol’ treasure hunt!
Geocaching is modern day treasure hunting using a GPS to find hidden “treasures” other participants have placed. It is a world wide activity with thousands of participants.
Using provided map coordinates from the official Geocaching website and a GPS enabled device, you can find a geocache near your home, in the city, in the wilderness or in Antarctica (okay, well maybe don’t take your 10 month old to Antarctica).
It’s heaps of fun to do while on a walk, bike ride, or using up time while in the city. It’ll get you out of the house and showing little one somewhere new you might not have otherwise thought to go. Plus, it’s a great activity that can grow with you child.
Seriously check it out, see how many geocaches are near you. It’s all completely free and just for fun!
Before you go…
- Looking to have a more positive start to your morning? Check out these 3 Things to Start Your Morning Better as a stay-at-home mom.
- Thinking about starting a gratitude journal for 2020? This simple DIY Gratitude Journal will only take you 1 min a day and is great for busy moms.
- If you would like to work on achieving your goals this year, Grab the “Goal Getting Year” workbook to help you set those goals and work on achieving them.
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