Your new bundle of joy is here, and each day he is growing, giggling and changing as he experiences the world anew. Whether you are a traditional scrapbooker, digital scrapbooker, Instagrammer, or simply love sharing photos on social media and via texts to out-of-town relatives and friends, here are a few of our favorite first photo ops:
Baby’s First Art Project: Tiny Fingers & Toes
Counting tiny fingers and toes over and again is a new mom’s tradition. Before long, you’ll be finding tiny fingerprints on every surface of your home, and every experienced grandmother will tell you those days fly by quickly. Capture the memory of your baby’s delicate features on a ceramic piece of your choice at Ceramic Café (9425 Mission Rd., Leawood, 913.383.0222), a paint-your-own-pottery shop with a great offer for new parents. Stop by and they’ll put your baby’s footprint on a ceramic tile at no charge. Paint, Glaze, and Fire (12683 Metcalf Ave., Overland Park, KS, 913.661.2529), another paint-your-own-pottery studio, offers an array of pieces, paint every color of the rainbow and a creative staff ready to help you fashion the perfect keepsake. Best Photo Op: Snap a shot of paint covered toes (with the help of a staff member).
Baby’s First Visit to the Zoo: Amazing Animals
The Kansas City Zoo (6800 Zoo Dr., Kansas City, MO, 816.513.5800) is open year-round. In fact, winter is one of the best times to visit, as the animals are especially playful, and the zoo isn't crowded. The indoor exhibits at the Helzberg Penguin Plaza, Polar Bear Passage, Tropics and Discovery Barn are great on chilly days. Our favorite photo ops with little ones are their smiles as they delight in watching Nikita and Berlin, the polar bears, swim and play right before their eyes. Another fun spot is up the hill where the penguins reside. Your little one will enjoy watching dozens of penguins swim and play in their arctic exhibit. Weather permitting, enjoy a ride on the carousel or train for more fun and fabulous photos. Best Photo Op: Let’s be honest, your first visit to the zoo will warrant enough photos to fill a scrapbook, but we especially love train, carousel and giggly, funny animal poses.
Baby’s First Snow Day: A Horse-Drawn Sleigh Ride
Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop (1200 Kansas City Rd., Olathe, KS, Mahaffie.org) offers horse-drawn sleigh rides on snowy winter weekends. Be certain to call ahead at 913.971.5111 to verify (this is a weather dependent activity). They provide blankets, but be sure to bundle up for this fun family outing. Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop (1200 Kansas City Rd., Olathe, KS, Mahaffie.org) offers horse-drawn sleigh rides on snowy winter weekends. Be certain to call ahead at 913.971.5111 to verify (this is a weather dependent activity). They provide blankets, but be sure to bundle up for this fun family outing. Best Photo Op: Ask one of the volunteers to snap a photo of your family aboard the sleigh with snow in the background.
Baby’s First Visit with Fairytale Characters: The Magic of Childhood
Crown Center (2500 Grand, Kansas City, MO, 816.274.8444) offers wonderful FREE exhibits for children with both fun hands-on play areas, and beautiful backdrops for great photo ops (Tip: weekdays are best for smaller crowds). In February, enjoy the new Fairytale Village Exhibit (Feb. 7-May 3). Children will visit their favorite storybook characters in vivid magical settings. The Snow Queen, Jack and the Beanstalk, Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood and more are part of the fun. Best Photo Op: Any picture with a favorite character.
Baby’s Day of Play: Creativity and Fun
Enjoying your first playdate is a rite of passage. The metropolitan area features a lot of fun play areas where you’ll make great memories and enjoy super fun photo ops.
Paradise Park (1021 NE Colbern Rd., Lee’s Summit, MO, 816.246.5224) features a 38,000-square-foot indoor and outdoor Family Entertainment Center and Children's Edutainment Center. The indoor Children's Edutainment Center features hands-on exhibits for younger children, with theme-based play that is often messy, but always creative and educational! Babies and toddlers will enjoy the ball pit, face painting, a water table, creating a masterpiece in the art center or (for preschoolers) cooking up a delicious treat in the kitchen. Best Photo Op: Face paint! The face painting station is every little one’s favorite, and the photos are great for lots of laughs.
Another one of our favorite venues is Little Monkey Bizness (12219 Shawnee Mission Pkwy., Shawnee, KS, 913.631.7000), an indoor play facility with soft play, tunnels and Little Tykes toys for your tots, and a great art room to make art projects. Parents may sit in the snack bar area overlooking the play area and visit or work using free Wi-Fi. The facility is kept clean and sanitary by staff, it is well supervised, and the toys and play equipment are ideal for little ones! Best Photo Op: Capture your child playing in the tunnels and moon bounces, a great chance to snap big smiles and giggles.
Kristina Light’s girls enjoyed all of these outings as infants, and they are some of her favorite early memories.