If you’re sick of the typical weekend offerings for families that, let’s face it, rarely include anything that sustains any child under the age of 4 and my husband, then you might consider taking your go-go boots and light sticks out of retirement and hitting the monthly parties offered by the fantastic mom and pop run business Baby Loves Disco – that is, if you’re lucky enough to live in or near one of the fifteen cities that host these events. In a nutshell, they overhaul a night club and turn it into a dancing baby/parent wonderland fit for even the pickiest of rug-cutters.
Our reviewers checked out Baby Loves Disco events from coast to coast – Hollywood, the Bay Area, Denver, and Boston – and even though each one had its own local flavor, they all had the same major elements: a club DJ and disco ball, bubble machines and balloons, egg shakers and hula hoops, great food and drinks, changing stations and chill-out areas, and super-cool swag on the way out. But best of all, there were happy kids and happy parents – all enjoying themselves immensely.
The chill-out area was a big hit with everyone, especially “those who had boogied their little hearts out and needed a breather from all the excitement”, and the food – catered by Trader Joes out west and by Wild Oats in Denver and Boston – included “broccoli with hummus, salsa and chips, vanilla cookies and pretzels”, and was proclaimed “healthful and tasty”. All the kids were delighted with the party favors, which included “a pair of Baby Legs legwarmers, an Avent sippy cup, and a board book about a schmoo-like creature called Boogaboo”.
Although the volume was a bit loud in Boston, in the other locations “it was loud enough and dark enough to make it cool but not too loud nor too dark”. And while most kids had to be dragged off the dance floor when it was time to go home, one little pumpkin was completely enamored with the chill-out area: “Yep, we’re at a club with a d.j. and a dance floor, and what does my girl want to do? Eat, read with mama, and play with foam letters, natch.”
What could be seen as a criticism by Meredith Vieira and Dr. Janet Taylor – you know, cocktails at kids’ events = bad parenting choice – was more like a welcome change from having to sip juice boxes and scary red fruit punch along with your 2-year-old. In Hollywood, “moms expertly navigate the dancefloor with a baby in one arm and a tall glass of beer in the other,” and in Boston, our reviewer minced no words: “Yes, Meredith Vieira, a bar. With alcohol. Around children. And yet I did not notice one parent acting inappropriately, or really acting as anything other than a doting, responsible parent. Go figure.” Perhaps it’s a good thing for kids to see their parents enjoying themselves and partaking in a healthy, appropriate manner?
What amazed all our reviewers was how much genuine fun everyone was having – moms, dads, and kids alike. “There were very few children having tantrums or total sensory-overload induced meltdowns”, and “accidental nudges, falls, and running-into-each-other were greeted with smiles and apologies”. And the supposed incongruity of families taking over a dance club – “Skip Hop cardboard coasters sharing bar space with cocktail napkins emblazoned with Camel” – didn’t seem unnatural at all. Since “so many parents were out on the floor with their kids, not sitting back at the tables, watching from afar”, it was truly a family afternoon.
Check out the Baby Loves Disco website to see if your metro area is on the list. But if not, don’t be discouraged – you can help get the party started! Nothing like getting in on the ground floor, especially when – thanks to our reviewers – you already know what a fantastic time it’s going to be.
For more pictures, check out these Flickr photosets: Hollywood and the Bay Area.
Posted by Julie 
