7 days out with a baby in Bristol

Becoming a parent is an exciting time and brings a whole new world of experiences, but it also means transitioning away from your ‘old life’ and accepting that it won’t be possible to do the same things anymore.

Or does it?

There are now more and more events popping up that are aimed at new parents and where your baby will have a great time too.

These are a great opportunity to enjoy some of the activities you did before having your little one, in an environment that is accepting of babies, and where there are many other like-minded parents to connect with.

So, once you’re through the wild ride of the first newborn weeks (or let’s face it, months) and ready to face the world again with your sidekick in tow, here is a list of some of the standout places you can enjoy:

Baby cinema

The thought of taking a baby to the cinema may conjure up images of crying infants competing with the spectacle on the screen, but many places have special baby cinema screenings aimed at parents with children under a year old.

The lighting is dimmed, the volume lowered and the screening times are usually in the morning or early afternoon. This creates a perfect naptime environment and a rare chance to watch the latest releases on a large screen, instead of diving into another Netflix series at home.

Often the films shown are children’s flicks so older siblings can join too, but some adult films are screened if you’re looking to escape the parent mind-space for a few hours.

Baby cinema screenings can be found at:

• Showcase outlets (Cinema De Lux and Avonmeads on Tuesdays and Thursdays;
• Everyman on Tuesdays and Thursdays (alternating each week);
• the ODEON;
• Watershed (Cinébabies)
• and at 11am on Wednesdays at the Cube.

A ticket at Everyman also comes with a hot drink and cake, but pram space there is limited so take your baby in a sling if you can.

At Everyman’s baby-friendly screenings, a ticket includes a warm drink and a slice of cake – photo: Cielle Bragg

Daytime comedy clubs

With evening outings off the cards for a while, visiting a comedy club might seem like a future endeavour, but the Wardrobe Theatre in Old Market Assembly is running Aftermirth: Daytime Comedy Club for New Parents. Hosted by Angie Belcher, it takes place once a month at 11am until 1pm and features three different comedians each time.

Having lots of small babies staring at you from the audience must be an unusual experience for the performers, but it doesn’t put them off covering adult content. This means that only children up to 12 months are permitted to attend, however the gig is open to other adults if you have a friend or relative interested in coming.

The venue offers cakes and bakery products as well as their usual selection of drinks, so if you fancy a pastry and a pint this is your chance.

The club sessions are popular and pram space is tight, so book early to avoid disappointment and bring your baby in a sling if you don’t want to jostle for pram parking.

The show takes place once a month on a Thursday from Sept 14 until Dec 7, 2023, at 11am and costs £12 advance (£15 on the door).

For tickets, visit www.thewardrobetheatre.com/livetheatre/aftermirth

 

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Bristol Aquarium

Bristol Aquarium houses marine life from different places around the world, from the British Isles to tropical climes.  It has 40 naturally themed displays where you can enjoy spotting thousands of aquatic creatures with your baby, including tropical sharks, rays, seahorses, puffer fish, and piranhas. It also has an urban jungle, the only botanical house at a UK aquarium.

Floor to ceiling displays provide a window into the underwater world and there’s even an underwater tunnel where fish swim over your head. This is a lovely experience to do with your baby with lots of colourful coral and marine life to see in a family-friendly environment. The space is very accessible, so it’s easy to take a pram around, but you might want to hold your baby or use a sling so they can see more of the displays.

 

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Beyond Submergence

If your baby goes into a trance at the sight of any light source, then Beyond Submergence – a 20,000 square foot exhibition of light and sound – could just blow their mind. Propyard is hosting the immersive experience developed by art collective Squidsoup until the end of September.

Visitors are guided through the 45-minutes experience, but you are also welcome to wander through at your own pace should it become overwhelming for your little one. The intensity of light, sound, and scale increases with each part of the installation until it reaches a crescendo, so the venue offers ear defenders for sensitive ears if you’re worried. With this much sensory input both adults and babies will need a nap afterwards.

There is a cafe on site selling cakes, pastries, and hot drinks.

Beyond Submergence is billed as a “world-first immersive light, space and sound journey” – photo: Chris Cooper/Shotaway

Wake The Tiger

The team behind Boomtown Fair festival invite you to enter a dream world at Wake The Tiger, an immersive experience with 27 unique art installations to get lost in.

It’s pure escapist fun, with lots of lights, colours, and sounds to awe your little one in different themed rooms, like a jellyfish forest and a secret library and it gives you a chance to release your inner child too.

It could be a bit overwhelming if your baby hasn’t had a nap beforehand, but you can duck out and chill in the cafe/bar at the end of the experience if needed.

It’s not accessible to prams, so your baby will have to be carried in a sling or your arms and when you first go in it is easy to feel lost, so try to familiarise yourself with the layout should you wish to take a break.

There are toilets near the entrance and exit with changing facilities and some rooms have seating areas if you need to stop for a feeding session, although sitting in a make-believe tree trunk isn’t the most comfortable spot.

Autumn getting lost with her dad in the “world’s first amazement park” – photo: Cielle Bragg

Super Sense sensory room

Located at the Imperial Sports Ground in Brislington, Super Sense sensory room is a specialist venue for children with SEND (special educational needs and disabilities) but offers sessions for all children, including babies aged 0-6 months and 6-18 months.

It is one of the largest sensory rooms in the UK and provides a calm, soothing environment to sit and chat with other parents while investigating the sensory playthings with your baby. Little hands can explore textured walls, pulsing fibre lights, and colourful bubble tubes among many other interactive elements in the soft, dimly lit room.

This one is really for the babies rather than the adults, but with a whole room at your disposal for an hour it’s a great place to book out with a group of friends rather than trying to squeeze all of your NCT pals into your living room.

An hour’s session costs a very reasonable £6.50 and you also get a voucher for 50p off a hot drink in the cafe afterwards.

Super Sense offers a calming and soothing space for babies and toddlers to explore their environment through light, sound and touch – photo: Cielle Bragg

Mum and baby yoga

If repeatedly bending down to pick up your baby has left you feeling achy and with a posture that resembles a prawn then yoga can provide much-needed relief. There are many places that offer sessions for mum and baby. Classes differ but most guide mama through gentle stretches to support recovery from the birth, and they also incorporate interactive elements to engage the little one, such as tickling, meditation chanting and classic nursery rhymes. Some classes have stretches for the baby too, which can help provide relief for reflux and colic.

This is a chance to relax too and the baby chatter often gets quieter when soft music is played. Most classes are suitable for mums and babies until crawling age, which is around nine months.

Here are some:

• LushTums runs classes in Downend, Horfield, Hanham and Keynsham
• Pregnancy Yoga Bristol runs classes in Redland, Ashley Down and St. George
• Clifton Yoga Club runs postnatal classes where you can bring your baby
• Bristol Yoga Space runs classes in Bishopston

With so much on offer, you won’t feel like you’re missing out now that you have a baby, and you will be able to add to the new first experiences that you’ll have together.

And if you’d like to sign up to the usual baby classes and groups, check out our separate article listing those, many of which are free: b247.staging.proword.press/lifestyle/family/guide-newborn-baby-bristol

All photos: Cielle Bragg

Read next:

• Building a support network for parents ‘even in the hardest times’
• 27 things to do in Bristol this week, September 4-10 2023
• Things to do for free with kids in Bristol this summer: bridge swings

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