very Art Nouveau dad

So how exactly do you entertain a five month old baby? He is at an age where he is interested in everything. He is understanding more and looks around in wonder whenever he is somewhere he hasn't been before, even if its just a baby changing room. At the minute, poor little Fred is often dragged around with me. Coffee, food shops, daily errands, visiting friends and family. I did take him to the park a couple of weeks ago and put him in the baby swing, but he looked absolutely tiny in it. We have a while to wait before Blackpool Please Beach calls eh kid?

As Austin works full time, and is learning to drive at the weekends, entertaining Freddie is usually down to me. Fred is already somewhat of a hipster kid. We often meet my friends for lunch in the Northern Quarter, rummage the charity shops (he usually comes out better than I do) or just pop in for some cake on our own on our way home from hospital appointments. (More on that later) We wander around town, as he is often at his most content having a good nosey around in his baby taxi.

But recently, the three of us lay in bed of a Saturday morning and found ourselves with nothing to do, so we hopped on the bus to Manchester. We did what me and Austin used to do every week, pre baby. We went for breakfast at our favourite cafe, wandered around the shops (read - spent about £10 in the traditional sweet shop) and then, we went to the Manchester Art Gallery.

I love the art gallery. It has one of my favourite paintings, Hylas and the Nymphs, and I could look at it all day. I also love that it has a huge collection of Lowry and Valette - and their representations of places I recognise in Manchester, in all of its grim beauty.

(so much fun)

Freddie loved it. No, we didn't discuss the pre-Raphaelites, impressionism and different brush strokes, but he was enthralled by the bright lights, the colours, and the major fun of being taken out of his pram and carried around. He was very well behaved, and had some good fun pretending to be a professional art critic with daddy.

If you ever find yourself in the vicinity of the art gallery, I would really recommend it, especially for older kids, as they have lots of interactive art for kids too. (Which is also fun for you, dressing up as a 1950's chemist anybody?!)

Going to an art gallery probably wouldn't be the first thing you think of to do with your five month old baby. But seeing as though he gets the same enjoyment from hitting himself in the head with a spoon as he does going to the park, my thinking is that I should make the most of doing things I enjoy while Fred is a placid kid - it won't be long until I am cutting Lego-land and Peppa Pig World vouchers out of the newspaper.

I am planning on taking Fred swimming next week, and facing my fear and forcing myself to attend my local baby groups. How do you keep your littles entertained?