Circus

We took Chiquita to her first real animal circus tonight! It was the first time I'd been to the "real" circus since I was a little girl too. My old eyes were a little jaded (maybe I've seen Cirque du Soleil too many times) but we all had fun!

If you want to take your tot to the circus here are my tips:

1. Go a little early and take cash. Even as a little girl I remember they did elephant rides. This is something you really can't do anywhere else. If they are too scared at least you get photo ops and time to get settled. Chiquita loved the ride and only got nervous while we were waiting to get off and were very near another elephant's head.

2. Realize you might need to leave early. After an hour the circus we went to hadn't even had admission and Chiquita was flagging. We elected not to stay until tantrums or sleep took over. I saw unhappy parents leaving  the early show who had obviously made a different choice.

3. Related to 2. Consider a matinee. I wish we had done that but Papi might not have made it. Less crowd + more awake kids = more fun!

4. Eat first. Concessions are overpriced junk, you know this, and usually you can't bring your own food. We stopped by a place with a playground first to fill Chiquita up and get some wiggles out so she could sit longer.

5. If you are budget conscience consider bringing a toy or too. A stuffed version of an animal you'll see and something that lights up would be my recommendations. It will fend off the "gimees" and if your child is a little timid the stuffed animal can help them be excited for the animals and brave for any pyrotechnics or blackouts.

We'll be doing some circus crafts this next week to reflect on our fun outing!