Best Parks for the Little Ones

If your child is like mine and is fearless at the ripe age of 2, then you need to check out these parks.  I love getting together for park play dates, however I am always the mom having to leap away mid sentence so that my son doesn’t plummet to the albeit cushioned ground and break his arm/leg/body.

I am always on the hunt for parks that he can play freely and I can enjoy some adult company and oversee his play without having a heart attack every 5 minutes.

Below is my list in order of minimal Mama heart palpitations for those of you that have a fearless child like mine.  If you have some to add to the list please leave a comment and share.

1. Welles Park @ Western & Sunnyside – I absolutely love this park.  Everything seems to be made for pint-sized tots and is so visible for chatting parents to supervise.  They even have a water feature in the summer which we will definitely be visiting next year.  I see crawlers to 3rd graders at this park all having a blast.  The big kids even rock the teeter totter for the little kids, it’s adorable.

2. Sheil Park  – Southport @ Cornelia – This park is great especially if you attend any classes at Sheil (we do and love them register for these bargain classes at https://activenet-01.active.com/chicagoparkdistrict/  ) There are of course your standard playground activities, but they also have a huge chalk board which the kids adore.  Everything is pint size at this park too which I think is great.  Pack a lunch and eat alfresco with your tots at the cute pick nick tables.

3. Klein Playlot – We frequent this play ground and our guy has grown with this spot.  The only danger zone would be the tornado slide which is easily accessible and I’m really not interested in watching my kid tumble down this slide.  Other than that this playground is a breeze.

4. Juniper Playlot – Greenview & Waveland – This is a nice playground that is quaint and quite.  It doesn’t seem to get too busy (at least every time we have been there) and the families are always friendly.

5. Chi Che Wang – Just North of Diversey – The homes surrounding this park make it worth the trip in itself, however the park is also really cute minus one very steep slide which is off limits for our guy.  My favorite part is that this entire park and field is entirely enclosed and the field is so big the kids can run and run as well as run up and down the big hill and listen to the ‘choo choo’ go by.  Bring a ball and maybe some bubbles and have fun!

6. Fellger Playlot – Belmont & Damen – We loved this park this summer because of the huge water feature.  There is also a cute play train that the kids can play conductor.  There are also two separate playgrounds, one for the little ones and one for the big kids.  Holden didn’t even seem to notice the bigger playground which was a big sigh of relief for me.

7. Holstein Park – Oakley & Shakespeare – We loved the huge pool at Holstein Park this summer and frequented it almost weekly.  After swimming it was fun to go to the park to dry off and get any remaining wiggles out.  They do have these funky box stairs which can be tricky for the fearless ones so watch out for those.

8. Merryman Park – Marshfield @ Grace – This is an older park with wood chips as the park floor, but it is a cute neighborhood park with a fun tunnel and a lot of toddler swings.  Watch out for the steep metal slide…maybe one to go down with your child.

9. Walsh Park – Marshfield & Wabansia – This park is large with 2 big play areas, a field, swings, rocking toys, play airplane and plenty of room to roam (and sit for snack time).  There are 2 HUGE slides that parents should go down with their little ones in my opinion, but it is actually really fun for the kids and the kids in us.  This one gets hot in the summer, so it’s perfect for cloudy or cooler days.

I hope you take advantage of all of these amazing parks this Fall, and remember to comment and share your kids favorite spots too.

Enjoy Chicago,

Juliana

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