Baby Friendly Gym in the Front Range?

Hi everyone, the kid is finally 1 and I want to get back climbing. I was wondering if anyone has taken a toddler with them to a rock gym. I only want to boulder and would have the husband watch the kid while I climb, but just wanted to know if anyone has done this and if it is frowned upon or outlawed at any of the gyms. I hear "The Spot" is the bouldering gym to go to, but haven't been there yet.

Thanks!

i think all gyms are pretty baby friendly. i have seen kids at rock and jam, brc, spot, and movement. you will be fine especially your husband will be watching the kid.

oh, and movement also provide child care for $.

I've seen infants (below walking age) at R&J more than once, nobody seemed to mind. It might be a good idea to try and come in mid day during the week, it's far less crowded then (cheaper, too).

In my opinion the spot would be terrible place to take a 1 year old. It can be hard enough for an adult to dodge falling climbers. Most people seem to only see the boulder in front of them, not the overhang they are backing underneath or the people they are bumping into. Not too much of a problem when you are an adult, but not a great place to take a toddler. There is not a great area where a toddler could be sure not to get stepped on, the whole place gets pretty crowded during after work/school hours.

I worked at gym for a while and saw a lot of people bring their young kids in. If you can, leave the kid at home until they're a little older. If you have to bring them in, at the very least, wash your hands after you change their diaper and do not throw dirty diapers in the trash at the gym. That $h!t's just nasty...get it. You'd be surprised how often parents don't do that.

From what I saw people at the gym were pretty receptive to parents with young kids so long as the kid wasn't running around under people, and the parents handled the diapers in a sanitary manner. On the other hand, parents who's kids became a nuisance heard about it pretty quick from the other climbers at the gym.

Like one of the previous poster said, GO MID DAY. This will be better for you, your kid, and other climbers.

Have fun, and good luck.

movement has daycare...

Same thing as dogs at the crag!!!! Except with kids....at the gym. I own a dog, that I don't bring to the crag, but if I had a kid I would certainly take IT to the climbing gym. Sorta funny. The BRC loves and protects your babies, take them there.

I have a 3.5 yr old, a 14 month old and a wife who rightfully no longer tolerates my belay demands so I've had to juggle the kids in the gym on occasion. Your 1 year old, a snug baby bjorn and duct tape can make for an excellent workout. But once the baby is ambulatory, averting disaster at the gym can be all-consuming. If your husband is willing to entertain and distract the baby while you boulder then you're golden(unless he has prematurely embraced the live-and-learn parental strategy--very uncommon with the first one). When my daughter turned about 3 I started taking her to the gym solely for her playtime and she actually enjoys it, flopping around on easy TR and swinging on the ropes. We usually go to south RocknandJamn, which is family and kid friendly in general, but avoiding the evening crowds helps maintain good will and so far nobody has complained or shot us the stink-eye. We've even had a few playdates with some other friends with young kids and except for all the viral exchanges it's really a lot of fun.
A crowded bouldering venue like the spot is probably less forgiving. The Movement has a lot of accessible open space and offers daycare but I've yet to take my kids and I hear the after-work scene is challenging. Probably the most important element is how easy-going your baby and husband are. If you guys stay relaxed and attentive then so will everybody around you.

And to K. Le Douche: My two beautiful kids $h!t pink roses and swallowtail butterflies, so I don't know what you're talking about.

City Rock in Colorado Springs has some pretty sweet swings that babies love, and there are often kids running around/being swapped between parents taking turns climbing. They even have a room just for kids to climb, though I think it is out of commission at the moment because they are working on it. The point is, kids are welcome there.

Every gym I've ever been to is as baby friendly as the parents were considerate.

Most of us aren't immune to that warm fuzzy feeling that a cherub cheeked youngin' elicits.

We also aren't immune to the gross out of changing diapers on the eating tables or the annoyance of having unsupervised children running around the place creating havoc.

Just bring your baby fed and happy and be prepared to interrupt your climbing to deal with your baby, and you'll be golden.

Evan

PS. I personally feel that the baby should NOT be in the climbing areas for safety reasons. This is even more important once they crawl.

Thanks everyone for the input! We will climb during the day on weekdays so I don't think crowds will be an issue. And we cloth diaper so pack out everything anyway. Just glad to see everyone is pretty open about it.

The Spot is a great place for kids. But someone HAS to watch the little one while you climb. I go their Sunday Mornings w/ my 2.5 year old daughter, she climbs, I spot, from 10:00-11:00 and it is pretty dead, theres usually only 5-10 climbers or so (half of them have kids their). You can have a great time climbing and playing with your child. The other gyms in Boulder do have daycare, but its nice to get them involved no matter what the age.

Kevin, you are great... no offense(and your kid is super cute too), but the Spot is a HORRIBLE place for children. Especially when the parents/coaches do not stop them from running underneath climbers. I have nearly smacked a few children when coming off problems; a heel to the head could probably kill at the right angle...

That said, at the times you listed, it is likely to not be a problem. As the kids get older, teach them some etiquette so they don't piss everyone off (like how to wait in line, how to keep out from under climbers, how to not run around the gym).

Sorry I sound so grumpy about it... But I hate dealing with people's (un-cared for) children at the gym; those that are cared for are not an issue. Especially the middles school aged kids. Coaches at BRC, Spot, etc. need to wake up and smell the coffee... Don't just teach them to be entitled Boulder wunderbrats, but teach them some manners!

P.S. Baby Friendly Gym --> is this not an oxymoron?

PLEASE, don't be that person that changes there child's diaper on the the mats. There was a chick in my gym that would always change her kids' diaper on the mat like it was the thing to do. So distgusting. Never went barefoot at my gym again

Unless the gym has one of these, the baby will be changed wherever is the most convenient. Seems like a small investment to keep the crash pads shit-free.

as somebody above mentioned, please don't let your kid(s) run around in the bouldering area. i came off the top at movement last year just as a little girl, probably around 3 or 4 years old, ran under me. i was so close to squashing her. i was pretty freaked out. her dad saw the whole thing, and i gave him a "WTF" sort of look. he just stared at me like a deer in the headlights, dum-de-dum-dum. it absolutely didn't register to him. i really wish the gyms would crack down on this more as it happens quite a bit. only takes one unlucky occurence to change a kid's life forever.

Tevis, I think you missed my point. You MUST have control of your child, and I would NEVER let my daughter run under boulderers. The nice part about the Spot is they have a Top Rope wall and that is where we hang. Any place is dangerous for a child if a parent is not paying close attention. What I'm saying is that if you are a responsible parent and keep a close eye on your child, the gym can be quite fun. And going when the traffic is light is your best bet. And Tevis thanks for the compliment on my daughter, and I totally agree w/ your ideas about teaching kids manners in the gym, and in public in general. Back to work.

I took my daughter to the spot from Age 6 months asleep in the car seat and still do with her 2 years old. It is actually so much more difficult now and I always go with someone else so we can always be with her and stop her getting jumped on. It is definately worth going at a quiet time. It is also a real good work out holding a baby or toddler between problems. The down side with a none bouldering gym is you need 3 people. 1 to climb, 1 to belay and 1 to watch the little one.
Have fun with your little one at the gym we need to encourage the next generation how ever we can!

Rowena
I've gotta tell you,goofing around with the munchkins at the BRC is the high point of any day.