A Trip to the Local Library with a Toddler!

This year I got an awesome change in my schedule and I now have Mondays off from working as an occupational therapist, so I started looking for some fun, local, free activities for Gavin and I to do in the morning. Our local library has a “lap sit” toddler group in the morning where for a half hour parents, their children and the librarian sing songs, blow some bubbles and read a few stories. I can not tell you when the last time I actually went to the library was, but I dug out my old card so we could take some books home with us and off we went.

After the group when we tried to pick out books, Gavin was so excited, he ran running through the stacks of books, playing peek-a-boo on the other side. He had no interest in sitting to read any books or to play with any toys. He was more preoccupied with licking the water fountain and trying to wash his hands in the bathroom.

I had asked the librarian if one of our favorite authors, of course whose name I did not know off hand, had any other similar books to his favorite, Click Clack Moo Cows that Type.  While I was asking her, Gavin was sliding books off the shelves quicker than I could imagine and from places I could have never found on my own to return to the proper spot. I was looking for books in the actual library, by how cool the cover looked, just like I can see them in iBooks on my iPad. Except, the books are stacked in rows by their bindings and very few covers were showing. I did manage to grab a few books before we then sat waiting at the check out area. After a few minutes the librarian looked at me and said, “Can I help you?” I said I wanted to check out my books. She then pointed me to the self-checkout line and then had to give me a tutorial. Yes, just like the grocery store, our library has a self checkout area. After I tried to scan the UPC code of the book, just like I would do at the supermarket, she had to point out that there was an entirely different sku area. I couldn’t have been more happier to get out of there feeling horribly guilty that Gavin the tornado had left his mark on the place. Can I just ask, when did the library actually come close to being hip with the times, and where have I been during this transformation?

So in retrospect here were some simple ideas I had so when we make our return trip next week life me be just a little easier. Simple I know, but they would have made my quality of life, that much easier this morning.

– I will bring one of those re-useable shopping bags to carry the books in. I hardly carry a purse or a diaper bag anymore, so I walked in with Gavin empty handed. A flailing toddler and 5 books up and down a flight of stairs was not fun.

– Next time I will plan ahead, days ahead. These days with the addition of the ability to find books and hold them online, from the comfort of my computer I will reserve to my heart’s content without having to try to find something I think Gavin will like, in the moment of insanity. Maybe we’ll hunt for one book when we are there, instead of trying to locate an entire stack!