Mother Talkers

Baby Loves Disco

by Erika

Mon Mar 10, 2008 at 02:24:46 PM PDT

The first article I read about Baby Loves Disco was a skeptical look at the then-nascent phenomenon. The writer seemed to chide the parents who participated as incorrigible grupsters who refused to give up partying for parenthood.

But I was intrigued by the premise: take over a nightclub in the daytime, stock it with healthy snacks and kid-friendly activities, spin some tried-and-true dance songs and get some baby booties on the dance floor. The party spread like wildfire and Baby Loves Disco is now in 27 cities from Boston to San Diego, as well as the U.K. and Tel Aviv. It was all started by an entrepreneuring mommy named Heather Murphy, who has turned her idea into a full-time gig.

The party just rolled into Orange County so me and fellow MotherTalker sandrab decided to  take the kids and check it out. It started at 2 p.m. on a Saturday afternoon and it was quite the experience.

No detail was overlooked. There were bubble machines and maracas and scarves for the kids to dance with. The bar was laid out with a buffet of healthy snacks including fruit, Goldfish crackers, hummus and organic juice boxes. Balloons were free and plentiful. There was free face painting for the kids and neck massages for stressed out moms and dads. Maya cooled down with an organic strawberry-banana popsicle between spirited dancing and running around the darkened club.

She strutted across the stage, she bellied up to the bar and stared at the large fish tanks, she climbed into a tent and read a book in the "Chill-Out Zone." She was a dancing queen and a superfreak, and she had a ball.

I saw sleeping infants, jamming preteens and everything in between. Young parents, middle-aged parents, and grandparents chatted while keeping an eye on the dance floor; some even nursed a drink from the full-service bar.

It was a fun way to spend an afternoon, though I was a bit tired from chasing Maya around the club. She wanted to inspect every corner of the expansive venue, and she did.

I walked away impressed by the whole concept and execution-- and jealous of the brilliant mommy who came up with it and turned it into a stay-at-home career! And it was definitely a fun change after countless trips to the zoo, the neighborhood park and the science museum. Am I a grupster for introducing my daughter to a nightclub at the tender age of 3? Who cares? All that matters is that we got our groove on.

Have any of you been to Baby Loves Disco? What other alternative kid activities do you enjoy? Please share!

Crossposted at The Mom Blog.

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Tags: baby loves disco, nightlife, dancing, entrepreneur, grupsters (all tags)

Permalink | 16 comments

  • Aww... (0 / 0)

    Maya is so cute. I can't wait to see her next week!

    I am glad you posted this review because I have been invited to a baby disco, but haven't gotten the chance to go. I did not realize that they are held at actual dance clubs. Interesting. Me and the kids will have to check it out next time we get an invitation. A friend of mine hosts them to raise money for her daughter's preschool. There's a fundraising idea for you ladies!

    by Elisa on Mon Mar 10, 2008 at 02:28:31 PM PDT

  • The venue matters (0 / 0)

    We went to our local one (a Chicago burb) once. It was the second one they held, and we won't be going again.

    It was crowded, and an hour into it, the food was limited to goldfish, cereal bars, and juice boxes. The music was LOUD (DS covered his ears the whole time) and the "quiet area" was on the same floor as the music, not at all quiet, and just a sign on the wall.

    There was no seating to be had (the majority of it was taken up by birthday parties or coats, since it was mid-winter), and only a few kids (5?) were actually on the stage dancing. A lot of kids were looking dazed in their parents arms while parents chatted with friends.

    None of us had much fun (DS was 3.5 when we went), and it certainly wasn't worth the price of admission.

    The venue, BTW, was a long bar/restaurant. It was only a single storefront wide, but went all the way to the back and had two stories. The first floor had a restaurant and bar, and the second was where the music was. The front almost-half of the first floor was taken up by vendors, all of which catered to babies or girls -- nothing much for boys. There was a free goody bag from BRU -- not much of use for a 3yo DS.

    So, I think it varies a lot from place to place...

    -Cheryl

    by cbfly on Mon Mar 10, 2008 at 02:42:46 PM PDT

    • interesting (0 / 0)

      the Orange County party was at a pretty spacious nightclub, and the dance floor and stage were pretty consistently crowded with dancing kids. They even did dance games, like asking the kids to freeze when the music stopped, and handing out prizes. The intermittent bubbles over the dance floor seemed to be the biggest hit.

      I think the music level is supposed to be a consistent 80 decibels at these parties, and none of the kids here seemed bothered by it.

      There were a few vendors, but not very many. The chill-out zone was away from the dance floor but still noisy; I was surprised to see quite a few kids dozing peacefully, as if they weren't in the middle of a club!

      Sorry it wasn't much fun for you. You live and learn, right? I like trying new activities because you never know what will be fun.

      by Erika on Mon Mar 10, 2008 at 02:51:30 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    • OH NO! (0 / 0)

      Which one?!?! Naperville? I just got so excited about it being in Naperville...

      by lilianna28 on Mon Mar 10, 2008 at 05:28:19 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

  • That sounds like fun (0 / 0)

    My 2 year old son would love that if we had it in our area.  He's always dancing whenever he hears music.  He loves The Wiggles the most but he happily dances to anything with a beat.  My 4 year old would like it too, I bet.

    by music teacher on Mon Mar 10, 2008 at 02:48:07 PM PDT

  • I'd like to try this (0 / 0)

    It sold out last fall when it was in Mpls, but there are two more dates coming up.  I agree with previous posts; the success probably depends a lot on the venue and what's involved.  But I'm willing to check it out.  I like that the concept lets the kids do what they want; it isn't like a class where everyone is excpected to do the same thing. DS doesn't know it's a nightclub, so I don't think I'm indoctrinating him too early into something.  If he likes it, and we enjoy it, I think it's worth the price ($12 per "walker" for ours).  It's definitely something else besides the zoo or the park.

    by cynmill on Mon Mar 10, 2008 at 02:49:23 PM PDT

  • Jess would totally love this (0 / 0)

    she is a total get-down-and-boogie girl. We do a casual dance class on Friday mornings. It's "class" in the loosest sense of the word, but fun. She's totally bugging me for formal ballet lessons when she's three (I think we'll do it). Like Maya, she'd totally be all over the place and poking her nose into everything.

    This would be a totally awesome idea for here; I'll have to see if anyone's doing it.

    BTW, Erika, The Mom Blog - is that the project your paper launched? I remember you were saying that your paper asked you to do some strategic planning on it when you first joined them, right?

    by Rachel on Mon Mar 10, 2008 at 04:51:27 PM PDT

    • yes! (0 / 0)

      it's just the first part of the project, though. Eventually we will launch a site called OC Moms, but The Mom Blog is the first facet of it. It's all moving much more slowly than I expected, but the blog is quickly becoming one of the paper's most popular, even though it just launched.

      I still have my old beat, I just contribute posts to the blog here and there.

      Rachel, you should TOTALLY contact Baby Loves Disco and be the "host mommy" in Melbourne! This is freakin' genius. A whole cadre of mommies is working from home thanks to BLD. My friend Sandra is mulling hosting parties in her neck of the SoCal woods. You could make some extra money!

      by Erika on Mon Mar 10, 2008 at 05:11:50 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

  • We had a blast! (0 / 0)

    Dominic and Mia had a great time. I wasn't sure about exposing my kids to the "club" scene so early, but this was very appropriate and kid/parent friendly.
    Thanks again for the invite. I need to look into getting something started in my neck of the woods... such great idea!

    by sandrab on Mon Mar 10, 2008 at 06:32:31 PM PDT

  • LOL (0 / 0)

    This is an obituary for the generation gap. It is a story about 40-year-old men and women who look, talk, act, and dress like people who are 22 years old.

    But I'm only 24 and not as cool as these "grups" the author is talking about! /snarky whine  The only things on his list that apply are my hatred of most children's music (though my daughter is growing up with the rolling stones, not whoever any of the bands he mentions are) and my desire to NOW go to Baby Loves Disco.

    In all seriousness, my new favorite venue is tumble and tea in Oakland.  It is to coffee place what BLD seems to be to a bar, except it is open 7am to 8pm with free wifi, and only the kids cost anything($6).

    What do you mean, uh-oh? baby pictures

    by round peg inna square hole on Tue Mar 11, 2008 at 03:31:15 AM PDT

Permalink | 16 comments