toddlers in Spain?

[blackbird2]

Hello!

Can anyone share some insights about living with a toddler in Spain? I'll be in Spain (Barcelona, specifically) for a month with my 2yr old this summer, and I'm feeling a bit in the dark about what to expect.

Are there activities or playgroups for this age? Where might I look to find out about them? Are toddlers generally at home or in daycare? Is breastfeeding culture similar to the US or different? What is potty learning like/what's the norm or the usual expectation?

Any information would be appreciated!
TIA!

[Geist]

I went on a trip to Spain with my Spanish class in high school (like...10 years ago!) and the one thing that astounded me was that when we would eat dinner at 10pm at a restaurant, toddlers would still be up, running about with their families. Spaniards don't go to bed early and neither do their toddlers!

[blackbird2]

Yeah, that's true
Luckily, I've been to Spain a couple of times before, so I'm at least familiar with some of the basics. And all of us speak Spanish and some Catalan (well, DS doesn't have any Catalan yet, but I'm sure he will by the end of the trip). I've just never been there with a kid and most people I know there are graduate students and single - not very connected with the kid scene.

[mamadelbosque]

I lived in spain for a year in college right before having kids. I would *LOVE* to move back someday. Its perfectly acceptable to take your kids out to bars for drinks & tappas and let them run around and play with other kids while you hang with friends. Theres lots of parks, and barcelona has a *wonderful* aqarium. You'll get to get in the groove of siesta (seriously, nothings open from aboug 2-5pm so theres nothin else to do - might as well sleep!!), and then going out at night till 11 or 12pm. Its a great place!!

[JuniperBCN]

Hola! I live in Barcelona with 2 toddlers. Summer here is pretty awesome, the parks and beaches are full, there are festivals every time you turn around and, yes, you can take your kids basically anywhere at any time. Tolerance for kiddy wildness is pretty high although when things get to be too much, the fun often ends with a big smackdown. Depending on when in the summer you're here, there could be lots of organized activities or none... August is sacred and not much is scheduled. There's an anglo web page "kids in barcelona" that has tons of info about what's going on where and when.

As for breastfeeding/AP sort of stuff, while it's not the norm, no one, not even my Catalan in-laws, has given me a hard time about any of it and we're on the co-sleeping, extended breastfeeding, unschooling, cloth diapering end of the spectrum. And a little NIP means nothing here seeing as how everyone's topless on the beach and flashing flesh all summer

If you have specifics, feel free to send me a message

[snguyen]

Although he lives in Madrid, Spain Dad (a nice fellow from Iowa) has a fun blog to follow, he and his wife have a preschooler and infant.

www.spaindad.blogspot.com