Toddler Travel in Bahrain

First few weeks living in Bahrain

Since we have all been out in Bahrain, we have enjoyed simply being together and the slower paced life that comes along with that. Milo and I are so happy each day to wake up in a spot in which our whole family exists. There are some trickier parts too like battles with the heat and new dangerous furniture to climb and jump from but overall our worries are small and our happiness so big. Bahrain is very child friendly which has helped with our transition and the hakuna matata lifestyle we have been living lately. A couple aspects that make this place such a great place for kids include:

The people and their welcoming nature: People are warm and infatuated with children! Not only adults either, but other children will also often run over to see, play with, and help Milo in anything he does, It is sweet and heart warming to see complete strangers act with such love toward our boy wherever we go. We were swimming at the pool one day and Milo had met some older friends he was swimming with- amidst their swim the children’s mother left only to return with ice cream cones and swimmies for all the kids (including Milo) and drinks for all the adults including myself. The generosity and kindness is incredible to be part of.

Environments: Every leisure activity across the country seems to hold children as a priority in design. Restaurants and malls have play spaces, apartment buildings have indoor parks and kiddie pools, and when we all visited the Souq (Outdoor Bazaar) Milo came away with gifts because of the constant generosity toward him. Kids are thought of always, and that as a parent makes it easier to simply enjoy life.

Favorite things to do:

–Check out the malls. Malls are a big gathering place for people and families across Bahrain. These spaces are very different than U.S. malls as they are often more interactive experiences that you may go to spend time with family and friends for a day versus simply shopping. (Some include)

The Bahrain Mall

Moda Mall

The Avenues

Seef Mall

City Center Bahrain

District 1 Mall

We ventured to Mall of Dilmunia recently, which is basically a giant playground for kids and adults. Because Bahrain is so hot for so much of the year pedestrian gathering places often move inside. These malls are different than malls at home in the U.S. For example- At this mall, there are rock walls, fountains, trampolines, an arcade, an ice skating rink, super hero statues, a kids train, and Milo’s favorite… aquarium walls! We spent to much time admiring the fish(ies) that span three floors and laughing at Milo’s fish face.

– Water-play parks. This is something a bit different than we have in the U.S. and I don’t know how else to label these parks. But they are composed of fountains and sprinklers everywhere with an occasional small waterslide thrown in for good measure. Milo is infatuated with all of these and loves dragging Adam and I into the play so we wind up getting just as wet as our little one.

– The Beach. Although there is not as much of a beach culture in Bahrain as there is in the U.S., there are many resorts on the island that make it easy to jump back into enjoying beachy vibes. Our favorite beach has been at the Art Rotana. Milo loves wading in the water and playing in the sand when we visit. Because I’m a perpetual beach bum we go often! He also loves going down the water slides here… he even tries to go off the big kid ones sneakily whenever he can.

–Walking the Corniches… (One we ventured to recently) Busaiteen Coniche is like a boardwalk that juts up to the sea and provides a beautiful place to stroll in the evenings. Because we all like being by the water strolling along these walkways has been a relaxing way to end our evenings before Milo’s bed times. Plus Milo loves making friends as the parks that are speckled along the Corniches. At his last park his little friend gave him a chocolate bar and he was on cloud 9.

Milo’s Favorites:

1. The Pool! He loves “swimming” (A.K.A jumping into the water like a wild man) and now exclaims his favorite new word multiple times per day to bring us to his favorite part of our new home.
2. Toys he has acquired from base activities: His beads and duck toys he acquired from an on base Independence Day bash are near and dear to Milo’s heart right now.
3. Rocks and sand he collects and plays with at the beaches and pool!

Blooper:

1. On a visit to the Mall of the Dilmunia, Milo ran right into a wall of a shop… full force. He had no clue it was there! Public spaces are kept immaculately clean in Bahrain and many walls are completely glass, thus it actually is difficult to see where a wall starts and where the air ends.