While the first year with your baby can be a wild ride filled with sleepless nights and seemingly endless diaper changes, it's also a time filled with family fun and exploration. If you live in Chicagoland, there’s no shortage of great things to do with babies. These outings help keep wee ones entertained—and parents sane.

Your little one may not have been able to explore the city as much as you would have hoped this past year. But now it's time to get out there! This list of activities are all outdoors or places where it’s easy to social distance. Best of all, they are all perfect for babies under the age of one. From the zoos to the beaches, here’s our round-up of 20 things every Chicago baby should try before their first birthday. 

For quarantine babies, the first year of life probably looked a little different. That doesn’t mean their birthday should be any less special. It’s your baby’s first birthday and you’ve been parents for a year—that’s something to celebrate! To help you with some special first birthday ideas, we’ve rounded up a few fun ways to host a quarantine birthday party for babies, with social distancing in mind. 

Because a first birthday is also a celebration for the parents, we're going beyond just first birthday cakes and serving up treats for adults, too. Whether it’s virtual or in-person, we've got plenty of first birthday party themes and ideas to help mark this momentous occasion safely. Happy quarantine birthday, baby.