With spring-like weather comes spring showers, and it's great being outside with your baby when you can, but sometimes that is simply not possible.

Today we are talking about playhouses, why you should bring your baby to one, and if they are worth the hype. Thanks for joining us. This is Newbies. Welcome to Newbies. My name is Kaile Garcia, and I'll be your host today. If you haven't already, be sure to visit our website at newmommymedia.com and subscribe to our weekly newsletter, which keeps you updated on all the episodes we release each week.

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Our expert today is Jessica Lawson- Yay ... owner of the Palmetto Playhouse in Beaufort, South Carolina. Thanks for joining us, and tell us a little bit about where you're located, where you're from, and who's in your family.

Yes. Hi, I'm so excited to be here. We are located in Beaufort, South Carolina. More specifically, we are on Boundary Street.

Who is part of my family? It's me. My name's Jessica. We have a daughter named Ocie. She's the reason behind everything we do. And my husband, Will. It's just the three of us.

think that's so cool, and I love moms who start businesses because they became moms. I think that's just like- Yeah

it's so inspiring. It's awesome. So anyway, we will dive into this topic, but first, let's take a quick break.

Welcome back. Today, we're discussing indoor playhouses. So full disclosure to our listeners, I've been to the Palmetto Playhouse. It's so much fun. I didn't know the hype of playhouses, specifically in interesting weathered areas, and we'll go into more detail about that.

But first, tell us more about your experience in opening up the playhouse, Jessica. Where did you get the inspiration and how did it come to life?

For sure. So when we first moved to Beaufort, I was working as a nanny. I... A little bit about me, I am a career nanny. I've actually traveled all across America nannying for different families, and that's how I met my husband in Hawaii.

So I'm very familiar with a lot of playhouses children's museums, all of those things. But when we first moved to Beaufort and working as a nanny, I also was a stay-at-home mom to my daughter, who's now almost three. And that first year for us here was really lonely. My husband's a United States Marine Corps drill instructor, and I just was not ready for this lifestyle yet.

If you guys don't know, they go to work at 3:00 in the morning and sometimes don't get home until 8:00 at night or not at all. It's just really rigorous training for them. So at the time, my daughter was a year and a half and just starting to walk, so even getting out of the house felt really hard. In the summer here in Beaufort, the mosquitoes are so bad.

They were biting her little face. It was miserable. And then in the winter, it snows here. Yeah. It's like April, it's April 9th today, and it's 50 degrees this morning. It's crazy, but it's also... It can be so beautiful here. But we were always, it was either too cold, too hot, or she was getting sick a lot.

So I really struggled during that time just trying to find my place here in Beaufort, figure out where to go and where we fit in. So finally, I decided to take a leap and create something of my own, Palmetto Playhouse. It's been a lot of learning, a lot of growth, and definitely some challenges, but seeing the kids enjoy the space and parents make connections in real time is so worth it.

I love it, and I love that my next question gearing up to what you already answered, but with different locations. I grew up in a big city where I knew about children's museums, but I didn't really know about playhouses. So I feel like- Yeah ... there's different types of playhouses out there.

There's children's museum, indoor playhouses, outdoor playhouses. Can you kinda differentiate between some of the ones you were in between creating, and what you chose to do here?

Yeah, it's like a l- a niche for sure I had no idea about myself. And I uncovered this whole world.

There's definitely different types of playhouses. Some, like you said, are geared more towards older kids with climbing structures, like children's museums with ball pits and all those things. Mine is definitely has a bigger focus on younger kids with imaginative sensory-based play. My main goal was to create a space specifically for babies, toddlers, and younger kids that weren't in school yet, so like a stay-at-home mom somewhere, someone that isn't able to go out and make connections but needs a place to go.

I wanted it to feel safe, clean, and developmentally appropriate, but also really fun and engaging like a children's museum. So we have a lot of STEM toys as well. You've been here, you've seen it. I also wanted it to be a place where parents could actually relax a little, connect with other families, and not feel like you're having to jump up a million times to save your child from falling off a dangerous structure.

Definitely. I feel like parks are fun, but whoever created parks and the makeshift structures they have, I'm like, "What are you doing?" If I have a baby and a toddler, I can't be on the structure. Anyway, that's a whole different episode. Oh, yeah. But going into safety are playhouses safe slash fun for babies who are crawling?

So I went to the playhouse with my two-year-old, now three-year-old. She loves it. She had a great time. I was a little skeptical about bringing my baby, and at the time she was, like, three months I went, and then she was there again at six months. I've come, around the corner, 'cause once you go, you realize that there is so much to do for babies who are crawling.

Yeah. But Jessica, I'm answering your question. Take it away. I love it. Is there... Yeah, what are there for, babies to do specifically? Yeah.

That's a really big misconception, too. I get calls all the time, "Would my one-year-old love it?" Even that, even questions like that. But yes, crawling babies actually benefit a lot from this kind of environment because it encourages movement, curiosity, and sensory development.

As a parent, not having to worry about them crawling and often eating mulch or really- Yeah ... dirty public park grounds, it's so nice to have a super thick padded floor. Our padded floor has a four-foot fall radius. It's super bouncy. And we also clean it with hospital-grade disinfectant, so they're really able to just go.

You just put them down and just let them go, even if that means putting things in their mouth. We have two separate yuck buckets- ... signage. So we definitely we know that things are gonna go in the mouth, and we want that because that helps with development, and we take care of cleaning so you

don't have to.

I love that. I also love just the aspect, 'cause my baby was crawling the last time I went there, that there's j- her looking at other kids, other toddlers- ... is so stimulating for her, and it's such a safe place to do it because she could be... You have a little section that has like- ... you know- Just for babies

I think it's under two. Yeah, so two and under, so they can just calmly look and not be like, in the midst of all the fun- Knocked over ... toddlers running around. Exactly. I loved that so much. That's something that's, that is unique

to Palmetto Playhouse. I'd never- Yes ... seen that anywhere else in other the s- the other surrounding indoor play spaces.

And as, I wanna protect my own baby, I designed that with her in mind, never getting knocked over by a big kid again.

Exactly. Okay, so switching gears. We're talking about crawlers. Now let's talk about walkers. And you know what's funny now that I have a second baby, I realize that everyone walks totally different, right?

I was talking to- Yeah ... some moms, and some kids walk as early as 10 months, others 15 months, and it's both very normal, right? But anyway- Yeah ... what do you have for, the walking babes who maybe are under a year or just right around a year walking around, so they're still- Yeah ... little babies. But how can a playhouse like yours benefit them?

For sure.

Playhouses become even more exciting when we get to that learning how to walk and falling and getting back up. That's when they really start to explore independently, climbing, pretending, interacting with different play stations. At my playhouse, we make sure there are areas that support those early walkers, things like small climbing structures, pretend play setups that are on their level.

I actually designed our slide. Instead of just buying a generic one, I designed one that has one side that has very steep, low stairs that you can work your way up with handlebars, and then on the other side, we have a rock wall that helps you get up to the slide. So we have one for the new walking babies and one for the old, a side for the older kids.

It's also just a great place for building confidence and social skills, like you said, because they're around other kids their age learning and playing together.

Oh, I love that. And I do think the stay-at-home mom trope is amazing, right? But I think what one thing that they struggle with is the social interaction and getting out there and, like- seeing other kids. And so I love these small businesses like your own where you can get moms together, get babies who are similar ages together, and just see them, explore and grow and be- Yeah ... with each other. 'Cause for the moms I my kids aren't in daycare. That's what I worry- Yeah ... about is ugh, the social interactions.

When are we gonna do some? Yeah. And these playhouses, perfect. However, I'm jumping ahead. Let's take a quick break. When we get back, we will talk more about playhouses and especially social interactions. Welcome back. We're continuing our conversation with Jessica and the Palmetto Playhouse. So we were chatting before the break that, importance of social interactions with small babies.

Can you maybe elaborate on why a playhouse is so important and can totally be used as a one-on-one swap as like a play date? "Let's go to the Palmetto Playhouse. Let's go..." I feel like- Yeah ... it's a good spot to meet up with for moms who have young babies. For small babies. Yes.

So one of the biggest misconceptions is that babies don't really need social interaction yet, but they absolutely do.

It's just in a different way than older kids, and this comes from my experience as a nanny. I am also a postpartum doula, newborn care specialist, so I'm a total nerd when it comes to all of this. But even before they can talk, babies are studying everything, facial expressions, tone of voice, how other childrens move-- children move and react.

That's actually how early communication and emotional regulation start developing. As a career nanny, I've seen that babies who are regularly around other children tend to be- become more curious, more observant, and more comfortable in new environments over time. It's not about forcing interaction, it's about exposure.

Even if just sitting near another baby, watching them play or reaching for the same toy is meaningful at that stage, like learning to share. That's a lot. That's something we see a lot here. And something I really wanna support within my playhouse is giving babies a safe space to experience that kind of early social learning while parents are right there to support them.

I love that so much. And I love-- I'm sure we're like halfway through our episode right now, and I'm sure our listeners are envious if you're not in the low country. However, I think it's important to look for playhouses in your area. I'll shout out, I know I had my firstborn in, on Oahu in Hawaii, and they had- Ooh

very similar, it's called Gymboree. It's very big in Hawaii and in California. Oh, yeah. It's like an indoor playhouse. They actually have classes. It's really awesome. So again, if you're not in the low country, that's okay. Look for specific playhouses that offer, like a great jungle gym or like a play space inside, and that offer those social interactions for all ages.

Speaking of events for all ages- Yeah ... can you tell me more about some of the events you put on? And I know it's not just for babies, but babies are welcome. Yeah. But what are some of the different events you thought of putting on and have like actually done for the kids? Yes.

It's, events are, we are heavy with the events, and not all of them are just for the kids.

So a lot of moms, especially in those early years, can feel super isolated like I did, so I try to keep that in mind and design events that touch on those hard topics that we don't often get to talk about or don't know where to find. So we recently had a pelvic floor therapist come out. That's not something- Ooh

that's for the kids, but the kids definitely got to have fun and play. Moms got to ask Q&A type of meeting. Yeah, we've also had a doula team come out. You can ask- Ooh ... what is-- And they had a sign on their table that I love, and it was, "What is a doula?" And it's just- I love that ... amazing to me that people are still, that is such a big question that people are still asking.

So putting these type of people in front of moms that might not have heard of them. Also, we recently did a car seat cleaning company. They came out, and while the kids played, cleaned the car seats in the parking lot. It was awesome. I use that service myself, for sure. But we also do fun character events for kids where parents can come in and relax and watch their children's face light up when they get to meet their idols, their icons, like the Easter Bunny or Bluey.

We're doing Bluey this weekend. We have Paw Patrol coming in the future. We do little fun t- fun dances with the kids, and we have more to come soon. I've seen moms come in not knowing anyone, and then after the two-hour sessions, they've made friendships and even shared contacts, like phone numbers, and started returning together.

Like the next time I see them is together, and that's honestly one of the most rewarding parts of owning- Ugh ... Palmetto Playhouse.

We have, we're gearing up with our new season now. I have a couple of episodes planned out about finding a mom tribe. Yeah. And I think that's so important, especially with young kids and with moms who work part-time or stay at home or- it's really hard to get out there. And even moms who are working, it's hard, 'cause you could have coworkers who have kids. Yeah, go to work. Go home. E- exactly. And then their kids could be, like, high schoolers, yeah. So you really aren't on the same level as far as parenting goes, different struggles.

But I love that so much. Yeah. So I guess my next question is what advice would you have for moms who have never been to a playhouse before? And specifically what questions do you think they should be asking themselves? Okay, is this the right, playhouse for us? Yeah. I feel like it's a yes, win-win, right?

Always. There is no bad answer. But, what advice would you give them, for the moms who have never been before and still on the fence?

Yeah, I would say don't worry about having everything perfectly planned before you come. One of the biggest things I was in- was intentional about when creating Palmetto Playhouse was making it feel easy for moms.

I'm, I have, as a mother myself, come home from an outing and been like, "Okay, that left me drained, left me more exhausted than before I left." Especially those first-time moms, because I remember how overwhelming it can feel just leaving the house with a baby. So we've really thought through all those little details.

We have toddler-appropriate snacks available, a changing table, and even a private nursing room that's stocked with things like a bottle warmer and extra diapers just in case you forget something. I wanted moms to f- walk in and feel like, "Okay, I don't have to stress here. I'm taken care of too." And for your child, there's no pressure.

They can explore at their own pace, stay close to you if they need to, or slowly warm up to the space. It's really about creating soft, welcoming first experience, not just for the kids, but for the moms too. And just like our moms who come in not knowing anyone and then leaving two hours later with a friend, the kids are doing that too.

I've seen toddlers being really shy, maybe even crying when they first get here, but then they're crying 'cause they don't wanna leave, and they've made a friend and practiced sharing for two hours. Yeah, it's such a blessing. I

love that. That's so cool. I will say, this is a huge shout-out to you and I'm not gonna shout out the children's museum I went to, but I went to a children's museum-

somewhere in the South, I'm not gonna say where, and they did not have public bathrooms. So we had to go outside- Oh, no ... into, it was in a communal area, so there was other stores in the area. But I was just like, "Okay, how do you have a children's museum and not, like-" No. Yes, I know- You know? ... what you're

talking about.

They don't even- Yes ... have a potty for the potty trainers. Yeah. Exactly. It's- We have a little step stool in our potty because- Exactly ... I know.

Yes. It's important 'cause with that toddler age, they're learning to go to the bathroom, and some people carry around a toilet. I don't do that with my daughter.

I just kind of- ... hoisted her up in the toilet and she was fine. Yep. But I loved also, now that I have a babe with me, that you also carry diapers and wipes. That is so you. I think that's amazing, and that's just another piece of just comfort. You're like, you're at home. We're just- Yes

going to this play place that's in our backyard in a sense, i've been caught out and

have to just stop at Food Lion just to get super cheap diapers, and I don't want you to have to worry about that.

It's so sweet. Yeah, that's just another added bonus to playhouses. Okay. Well, we're almost done with our conversation, but we have a few more questions, so we're gonna take one of our last breaks and then we'll be right back.

Welcome back to Newbies. We are continuing our topic. So we spoke a lot about Palmetto Playhouse. We spoke a lot about different playhouses in general, but I really want you to shine a little bit more on your playhouse and the story behind it. So tell us more about Palmetto Playhouse, exactly who can come.

We're doing a podcast about babies, but there are moms with older kids listening. Yes. So- Yes ... for this type of playhouse, who's welcome? And tell us a little bit more. This will be my favorite part. I

love bragging about who we are and what we do. So Palmetto Playhouse is an indoor play space geared towards children ages zero to seven, but it's really more than just a place to play.

We do welcome anyone who can use their imaginative play. I would love to promote that we've had kids that are even nine years old coming in and using their imagination, which is something that's getting more and more rare now that we have iPads and computers- ... and phones. So I, I built Palmetto Playhouse around what I've seen families actually need.

From my experience as a nanny in the community and as a mother myself, everything we do is really intentional. We offer things like preschool hour on Thursday mornings and story time on Wednesdays to give kids a little bit of a structure and early learn- learning in a fun, low-pressure way. We also bring in special characters and do holiday events, so there's always something exciting going on, and families have a reason to come back and make lots and lots of memories here.

We also have snacks- Oh, I love snacks ... diaper ta- like we talked about earlier, diaper changing station, nursing room, bottle warmer, all of those things, so don't fret.

That's so perfect. Okay, so where can our listeners find you, especially if they are tuning in the Lowcountry, 'cause there's only a few playhouses near us.

So it's nice that- Yes ... you have one, but where can they find you? And also if they are making a trip- I wish I could

build a million more. That is, that might be our long-term plan. Who knows? But you, for now, you can find us at www.palmettoplayhousebeaufort.com or on Instagram at palmetto_playhouse_beaufort and Facebook at Palmetto Playhouse Beaufort LLC.

Our address is 2127 Boundary Street, Suite 13, Beaufort, South Carolina. And- Perfect ... I think that's all of it. There's so many out there, so many social medias.

I know, there's a lot, but everyone's on... i'm a big Facebook person. That- Yeah ... totally ages me. I'm a millennial, you know what's funny? I feel like the military community is really big on Facebook as well.

Big. Yes. So I feel like it's okay that I- We are in all the groups Yeah. That's so fun. Okay, so last question. Well, actually I have two questions. I have a trick question, not really trick. But before we say the last question, I want you to tell me what's been one of your favorite experiences, and you can even give me like one or two.

What's one of your favorite experiences that you've seen since opening the playhouse? You've done a couple of holidays, right? So you've done like Easter recently. I remember I came for the very first like unveil or whatever for New Year's Eve or New Year's Day. So you've done a few holidays. What has been, and you don't have to say a holiday memory, but what's some like special memory that like sticks out in your brain since opening your playhouse?

Oh man, there's been so many that I'm already starting to for- it's so much to take in, and every day I leave feeling a little bit exhausted, but very much my cup is filled. So we've had all local authors come out and read, and the kids absolutely love that. We specifically, we had an author come out who wrote a book about her dog, Luna. Aw. And I have continued, and I've gotten to meet...

Like I would've never met her organically before I opened the playhouse. And so I've gotten to meet some incredible people. Even our preschool teacher, I would've never met her, but now she's one of my good friends and I bounce a lot of my ideas, and I consider her almost a business partner, 'cause I went into this alone.

And I have, we have the author who brought her dog, Miss Jennifer tons of people who would do anything for me if I was like, "Hey, I need help at the playhouse." "Hey, I'm there. I'll come help. I'll do this event." And I feel like I've also made a lot of friends by opening the Palmetto Playhouse.

Oh good. I love that. It's such a blessing

for me because that is why I created it, for other moms, and in return I'm getting to make connections as well.

That's the whole point of motherhood, especially to littles, right? I feel like- Yeah ... making connections and relating to, other moms who are literally in the thick of it, whether it's potty training or, car seat clean-out.

How can we keep our cars clean? I don't know. Yeah. But having a car seat clean out is amazing.

Bring us your dirty car seats, because guess what? I'm a mom, I get it. I'm the one that did it. Yeah. 'Cause I need to clean a car seat.

So last question, finally, is for people who are in the area, how can they sign up to visit your playhouse?

Do you book out? What are some popular times where it might be beneficial to book a couple days in advance?

Yes. We strongly recommend that you guys make reservations online and check out our different events and daily schedule, just in case that day we have a music class, preschool class. You know what you're walking into, 'cause it can get crazy.

But we do also accept walk-ins. It's $15 for the first child and $12 for siblings. Our military families, we-- they only pay $12 for the first child and $10 for each sibling after that. Our goal was to be affordable for our community, because I believe that accessible play should not be a luxury. It's something that every child deserves.

Oh, I love that saying. Well, geez, this has been such an uplifting episode. I hope we have converted some of other moms who have not been into playhouses, right? I can't wait to have you. Especially, one more time-- Yeah. Can you just talk really quick it threw me. I just thought of something. You did talk about disinfectant, but for the moms who are scared- Yes

of the cooties, right? Okay. The sicknesses, the illnesses. One more time, I know you said it earlier in the episode, but you do disinfect. Playhouses are very clean. We absolutely do.

Yes, we absolutely do. I'm actually holding it in my hand right now. We use CleanSmart. It's a hospital-grade disinfectant, and it is not a harsh chemical.

It's actually a type of acid. I cannot say the word, and I'm not gonna try. But it's natural. And when babies put toys in their mouth, which they will, it's not gonna harm them, it's safe for the toys, and it kills 99.9% of all bacteria. So we use that. We actually use a hydro vac every day, so it vacuums and mops at the same time.

Instead of just using water, we put the hospital-grade disinfectant in the water, mop with that, because little hands are also on the play mats. We are a socks-on, shoes-off facility, so no shoes are allowed in the playroom, so no worries about that. I'm very happy to inform everyone that we've not had any complaints about sickness, flu, nothing bad.

We, we had one mom that thought that she might have gotten sick from here, and no other complaints other than that, and then she circled back a few weeks later that it was from someone else, which I was thrilled to hear. I take it very personally, cleaning. My h- my daughter is a heart warrior baby. She does have a Heart defect that causes her to have upper respiratory infections very easily.

So yes, lots. We have about four or five spray bottles of different things up front, our yuck buckets, mopping constantly, and we try to pick a playhouse every day to steal the toys from, take up front, and disinfect every little piece and put it back before anyone even notices. Oh, that's perfect. I love that question.

Yay. No, thank you. You went in great detail, too. I love it. Oh, it is. Yeah. Well, thank you so much- It should ... for coming on It

definitely should be in great detail. Yes. Yay. Thanks so much

for having me. We can't wait to have you guys out very soon. Perfect. Well, thank you again for joining us on this episode today.

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