It's time we admit it: Breweries are better than playgrounds for parents of young kids

• I'm a mom of three kids ages 5, 3, and 3, and all of them have been going to breweries since little.
• With our first, we went so often we called him a #brewerybaby.

When my first baby was born in 2018, I had a hard time adjusting to being a new mom. Part of it was sleep deprivation, recovering from an emergency C-section, and my body not belonging to me. But also a huge part of it was how little socialization we did while our baby was still tiny.

Our first outing — beyond taking him to the pediatrician — was going to a brewery for a beer, just my husband, our baby, and me. I remember posting a photo of us on Instagram and a friend commenting, "They there again! Back to being you!"

He was right. Just because we had a baby, it didn't mean we had to stop doing the things we loved.

That's how #BreweryBaby started, a hashtag that we would use on Instagram and also started saying out loud. We would take our son on a brewery tour because we quickly realized that there is no better place for kids and parents than a brewery.

They are loud and chill

The magic about a good brewery is that they have a relaxed vibe, often with picnic tables and no assigned sitting. People get up and move around, and the casual setting often makes them super loud.

These two things are fantastic for kids. The loud conversation muffles the happy squeals or angry crying of your kids. The chill setting means you can let them move around freely, from new walkers taking laps around the floor to toddlers playing with newfound friends.

Unlike restaurants, there is no pressure to behave at a brewery (this probably applies to both children and adults). I remember often feeling stressed walking into a restaurant — even when it was a casual one — with my kids when they were younger because I knew for sure someone was going to have a meltdown, and I would have to leave my food getting cold on the plate.

Parents get to socialize

Before someone even suggests that maybe kids should be at a playground instead of a brewery, I want to turn the attention to the parents for a second. There is nothing more isolating and hard than being a parent. The days are long, and sometimes neverending.

Taking kids to a brewery allows parents to do something with their kids and their friends, where everyone can have fun.

Playgrounds don't allow the same dynamic because someone is always running away, trying to touch a dead squirrel, or putting something in their mouths that they shouldn't. At breweries, kids are confined, and there's generally always food, so when in doubt, hand your kid a snack, and everyone is happy.

All of our three kids have spent countless hours playing at breweries, from New York City to Maine, and even in Argentina. And if you ask them on any given night where they want to go, they'll all say unanimously, "Maine Beer Company," which is the closest to our current home. And we always oblige.