This is the second article of our IITA Series, you can read the booking process here. 

We got into IITA at night and when it was morning, we knew we had to explore the grounds. The kids and I went off to take in the scenery. 

There are quite a number of things to do at IITA which include; 

1. Guided Tour 
2. Bird Watching 
3. Fishing 
4. Golf Course 
5. Table Tennis 
6. Lawn Tennis 
7. Swimming 
8. Lakeside view
9. Bicycle Riding 
10. Gym
11. Forest Walk
12. Salon 
13. Squash 
14. Basket Ball 

We had lunch at the snack bar: 

I had a burger and hubby had Poundo Yam. I will talk about my view of the food in my final review.

1. Bait doesn't have to be a worm. They used artificial fish as bait. 
2. Not all fish eat worms, some eat fish, some are vegetarians 
3. You can go and be unlucky and not catch anything. Like that day
4. There's the art & science to fishing 
5. They are in a fishing club
6. The man caught a 60+kg fish in that dam. for context a bag of rice is 50kg and he wrestled with it for about 22 mins. 
7. If you catch a small fish, you have to release it. You are only allowed to catch big ones.

 We are in IITA for a short holiday and the most FAQ is "How much" "What's booking like" I will share everything in this article.

IITA is an institute and they have a pretty strict policy so you can't just visit without making a reservation.

To make a Reservation you send an email to iita-reservations@cgiar.org stating the days you'd like to book for, they will tell you if it's available and what rooms they have with a copy of the current rates.

Here are the rates as at March 2022

My process: I called their reservation phone line (got on their website) asked for the available rooms and sent a mail but I didn't get a response to the mail so I called about 2 days to the day and found out they did not see my mail but responded to me immediately after the call. 

Apparently, they are very on top of their reservation emails and they will respond to you. 

Just note that they are booked and busy so don't do last minute. 

We found a new play place!!! 😍 @funvilleLagos

You're not allowed as a parent to follow your child around the play area and they have adequate provision with their HANDS-ON staff. I've not seen a more hands-on staff for play place I tell you. Then their hands-on staff has a supervisor that monitors all that the staff is doing and corrects them. It was beautiful to watch for a change.

They have a board that they use to record the time children come in and there is a call out once the time is almost up to prepare the kids that they have to leave soon. I can't even say how happy I was to see all these. You can tell they have processes and pay attention to details.

What I didn't like about the place: It's pricey for me 🤧🤧🤧which means we can't go back as often as I might have liked.

And the shooting ball thing. He says he wants to go there next time.

Location: VI, Lagos. It's accurate on the map.

Your child might put you in Gbese by crying for extra hours because they don't want to leave.
Cuddly Rating: 4.5/5

1. Give yourself grace: It's important you give yourself grace. You just had a whole baby, bask in it. Don't be in a hurry to "get back on track" enjoy life as it is now, it's a season. It will pass.

2. Every opportunity is a learning opportunity, live and learn: I know first hand you'd be tired to your teeth, take every opportunity as it is, a learning opportunity. Let your other child(ren) learn as they are living. E.g Make breakfast together, Take a walk with the baby, read a book together... Etc. 

3. Bond with older kid(s) when baby is asleep: Trust me it doesn't have to be anything fancy, your undivided attention is all they need. Answer all the questions they have, ask questions about what they are building, give hugs. Look out for the needs of your older child(ren) above your baby's own (except it's life and death 😂) because the baby will be fine...

4. Let their curiosity guide what you do: Have you seen kids? They have questions per second, what questions is your older child asking? Let it inform what you do per time. 

5. Do what you can, leave the rest: if you use boxed curriculums, do what you can. The fact that you think you have to go through a certain number of things in a day can stress you out so, do what you can and leave the rest. Did your child learn something? That's good enough. Don't think your child is "behind" because what are we measuring by? Whose calendar? There's no rush. 

6. Use the great resource - OUTDOOR! This is a saving grace. Go somewhere together, explore, experience new things, and have fun. Watch out for opportunities to learn and latch on to it. 

7. Use the other great resource - SCREEN TIME: When all else fails, When you need that nap when you need that break... Well, you know what to do. and if you are not into using screentime as a tool, skip this step

8. Brush off the guilt: The guilt can creep up on you, but don't let it win. It's a new experience for everyone in the family and learning is taking place even for your older child. They are learning to be more accommodating, gentle, responsible for another member of the family, be loving, disciplined, patient, kind and these are relevant skills too.