Full tummy, droopy lids signal onset of nap time

Jolie Breeden, Special to the News

Published March 31, 2006 at midnight

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There are some things you never expect to hear from your 4-year-old.

Like, for instance, "I wanna go to the disco. Are we at the disco yet?"

Yet that's what I heard from my be-sequined daughter, Sage, as we made our way down Pearl Street in Boulder one recent Saturday afternoon.

We were headed to Baby Loves Disco, an under-underage dance party that's been packing clubs with preschoolers from New York and Philadelphia for about a year now.

The concept had just recently headed West, hosting the first of its monthly events at the Boulder Theater in February. I thought it would be the perfect afternoon gig for my dancing diva, who's just as likely to bust a move to Beethoven as she is to Laurie Berkner.

We were running a little late, so by the time we hit the dance floor of the Boulder Theater, the place was a chaotic mix of Travolta-esque parents and twirling tykes.

Bubbles flowed freely and a slowly spinning disco ball sent crazy light patterns skittering across the walls.

"Wow," was all Sage managed to murmur before burying her face in my coat.

It took a few minutes, but I finally coaxed her out into the mix where she hit the dance floor with her Auntie Kelly, who had come along for a little of the '70s experience.

Freed from my clinging child, I decided to cruise the crowd and take in the atmosphere. I couldn't blame Sage for being overwhelmed. There was barely room to stand, and everywhere I looked were kids and parents decked out in full disco attire, princess dresses and flowing scarves that had been draped around the place for dancing fun.

Although I could have bellied up to the bar for a glass of wine or a Corona, I chose an organic juice box from one of the bowls scattered around the main floor before heading up to the balcony bar area, where a hula hoop heaven was in full swivel.

I stopped to chat with a few moms who ranged from totally relaxed to frantically chasing their children from one activity to the next. Michelle Storey had driven all the way from Castle Rock to do some dancing, but her son was more into building block towers than boogieing.

"I like the music," she said, sitting on the floor with a handful of blocks, "but it's probably the least interesting thing here for him."

For others, though, it was the opposite. Three-year-old Linzie Gray was rocking out with a scarf over her head even though the music - mostly staples from disco's '70s salad days - was barely audible in the balcony.

"It's nicer upstairs," she explained when I asked why she wasn't on the dance floor.

Indeed, things were less hectic in the balcony. A few moms took advantage of the dim lighting and dulled acoustics to breastfeed, and every now and then a daring darling would race to the balcony edge to take in the scene below. I took a peek myself and spied my own little progeny doing the hustle with a balloon in hand.

All work and no play makes for dull disco, so I headed back to the floor. I was hoping to catch a dance with my daughter, but apparently, I missed the window.

Instead, Sage had just noticed the full buffet of food from Wild Oats, and her interest had shifted from shaking bootie to eating Veggie Booty, a puffed vegetable snack that she normally won't eat.

As I sat her down with a plate full of Fuji apples, Bosc pears and the now-treasured booty, she patted my arm reassuringly.

"Don't worry, Mommy," she said. "After I eat all my yummy delicious food, I'll dance some more with you."

But a half an hour later, with a full belly and drooping lids, I couldn't even lure her into one of the book-filled down-time tents that had been set up for the over-stimulated to get away from it all.

"I think I may need my nap," she ventured uncharacteristically.

According to Heather Murphy Monteith, the creator of Baby Loves Disco, Sage's reaction is par for the course, and the reason why there's many different activities packed into every spare space.

"There's a different experience for each mood and development of each child," she said. "There's different children, and there's a lot of different reactions."

Although I was surprised that my normally frenetic 4-year-old had hit the wall with less than two hours of dancing under her belt, we called it a day. True to her word, she was asleep before we hit the highway. Back at home though, she woke up just long enough to ask one question.

"Mommy, when can we go back to the disco?"

Baby Loves Disco

• When and where: The next gathering is at 2 p.m. April 22 at the Boulder Theater, 2032 14th St.

• Cost: $10

• Information: 303-786-7030 or www.babyloves disco.com or

• Can't get out of the house? Try some music suitable for kids of all ages. 19D

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