Maggie Gyllenhaal

Maggie Gyllenhaal on the Challenge of Raising a City Kid

In recent years, Maggie Gyllenhaal's heartbreaking intuitive film performances and gawky beauty have catapulted her onto Hollywood's A-list. She also has the honor of being one of Babble's most-searched celebs, thanks largely to the many photographs of her breastfeeding her daughter — Ramona, now two years old — in public. Although we imagine that the paparazzi weren't a welcome addition to feeding time, Gyllenhaal's "my-kid's-hungry-photographers-be-damned" attitude — not to mention her obvious joy at bonding with her daughter — earned her wide admiration among mothers everywhere. Recently, Gyllenhaal was on hand at Fisher Price's unveiling of their new "Precious Planet" line, to present a check from Fisher Price to the Wildlife Conservation Society — a cause she feels strongly about supporting. Babble spoke to the Batman: The Dark Knight star about navigating subways with a toddler, sleep training, and her valiant effort to split parenting duties equally with her husband, actor Peter Sarsgaard.
You were talking about how important it is for kids to connect with nature through the zoos and parks when they live in the city. What has your overall experience of raising your daughter in the city been like?
There are things that are great. Like, I imagine that if I were living in the country, it would be very difficult to meet other kids, to meet other mothers. I think it's easier in Brooklyn. We live pretty near Prospect Park, and when we go to the big meadow in Prospect Park and just let her go, she's so happy. But I have trouble with, "Oh, don't pick that up, that's disgusting! No, you can't put that snow in your mouth, you can only put this snow over here in your mouth!" I don't like that.
And at the same time, she goes to this lovely ballet class with other two-year-olds, and she has another lovely little music-and-movement class in Brooklyn that's taught by a real New York dancer with a great mind. Not that you can't find that if you're not living in a city, but it's everywhere in the city. And I do love that.
But I think it's hard. The subways I find so difficult. She's not quite big enough that I don't need to bring a stroller, but she's big enough that I cannot lift her in her stroller by myself. My subway station on the weekend closes its gates, so you can't even open the special door and put her through it. You have to take everything out of the stroller, fold the stroller up, pick her up . . . And if I had another kid, like the women that I see with a couple — I don't know how you do it alone on the subway. I don't know why that should be so hard.

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