Baby Panda Bao Bao Debuts in January

What's better than the National Zoo's panda cams?

Seeing baby panda Bao Bao in person, of course!

Starting Jan. 18, the little bear—who weighed 13.2 pounds on Friday morning, Dec. 14—will be on display to the general public, who will have to queue up to see her at the David M. Rubenstein Family Giant Panda Habitat at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park (3001 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC).

The panda house has been closed since Bao Bao's birth on Aug. 23, although many zoo visitors have been able to see Bao Bao's mom, Mei Xiang, and dad, Tian Tian, in the pandas' outdoor habitat. 

Bao Bao—who received her name (which means "precious treasure") on Dec. 1—may or may not be on-display at any given time, though—it'll depend on what she and her mom are doing.

"The amount of time Bao Bao and her mother Mei Xiang will be on exhibit each day will depend on the bears’ behavior," the Smithsonian's National Zoo reported on Facebook on Wednesday.

"In the first few weeks they may not be on exhibit for long periods of time; they will spend more time on exhibit as Bao Bao gets older," the zoo continued.

The bears also will "have access to the den, where Bao Bao has spent much of the past few months, and may choose to spend time in it instead of in public viewing areas," the zoo added.

The zoo will not use the timed-entry tickets as was the case when Bao Bao's big brother, Tai Shan, made his debut, The Washington Post reported. 

"This time around ... [the zoo will] welcome visitors on a first-come, first-served basis. Visitors will be asked to line up outside the panda habitat," The Post added.

Don't want to wait until Jan. 18? Join the Friends of the National Zoo, whose members may visit Bao Bao at the panda house from Jan. 11 to 17.