Beans & Babes

This post about Beans & Babes is long overdue, seeing as a good chunk of my mat leave has been spent here. While cruising the internet one day looking for a baby-friendly outing, I came across a little place called Beans & Babes, located in south Whitby. I quickly organized an outing there for the following week, and it quickly became a regular meeting spot for the Momtourage. We usually head there every other week.

Beans & Babes is a cafe tailored to moms with babies and young kids. There is a play area for toddlers and young kids, and there is even a section for babies, with age appropriate toys, exersaucers, and play mats. One of the things that I love about it is letting A try out new toys without having to buy them. I am horribly inept at picking the 'winning' toys. Earliest example of this - I refused to buy any Lamaze toys when I was pregnant. I scoffed at the $20 price tag on them, and snidely commented what a rip-off they were and that my kid could survive with cheap stuffed animals instead. How wrong I was - I quickly ate my words. We were given a Lamaze toy as a gift, and it was one of the few toys that A was interested in from a young age. And so, I headed back to the store to spend my own money on those $20 stuffed animals...and it was well worth it! That overpriced little penguin and  robot have been saviours in the car and in restaurants - I don't go anywhere without them.Now that I have gone completely off tangent...back to Beans! It's awesome to let A try out new toys to see what actually entertains him before spending money on new stuff.

Another thing that's awesome about Beans is how breastfeeding-friendly it is. There are big comfy armchairs to curl up in, as well as nursing pillows. You are never rushed when you're hanging out there, so if it takes you 40 minutes to feed your little one, no worries! The staff is wonderful, especially the owner Jordan, and are so accommodating, especially when you have a little one. They will bring water and drinks as you're nursing (as it can take SO long when they're newborns!), and do what they can to make you comfortable. I can't say enough about the staff - they are always so friendly and helpful.

Beans is also awesome for feeding the babes - they have tons of high chairs, offer free Cheerios, will warm up any food or bottles that you have, and their menu includes a special section for babies just starting solid foods, including toast fingers, shredded cheese, and fruit.

Below is a photo of a big Beans outing that I organized....I do believe that it is the biggest outing the Momtourage has had! What a great day it was - I got to spend time with new and old friends and all their little ones, ranging in age from 2 months to 5 years old!

One massive mommy crew! Back row: Kristin & Bryson, A and I, Angie and Wyatt, Julie & Daniel; Front row: Sharon & Brody, Mandy & London, Jen & Char, Ashley & Kennedy, Payton, Courtney & Sadie

If you have a Momtourage to head to Beans with, make sure you call ahead and book a table - if you have 6 or more moms, all the kids play is half price! Check out Beans & Babes on Facebook, as they often have contests for free play passes. You can also check out their website here: http://www.beansandbabes.ca/.

Have any of you been to Beans & Babes? Have you checked out any of the other play places in the area? There are a few that I've seen online but haven't been to yet, are they worth going to?