October 2013 - Adventure, baby!

Month: October 2013

Huskisson Bakery & Cafe, Kid-Friendly Cafes, Huskisson, Shoalhaven, NSW

October 31, 2013 / Huskisson, Shoalhaven / 0 comment

A trip to Huskisson is not complete unless you stop at the affectionately known Husky Bakery for something delicious. The draw card is the extensive pie menu where you actually get large chunks of meat in the pie – however we stopped in for a quick morning tea in between visits to the beach and the nearby park.

Husky Bakery - #kid-friendly #cafes - #Huskisson, #NSW via brunchwithmybaby.com — Husky Bakery Outside, Photo by Katia Barker

On previous visits we got take-out, but today, with nothing much on the agenda we opted for dine in and were surprised at how kid-friendly the Husky Bakery really is! Whilst you can’t really go wrong with a sweets display full of fresh and fun options, the Husky Bakery has really catered towards the younger crowds. There is a long covered eat-in area out the back with several highchairs available for use, but the best bit is the full size playground set – also under cover for the kids to run riot whilst the adults enjoy a coffee or two.

Our food choices were simple but very fresh and the coffee hot and tasty. Ross went savoury, with a Spinach and Fetta Roll ($3.60) but I could not go past the sweets and ordered a Mini Lemon Meringue Tart ($2.80). Cupcakes were right at child eye-level and it worked, Jenson ordered a bright pink Cupcake ($2.80).

Husky Bakery - #kid-friendly #cafes - #Huskisson, #Sydney via brunchwithmybaby.com — Jenson sat sit for just long enough to take this photo with his cupcake $2.80, Photo by Katia Barker

Isla wasn’t in the mood to sit quietly or still for very long, and we’d run out of our emergency supply of food for her so after our last drops of coffee were gone, and Jenson had descended the slide a few more times we made our exit down one of the two handy ramps.

Last Bite: The Huskisson Bakery and Café is a must stop location for anyone visiting Huskisson with kids, even if just passing through town to head further south. They know what kids like and have well-catered towards their needs, especially with the burgeoning camping crowds in summer when there is a freak downpour! Get in early and claim your table near the playground, as this place gets busy!

Highchairs: Yes
Stroller Storage: Yes
Easy Access: Yes
Change Tables: No
Kids Menu: Not dedicated, but what kid would turn back a cupcake (or lamington) it’s Un-Australian!
Huskisson Bakery & Café
11 Currambene Street, Huskisson, NSW 2540
Phone: 02 4441 5015
Price: $
Hours: Monday – Sunday 6:30am – 5:00pm

TANJONG BEACH CLUB: Kid-Friendly Restaurants, Sentosa, Singapore

October 29, 2013 / Food Reviews, Sentosa, Singapore / 0 comment

We’ve visited Tanjong Beach Club a couple of times before, but it’s always worth a re-visit every time we’re in Sentosa. The pool is a hit with the kids, and it’s a lovely way to have a bit of a play before a leisurely dinner afterwards.

It never seems to be crowded during weekdays, but I bet it’s popular on weekends. This suits me just fine, because we almost always have the pool to ourselves, and we’re spoiled for choice when it comes to choosing a seat.

There are two steps in the pool that stretch across it lengthwise, excellent for young kids. And every time I’ve dipped in the pool, the water has been really warm – perhaps because there’s not much sun cover above it, so the water heats up during the day. Point to note: bring sunscreen!

There’s also a long wooden deck area by the side of the pool, where the sofa lounges are. It means I can sit and rest on the sofa and watch the kids play on the deck, or pop in and out of the pool.

The beach is RIGHT THERE but, as expected, Hunter isn’t quite a fan of it.

Carter? Even worse. He just can’t deal with it. Guess my kids aren’t destined to be beach bums..

After the kids are sufficiently tired out, we adjourn for a nice dinner by the pool (though we had to move indoors half-way as it started raining).

Their Fried calamari is always a winner. The calamari has good bite but isn’t tough, and the batter is seasoned perfectly. A must-order.

The Fish & chips (kids portion) is heavy on the chips, and offers two fish nuggets. I would have expected more, or larger fish chunks. Regardless, the kids loved this.

I asked for my Prawn pasta to be “no spice”, but turns out it was still quite spicy. Carter (oddly) had no issues with it and slurped up more than half this (main meal size) portion! Hunter though, wailed like he’d been injured and refused to eat any of this.

Their Burger is delicious, though I would have preferred a larger patty (it was dwarfed by the rest of the burger) and less fries.

Both kids were really well behaved through the meal, with no fuss, and ate well. Actually, they were pretty angelic!

I attribute it to all the running around and swimming that they did for ages, before sitting down for our meal 😉

Last Bite: Tanjong Beach Club has a lovely pool for the kids to enjoy a swim in, before sitting down for a beach-side dinner. An excellent outing for the kids! Make sure you order the Fried Calamari.

Highchairs: Yes
Easy access: Yes
Change tables: ?
Kids’ menu: ?

Tanjong Beach Club
120 Tanjong Beach Walk
Sentosa
Singapore 098942
Phone: 6270 1355
Prices: $$$
Hours: Tue – Fri: 11:00 am – 11:00 pm, Sat – Sun: 10:00 am – 11:00 pm

Pilgrim’s Wholefood, Kid-Friendly Cafes, Huskisson, Shoalhaven, NSW

October 29, 2013 / Huskisson, Shoalhaven / 0 comment

We decided to take a cheeky mid-week Spring break down to the sunny holiday spot of Jervis Bay for a few days and Huskisson is a family favourite of ours. Finding kid-friendly cafes beyond fish and chips was a new experience we were willing to take on and Pilgrim’s Wholefood was an excellent start. Tucked along a retail corridor the interior of Pilgrims encapsulates a beach side cantina feel with a little bit of Sydney hipness.

Being a devoted meatatarian I was impressed by the modern menu, which is made up solely of vegetarian options utilizing local fresh produce. The wait staff helpfully offered up the most popular choices (both burgers!). Ross selected the Bliss Burger, $11 (mixed grain pattie with fried onion, avocado, cheese, tabouleh, sprouts, special sauce & peanut sauce on a wholemeal roll) and I opted for the Millenium Burger $11 (Curry lentil pattie, fried onion, avocado, lettuce, beetroot, cucumber, sprouts, tahini sauce & sweet chilli sauce on a toasted wholemeal roll). Jenson had a Kids Burger, $8 (mixed grain pattie, fried onion, cheese, sprouts & special sauce on a toasted wholemeal roll).

Pilgrim's Wholefoods - #kid-friendly #cafes - #Huskisson, #NSW via brunchwithmybaby.com — The Millenium Burger

We all opted for cold drinks and Jensons’ Kids Banana Smoothie, $4.50, was generous in size and arrived first, which is always smart when kids are dining. The adult Thickshakes, $7, each are served in traditional chilled metal cups and hit the spot on a warm day.

The adult burgers were both delicious and satisfying and didn’t need any accompaniments such as chips, although they were a little messy. Jenson tried his burger but wasn’t really into the non-traditional flavours. It would be more suitable for a child who is either a little more worldly with their eating, or can accept that a burger can be something other than meat, cheese, tomato, lettuce & sauce! Never mind, more for us to snack on!

Pilgrim’s Wholefood is a little bit of everything with typical breakfast fare in the morning (although still all vegetarian), burgers, wraps, pies & salads and coffee during the day with Mexican cuisine at night. This could allow you to return three times a day and have a different culinary experience each time. The café is spacious with long rustic wood tables built for sharing with a few smaller tables dotted around and has a small retail corner for local designer clothes & art for purchase or browse whilst waiting for your food.

Last Bite: Pilgrim’s Wholefood brings the Sydney vibe to the beachside town with unique vegetarian wholefoods, stylish interior and things to look at and poke around for the kids. Takeaway is also an option if the café is buzzing and you need space with a kid-friendly park directly underneath the shop.

Highchairs: Yes
Stroller storage: Yes
Easy access: Yes
Change tables: No
Kids menu: One or two options, might be best to ask for a custom sandwich or wrap if child is a little picky!

Pilgrim’s Wholefood
Shop 5/57 Owen Street, Huskisson, NSW 2540
Phone: 02 4441 6118
Price: $$
Hours: Mon-Sun 9am-3pm, Thur-Sat 6pm-9pm

Where To Score The Tastiest Halloween Treats: Kid-Friendly Cafes, New York

October 28, 2013 / Boerum Hill, Brooklyn Bites, DUMBO, Manhattan Munchies, New York, New York Food / 0 comment

As an Australian transplant, I’d never properly celebrated Halloween before moving to New York. My only Halloween experiences in Sydney consisted of one Halloween party (hosted by a Scottish friend) and yearly office celebrations when I worked at Google. Thus, I’m doing my best to catch up for lost time by eating as many Halloween-themed treats as possible. Here are a few of my fave spooky treats that are on current offer all around the city.

Georgetown Cupcake
Georgetown Cupcakes makes amazing cupcakes any time of year. Drop by this week for a spooky cupcake from their Halloween collection: Chocolate² cupcakes (with white ghost fondant decorations), vanilla cupcakes with orange-tinted vanilla buttercream frosting and black bat fondant decorations, Chocolate Spider Web cupcakes (baked with toffee) and vanilla cupcakes (baked with M&M’s with orange-tinted vanilla buttercream frosting and black bat fondants). $2.75 each.
Georgetown Cupcake: 111 Mercer Street (between Spring and Prince)

Jacques Torres
The makers of exquisitely fine chocolates, Jacques Torres, do “seasonal” so well. This time of year is a great time to drop by for a molten Wicked hot chocolate and a Jacques “O” Lantern (made from dark or milk chocolate and hand decorated with white chocolate, $12). You can also pick up a delicious chocolate Haunted House, or spooky cat and chocolate-covered marshmallow peep pops.
Find your nearest Jacques Torres

Betty Bakery
Betty is known for their uh-mazing cakes. At Halloween, not only can you pick up a scary cake, like the Splattered Frankenstein Cake ($65); you can also treat yourself to Magical Cupcakes ($2.95 each); cookies decorated with the likes of pumpkins, cats, and ghosts (small cookies, $20/lb), Halloween Petit Fours Glacé ($2.50 each) and Marzipan Witches ($8).
Betty Bakery: 448 Atlantic Ave (between Bond St and Nevins St), Brooklyn

Crumbs Bakery
Crumbs are well-known for their decadent and (massive!) cupcakes. Get your scare on this week with their Halloween Collection, which includes Candy Corn, Jack O’Lantern, Orange Squiggle,”Boo”kies & Cream, Monster Mash Up and Ghastly Ghost (vanilla cake filled with chocolate fudge and topped with van. cream cheese frosting). 6 cupcakes for $27 (they’re also available individually).
Find your nearest Crumbs.

Monteleone’s Bakery
This little Carroll Gardens bakery has some crazy Halloween cakes for sale. Freak out friends, family and co-workers by breaking out a monster cake after dinner this week. Pick up some old school Italian treats inside, any time of year.
Monteleone’s Bakery: 355 Court St, Brooklyn

Nunu Chocolate
This little shop in Boerum Hill is a haven for people seeking fine chocolate. During Halloween you can score a Jack-O’-Lollie for $2, in addition to their daily superb range of treats.
Nunu Chocolate: 529 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn

MUSTELA GIVEAWAY: Any Mustela product of your choice + facial wipes

October 25, 2013 / Giveaways, Singapore / 40 Comments

Hope you’ve been having a fabulous week! If not, it’s Friday night anyway, and you know what that means – HELLLOOOOOOO WEEKEND 😀

This Friday, we have a very famous brand all the way from France: Mustela!

Mustela really needs no introduction. Skincare experts for babies and mums-to-be since 1950, their huge range caters for delicate skin with their natural formulas. Their new Rebirth! launch of the Bébé range focuses on Avocado Perseose which works to preserve your baby’s skin.

Mustela are generously offering THREE winners any Mustela product of your choice + facial wipes!

a Brunch With My Baby giveaway

You can submit some of the entries more than once a day, so come back tomorrow to get more entries in the draw.

Giveaway will run from 24 Oct to 31 Oct 2013 inclusive.
Winner may select and pick up their prize at the Mustela headquarters in Singapore.

My kids and I are heavy users of Mustela products. You’ll often find a bottle (or three) of their stuff lying around in the bathroom or the childrens’ bedroom.

In fact, I ended up ‘representing’ my favourite Mustela product in a couple of magazine ads this month. It was a feature on the Mustela launch that I attended, and had a section where I had the honour of appearing next to a few other mums (some of them are personal friends too, yay!). Click the pic below to see the full-size copy.

Here’s some of the Mustela goodies I tried recently…..

The Mustela facial cleansing cloth wipes (these are the ones included in the giveaway above) are more expensive than generic brands, but if you try one, you’ll see why. They are thicker, more plush, and feel superior. Huge props for the plastic clip-lid – I cannot stand brands that offer a sticker to keep it shut. It’s completely useless since it loses the stickiness so quickly! On the downside, since these are more expensive, I tend to make sure my kids are reaaaallllyyyy messy before whipping one out 😉

I’m a fan of the Mustela baby shampoo. It’s very mild with a subtle scent, and foams up well. The kids haven’t kicked up a fuss with it, so I guess they’re all good with it! It makes their fine baby hair really soft afterwards. No need for conditioner.

For those of you that don’t like too many products in the bathroom, or if you’re travelling, the Mustela 2-in-1 Hair and Body Wash works really well. Just one tube and you’re done from head to toe! Kids are squeaky clean and smelling great, but this formula doesn’t dry out their hair or skin.

Ahhh.. this Mustela Stelatopia Milky Bath Oil is Hunter’s favourite. He will always ask for this at bathtime, every night. The word “oil” sounds a bit freaky (just sounds messy to me!) but it transforms into a soft milky formula in the bath, and doesn’t leave my tub oily and slick. It does make the kids’ skin really soft though.. obviously so. And it has no scent, which is great for sensitive skin.

I’ve been through maybe 4 bottles of this Mustela Body Lotion. It’s one of my staples because it’s easy to use (the pump is a great idea!) and the lotion absorbs quickly and easily with little-to-no scent. It’s really nice for adults to use too, if you feel like a bit of pampering. I often steal some of this to use as a face lotion on myself.

Ahhh… the Mustela PhysiObébé. I don’t think I could’ve survived without this back when Hunter was born in China. I was afraid of using tap water (it’s unsafe to drink) on his face or diaper area.. and this no-rinse cleansing fluid worked SO well as the last step when changing poopy diapers I didn’t like using just wet wipes as I felt they left a (potentially irritating) residue, so I used cotton pads dampened with PhysiObébé and cleaned him up. I used it on Carter too when he was a newborn, and continue using it to this day to clean Carter’s bum after a poo. My favourite product. LOVE it!

Since my kids are half-Aussie, suncare is pretty critical in our swimming routine. The Mustela Special Intolerances SPF50+ Suncream is our favourite so far. The tube is small and portable, it’s a mineral sunscreen with a high SPF, and it protects the kids really well. I steal some for my face 🙂

And this Mustela Musti Eau de Soin is something that’s mine. ALL MINE!!!! Lots of parents have fallen in love with Mustela’s signature fragrance (though they have a line that is fragrance-free if you prefer that), and this spray caters exactly for that. It’s Mustela’s signature fragrance… that I can use 🙂 It’s alcohol-free, very light on the skin, and has a beautiful fragrance that reminds me of sunshine in a field of daisies. This has kickass reviews online, and I can see why. I’ve been using it daily as my fragrance.

Mustela products are available at: Takashimaya, Robinsons, OG, Kiddy Palace, selected Spring Maternity, Mums & Babes, Motherswork, selected Watsons and Guardian.

Thank you Mustela!!

I’m Not The Fun Parent

October 24, 2013 / Cheese, Family, Kids / 4 Comments

I’m pretty fun, right? I mean, I like to have fun, and do fun things. And I’m funny! Well, in my own head, anyway.

Before having my toddler, I imagined how much FUN we would have together. I pictured it as a second childhood – playing with dolls, stickers, drawing, art projects, dance parties in the living room.

What’s become apparent of late is that I am not, in fact, a fun playmate for a toddler. I’m not silly, or goofy, and don’t think of playing monster games like mu husband does. My husband, it turns out, is the fun parent. He’s goofy and silly, he plays catch and chase, and roars like a bear, sending Cheese into fits of giggles. He is, in fact, not dissimilar to a toddler.

I’ve learned that I like to watch my child in play. I love seeing her eyes light up, her cheeky smile, her little head that is always a split second behind the rest of her body as she gallops along like a pony.

I enjoy watching her long eyelashes darken, her limbs lengthen, her hair grow into tight corkscrew curls.

I’m the parent who observes, documents, photographs. The one who makes sure she’s at school on time. That she has her hair tied out of her eyes, and is wearing weather-appropriate clothes. I’m the one who plans her meals, who gets her feet measured and takes her to the dentist. But I’m not the fun one.

I’m also the one who notices scrapes and bruises, who has Hello Kitty bandaids at the ready, who comforts and soothes and knows how to bring down a fever. I’m the one who finds new books that will teach about sharing and table manners, who finds puzzles at the right level to challenge her at each age, who can’t resist splurging on the cutest pair of tights for a hipster Brooklyn toddler. I’m the parent behind the scenes, but equal in the amount I love my child.

I cede any hopes of being “fun” to my husband for the time being. I hope that as she grows into a little girl with interests of her own that I can share in her world and enjoy the things she enjoys. I hope she’ll find me, if not “fun”, then loving, understanding and interesting. I hope I can teach her about the world, introduce her to new and amazing things, like how to take a great photograph, and help her navigate life as she grows and grows and grows.

ELLY GIVEAWAY: The Elly clothing item goes to….

October 24, 2013 / Giveaways, Singapore / 0 comment

CONGRATULATIONS to Josephine (js***@msn.com), who is the winner of our Elly Giveaway!

She wins a clothing item from Elly’s newest collection of her choice. I can’t wait to see what she picks.

Josephine, please respond to our email within 48 hours to claim your prize. And congratulations again!

a Brunch With My Baby giveaway

KITH @ QUAYSIDE ISLE: Kid-Friendly Cafes, Sentosa, Singapore

October 24, 2013 / Food Reviews, Sentosa, Singapore / 1 Comment

I’m already a big fan of Kith Cafe at Robertson Quay. However, that one now seems like a dinky little cafe compared to their gigantic new one located at Quayside Isle in Sentosa.

Quayside Isle is an area that’s been newly developed, and boasts top notch restaurants. Kith is one of them. I’ve been on a weekday AND a weekend, and it is the one and only cafe there that is packed to the brim. That speaks for itself.

Kith deserve the crowd, because their location is gorgeous (it overlooks the harbour and yachts), the food is top notch, and the service is impeccable.

We liked the outside play area, that offers plastic animals for kids to climb/push/crawl over, as well as the boardwalk that’s huge and largely empty. It’s FANTASTIC for kids to scooter and bicycle up and down! Excellent way to wear off their energy before sitting down for a meal.

My Iced Latte was lovely. It was strong enough – I abhor iced coffees that are too heavy on the ice and too weak on coffee.

Did I mention that their service is great? They are so patient with kids! Even kinda crazy ones like mine……………

Carter was determined to take every fruit out of their fruit bin (argh), and they patiently took back each piece of fruit and popped it back in.

And I know this sounds silly, but I was so impressed with their kids cutlery! It’s not the standard Ikea stuff, but really good quality plastic ware. The fork and spoon were also the perfect size for toddlers, and I loved the vibrant colours!

And see that little yellow train thing behind the plate? They whipped it out for Carter to play with at the table. A small but nice gesture.

I was really eager for the Pork Belly fried eggs ($20), which sounded so good. I never turn down pork belly when I spot it on a menu – it would be criminal to.

The bread was served in two large pieces, with two fried eggs on top. The scattering of pomegranate was redundant and we quickly picked it all off. I enjoyed the grilled tomatoes which were cooked perfectly.

However… the pork belly did not impress! It was a large slab (thumbs up), but was slightly on the tough side, and quite dry. I’d envisioned a very moist, tender, and succulent pork belly. This was the exact opposite. It wasn’t inedible, but it definitely had a bite to it and didn’t pair well with the rest of the dish.

Things picked up considerably with their impressive Big breakfast ($17). Incredible value for money, this arrived on a tray (!) and boasted a FAT slice of brioche, creamy scrambled eggs, a delicious smoked bratwurst, grilled tomato, beans and spinach.

I was a bit silly and didn’t notice that the baked beans are labelled as “spicy tomato beans” on the menu, and we fed Carter a big mouthful of it. Little did we know there were big flecks of chilli pieces in the beans!!! His eyes watered, his tongue slobbered out, and he wailed miserably!! We felt so bad, seeing his tomato-red face 🙁

The pastas that we ordered at Kith were more expensive than the breakfast items, but were a lot smaller. The portion size is petite, perhaps enough for a young lady but not enough for a big man (or a lady with a hefty appetite, not pointing fingers here..).

The Granchio – spinach pasta, crab meat, tomato, vodka, cream ($24) was a stunner. Tender slippery strands of spinach-infused pasta, coated with a creamy but light sauce and studded with tons of crab meat. The kids loved this! I think Carter ate half the plate…

I particularly liked the Fagotoni – sweet pear filled ravioli, gorgonzola cheese, cream, parmesan cheese ($22) because it was so…. different. The pasta really was sweet from the pear, and the saltiness of the gorgonzola cheese sauce really sparked a tingling contrast. It was flat out DELICIOUS.

Carter decided mid-meal that he’d had enough of sitting in the high chair, and so started fussing and wailing in a rather annoying manner. Thankfully, we were outdoors and so didn’t disturb other diners too much. I think.

He was mildly appeased by a 50c cup of kiddie biscuits.

Until he gobbled them all up in about 5 seconds.

Fortunately, the cafe is designed such that I could keep an eye on him whilst I finished off my meal and coffee. So he just pottered around, amusing himself. His little friend was OK sitting in the high chair the whole time, so at least we didn’t have TWO crazy kids running around!

Last Bite: Kith cafe @ Quayside Isle is the place to go for brunch-with-a-view. Food is excellent, and their coffee and milkshakes are delicious. The boardwalk just outside is a sure hit with kids that like to scooter or bicycle!

Highchairs: Yes
Easy access: Yes
Change tables: No
Kids’ menu: No

Kith @ Quayside Isle
Quayside Isle #01-08
Sentosa Cove
31 Ocean Road
Phone: 6734 9007
Prices: $$$
Hours: Daily 8:00 am – 10:00 pm

Brunch Special: weeSpring Co-Founder Allyson Downey

October 23, 2013 / Guest Brunchers, New York Food / 4 Comments

Today’s Brunch Special is courtesy of Allyson Downey, co-founder of weeSpring — the number one social review site for baby gear. WeeSpring helps new and expecting parents collect advice from their friends about what they need for their baby, simplifying the overwhelming (and often anxiety-inducing) world of baby shopping. Allyson lives with her husband, Jack, and son Logan, age two, on the Upper West Side.

We love your site! Can you tell us a bit about how weeSpring began?
When I walked into a Babies R Us for the first time, I was completely overwhelmed by the product choices. I immediately emailed my friends with babies about what products were must-haves . . . and what I didn’t actually need. After gathering lists and spreadsheets from literally dozens of friends, a light bulb went off: so many people have already figured this stuff out. All I needed to do was collate their research by finding out what they loved and what they wished they’d never bought. Along with my husband Jack and co-founder Melissa, I built weeSpring to make preparing for parenthood simple, social, and fun — while also giving more experienced parents an easy way to share what they’ve learned.

How has weeSpring grown?
We always knew this was something we wanted — but we’ve been floored by our users’ response. In just a few short months since launching, we have over 50,000 ratings across 2,000 products on the site. That’s more product reviews than Diapers.com and Buy Buy Baby combined for any specific product.

What’s next for you and weeSpring?
We have a few new programs in place – last month we launched a partnership with eBay so weeSpring users can easily sell the products their little ones have outgrown. Next up, we’re launching the Blogs weeLove program, which will highlight some of our favorite parenting voices from bloggers who are real and relatable. And we have some more exciting news coming up that we can’t share at the moment . . . but keep an eye on our blog . . . or join weeSpring so you’ll receive our emails and be one of the first to know.

How do you find a good balance between parenting and running your business?
Balance? What’s balance?

In seriousness, we make it work by getting an awful lot of work done in the twelve hours a day that our son is asleep. Doing things like writing up this interview at 10:30pm means that I can spend 90 minutes in the middle of the day on Tuesday with my son at his pre-school. We also have amazing support from our caregiver, Liliana, who I wrote about in the WSJ.

Tell us about your experiences parenting in NYC.
Everyone talks about how hard it must be to raise a baby in the city — but I can’t imagine anything better. In those lonely early days of being home alone all day with a newborn (my husband started business school when Logan was eight days old . . . definitely not planned!), all I needed to do was strap on my Mei Tai and wander around the neighborhood. In New York, perfect strangers will strike up a conversation with you about your baby. Frances McDormand stopped me on the street one day to compliment our tiny little pumpkin hat, and we wound up chatting for five blocks.

#weeSpring - #baby #gear recommended by your friends. Interview with founder Allyson Downey at brunchwithmybaby.com — The weeSpring founders with their kids.

What do you think are the benefits of raising kids in NYC?
My son goes to the Bronx Zoo every other week. The Museum of Natural History is our rainy day playground. (Head to the Hall of Minerals! It’s carpeted, everything’s behind glass panels, and the tourists skip it.) He’s two and knows FAO Schwartz as well as Tom Hanks in Big. What could be better?

What are your fave places in NYC to take your family?
We try and get out of the city on the weekends when we can for a change of pace. Lawrence Farms in Newburgh has amazing “You Pick” options for every season: strawberries, snap peas, cherries, peaches, corn, tomatoes, apples . . . and the views are spectacular. A bit closer, we like Stone Barns, where we can wander around and look at the cows and pigs, and have a great snack from their cafe.

Fave local restaurants or cafes to eat out with your family ?
One of the redeeming factors of being up with a toddler at the crack of dawn on a weekend is that it is easy-peasy to get to Good Enough to Eat in time for the first brunch seating at 9am (aim to arrive by 8:45am!). When we miss that — or if we are joining friends who think brunch before 11am is absurd — we do Ditch Plains, which is the most stroller-friendly restaurant on the UWS . . . not to mention they a) take reservations and b) have a TV at every booth that they’ll tune to cartoons on request. When I was on maternity leave, I could regularly be found at the Mermaid Inn for their $1 oyster happy hour, sitting alone at the bar with a baby strapped to my chest, eating oysters over his sleeping head and nursing a half glass of wine (so I could still breastfeed when we got home).

Your “secret” New York faves?
El Parador! We haven’t been in ages (though did take Logan in his Chicco Key Fit when he was a little baby), but they have the best margaritas. And while the food is much more upscale than this, the taco tray is my favorite thing on the menu (and the best thing not on the menu is queso fundido con chorizo).

Allyson and her husband, Jack Downey, have extensive experience building online political communities and empowering individuals to amplify their voices using the web. They collaborated to launch the first statewide online grassroots fundraising campaign in New York and co-produced a “people’s inauguration” for Eliot Spitzer featuring James Taylor and Jimmy Fallon. And Jack and Ally enjoyed working together so much that they decided to get married.

As new parents, the questions that keep them up at night aren’t about voter engagement or crowd-building, but about non-toxic bubble bath, easy-to-clean car seats, and the most subway-friendly umbrella stroller. Jack is a graduate of Dartmouth College and is finishing his MBA at NYU Stern. Ally received her BA from Colby College, her MFA from Columbia University’s School of the Arts, and her MBA from Columbia Business School.

Brunch With My Baby Singapore collaborates with SassyMama

October 23, 2013 / News, Singapore / 0 comment

We are excited to announce our collaboration with the good folk over at SassyMama!

Brunch With My Baby will be supplying reviews of Kid-Friendly Places To Eat for their Dining section. Thank you SassyMama for thinking of us. We are excited to be a regular contributor to SassyMama, our go-to site for all things parenting in Singapore.

Psssst! Have you already put yourself in the running for our Elly giveaway? It ends in 24 hours!!