Christine Knight, Author at Adventure, baby!

Christine Knight

Christine is the editor of Adventure, Baby!

A Brooklyn Love Story with Egg

April 23, 2014 / Fashion, New York Food / 1 Comment

Spring finally on its way means saying au revoir to giant coats and muted hues, and bonjour to color and fun-in-the-sun again!

Our absolute favorite place to spend a sunny day in NYC is Jane’s Carousel in Brooklyn. It’s really the perfect playground. There’s lots of space to run around, grass to kick a ball on, and then, of course, there is the carousel itself. For only $2 per horse, you can take a ride with your little one. It’s the best value carousel in the city, with the best view.

On this particularly perfect spring day in Brooklyn, Missy E wore Egg by designer Susan Lazar. I’ve loved dressing E in Egg since she was a little baby, because the designs are adorable and the fabric is so soft against her skin.

Egg hatched in 2003, when Lazar decided to create a lifestyle brand designed around the needs of stylish mothers and children. Egg uses natural fabrics and simple designs. Perfect for parents who love clean lines, and want clothes for their kids that are made with movement and comfort in mind. The result is fashionable yet timeless baby and kids’ clothes of the highest quality. For little ones with sensitive skin, Egg also has an organics line, featuring soft organic cotton.

The 2014 Egg spring line is inspired by the South of France, evident in the delicate floral and fruit prints for the girls line, and the cool nautical motifs for boys.

The theme of this line, like most of Lazar’s designs, is very subtle — evident in the motifs and colors, but not obvious or gimmicky. “Each season the collection starts with a theme,” she says. “For example, Spring 2014 was inspired by the South of France — the wild flowers, the sea and the chicness of France. The theme is only a starting point and I never want the collection to be too trendy of costume-y”. The end result is a line of clothing that I wish came in my size too.

Being such big fans of Egg already, I was really excited to try out three outfits from the new Egg spring line.

The Shift Dress in pink is made from a super soft cotton-modal blend, perfect for running around town. This dress is designed with active kiddos like mine in mind. This super comfortable dress was a hit with E — she adored putting her hands in the double front pockets, and I particularly liked the buttons on the neckline, making it easy to get on and off. The bright pink stripes make this dress fun and bright for spring, while the three-quarter sleeves are the perfect length for days that still hold a hint of chill in the air.

The Pocket Dress in green is E’s favourite of the outfits. She loves the delicate floral print, accented with tiny birds, and the floaty skirt with little pockets in which she can hide rocks or other treasures. The dress is incredibly lightweight (perfect for keeping cool in high summer), and is 70% cotton, 30% silk. It looks super chic, but is still extremely comfortable as you can see from the photos of Miss E running, jumping and, her current favorite activity, climbing rocks.

The T-shirt Dress is fun and bright, and perfect for an active toddler. The big yellow pineapple on the front is the standout feature, and is such a cute print that isn’t typically seen on clothes for little kids. This dress is made for kids who are on the go. Perfect for running, climbing and having fun — being made from a super light weight cotton blend it will last throughout the summer, too. It’s cute without being fussy, and fun without being too “little kid”. Perfect for this sassy baby Brooklynite.

The Egg line is available online and in stores.

Brunch With My Baby received compensation for this post from Egg. All opinions are, as always, our own.

Not Bread Alone; Kid-Friendly Cafes, Crows Nest, Sydney

April 22, 2014 / Crows Nest, North Shore, Sydney, Sydney Food / 4 Comments

Pre-baby, Not Bread Alone was one of my absolute favourite cafes. It was a pleasant surprise to find they are also super kid-friendly when I dropped by with E and some friends for brunch. Missy E was treated to her first Babycino ($2). I also ordered her some Hot Chips with tomato sauce ($4.50) in case she didn’t like the other food I ordered. I needn’t have wasted the money on the chips, as she devoured most of my meal anyway — lesson learned, the kid has good taste!

The adults in our party ordered: Lamb Shank (with creamy mashed potato, chef’s greens and a tomato and red wine jus, $20.90), Sweet Corn & Chive Fritters (with crispy bacon, baby spinach and oven roasted roma tomato, $16.90), Free Range Eggs (scrambled, poached or fried eggs with your choice of toast, $10.90) with Oven Roasted Roma Tomato ($4) and Baby Spinach ($4). Whenever I visit NBA, I always get the exact same dishes (the fritters or eggs) because they’re just SO DAMN GOOD. So good that I used to drive an hour or so to the cafe just for their breakfast.

On this particular visit, the staff were attentive and kind, especially to squiggly E who was also struggling with jet lag and a bit cranky. When they saw me taking photos of the food, they helpfully turned the plates to show off the meals to their best advantage (“We just had a lesson in food photography!” they told me. How awesome is that?).

The meal always ends on a sweet note — a few Fantails are always given with the bill. My friends didn’t want theirs, so I happily pocked them all for later (score!).

Last Bite: Always a winner for really great food, plus friendly, considerate staff. Outdoor, protected seating means you can make a quick escape or stroll around the block with fussy kids.

Highchairs: Yes.
Stroller storage: Yes.
Easy access: Yes.
Change tables: No.
Kids’ menu: Yes.

Not Bread Alone
376 Pacific Hwy,
Crows Nest NSW 2065
Phone: 02 9966 9788
Prices: $$
Hours: Mon-Sat 7:30am-11pm Sun 7:30am-5pm
Get Directions

New Year’s Resolutions: Three Months In

April 15, 2014 / Family, Kids, New York Life / 0 comment

New Year's Resolutions: Three Months In

A good friend asked me to post about how I was going with my New Year’s Resolutions a few months in. I’d like to say that it’s a roaring success and life is now perfect, but that would just be lie now, wouldn’t it?

All I can say is that I’m doing the best I can do, every day. Some days go better than others. Some days are wonderful and I feel great about myself at the end. Some are a complete disaster and I wish I could have a do-over.

The main thing is I’m really trying to be a better person. And there’s been progress!

The most obvious is how my relationship with little E has improved. I’ve been making a huge effort to be present for her during our time together, and she’s turned into a huge mummy’s girl. So many hugs and kisses, saying “you’re my best friend Mummy!” and insanely cute things like this that help me want to do even better.

Rosebud Cafe: Kid-Friendly Cafes Rozelle, Sydney

April 9, 2014 / Inner West, Rozelle, Sydney, Sydney Food / 0 comment

Inner west suburb Rozelle is literally jam packed with cute little cafes, all vying for your attention. We picked Rosebud at the suggestion of our friends whom we were dining with that day. Arriving at prime lunch time, we had no problem getting a table for four adults, two toddlers and one baby, plus two strollers. Result!

The friendly staff gave the toddlers a few toys on loan to play with (THANK YOU!) while they waited for their kids smoothies ($3.50). Our food was all spot on — Shoestring Fries ($5.50), Omelette with Spinach, Feta, Mushroom ($16), Free Range Eggs (poached, with sourdough, $9), with Haloumi, Spinach and Tomatoes ($4 each side, or 3 sides for $10), Tuna Nicoise Salad ($16).

Last Bite: The perfect spot for lunch with kid. Easy-going atmosphere, delicious food and friendly staff. We will be back!

Highchairs: Yes.
Stroller storage: Yes.
Easy access: Yes.
Change tables: Yes.
Kids’ menu: Yes.

Rosebud
654 Darling Street,
Rozelle NSW 2039
Phone: 02 9555 8999
Prices: $$
Hours: Sun-Wed 7am-5pm Thur-Sat 7am-10pm
Get Directions

Smorgasburg Is Back!

April 8, 2014 / Brooklyn Bites, Brooklyn Heights, New York, New York Food / 1 Comment

Smorgasburg is our absolute fave food market every year — not just because the 100 or so vendors are local and absolutely delish, but also because it’s literally in our backyards. A quick stroll and we are able to grab a tasty lunch or snack on the Brooklyn waterfront — not a bad view either.

This year, the location has changed (it’s now located at Pier 5, Brooklyn Bridge Park), but the vibe and food remains the same. We stopped by on opening day to pick up our favorite Dough doughnuts, and also a corn on a stick — which Missy E absolutely loved, by the way.

Plan to get there when it opens or in the late afternoon for less queuing. If you arrive at peak lunch time you’ll spend most of your day in a line for that Buttermilk Channel fried chicken. At least there are plenty of playgrounds nearby to let the kids run around while you’re lining up!

Smorgasburg
Brooklyn Bridge Park Pier 5
Hours: Sunday 11am-6pm
Get Directions

Design Your Own Popsicle: Popbar, West Village, New York

April 4, 2014 / Manhattan Munchies, New York Food, West Village / 0 comment

Children and ice cream . . . it’s a sure fire way to bribe, I mean, occasionally treat your kids as well as yourself. One of my absolutely favorite dessert spots in the city is Popbar in the West Village. Their iconic dessert is a custom gelato (or sorbet) on a stick, made from fresh ingredients in the store, daily. You choose your flavor (lots of fruity options like peach and mixed berry, vegan options, plus seasonal flavors like pumpkin and kiwi), then either eat it just like that, or have it dipped in mint, milk, dark or white chocolate, and covered with “poppings” like crushed waffle (my personal favorite), or nuts. It. Is. Heaven. My husband has been known to eat two at a time.

During the cooler months, Popbar serves some warmer options, like their wafflePops and hot chocolate-on-a-stick. The wafflePops are customised waffles on sticks, a nice twist on regular waffles. Pick your filling (blueberry, chocolate chip or plain, $3.49), dip it ($.50), add poppings ($.50 each), and whipped cream ($.50 each). We had a chocolate chip filling with milk chocolate, icing sugar, crushed waffles and whipped cream on top. Holy moly.

The other cooler-weather option we tried was the hot chocolate, made with chocolate on a stick. The high-quality Belgian chocolate blocks on sticks can be bought to make at home, or mixed in the store with warm milk. And yes, if you’re temped, you can eat it right off the stick, no milk needed. Simply dip the chocolate block in warm milk and stir it in — and voila, amazing hot chocolate.

On a very rainy day, Alexis and I were invited to come into Popbar with the kids and sample some of their tasty goods. As always, bringing the kids anywhere is absolute chaos these days — but watching the little ones go to town on their wafflePops and gelatos on sticks was entertaining (not to mention messy!). It was so cute to see them sitting on stools and eating at a table like big people. Little J enjoyed half of a pistachio pop and a dark-chocolate-dipped pumpkin-flavored pop. There was a minor debacle over sharing the pumpkin one, so I am declaring that the day’s winner in terms of flavors.

Highchairs: No.
Stroller storage: No.
Easy access: Yes.
Change tables: No.
Kids’ menu: No.

Popbar
5 Carmine St,
New York, NY 10014
Phone: (212) 255 4874
Prices: $
Hours: Mon-Fri 12pm-11pm, Sat & Sun 12pm-1am
Get Directions

Burnt Orange Cafe, Mosman + Balmoral Beach, Sydney

April 3, 2014 / Cheese, Mosman, North Shore, Sydney, Sydney Food / 2 Comments

In my pre-baby days I used to frequent Burnt Orange for a light afternoon tea on the way to admire the view at Middle Head. Post-baby, it’s good to know that one of my old fave cafes can still be a go-to when I’m craving scones or something a little more substantial.

The Burnt Orange cafe is housed in an historic sandstone manor overlooking Sydney Harbour. Note: the veranda stretches all around the building but only the front gets the harbour view. If you’re making a reservation, ask for a table overlooking the water, just in case.

I have always enjoyed the food at Burnt Orange. They do simple breakfast, lunch and afternoon/morning tea exceptionally well. On this particular visit, Alec ordered the Linguini with Western Australian Blue Swimmer Crab, Confit of Cherry Tomatoes, Garlic & Red Chili ($28) and I chose the Pumpkin, Goat’s Cheese and Walnut Tart with Melissa’s Carrot Jam and Crisp Salad Greens ($22). My tart was perfection — big chunks of cheese and pumpkin, flaky pastry and crunchy walnuts. Alec’s pasta was cooked beautifully, with a generous amount of crab spread throughout. Delicious.

As for missy E, while they do have a kids’ special (a choice of Crumbed Whiting Fillets with Chips, Pasta Spirals with Fresh Tomato Sauce or Mini Organic Cheeseburger with Chips served with a Smartie Cookie and a choice of fresh Orange Juice, Strawberry or Chocolate Milk for $15), instead we asked if they could make her something with egg since that’s what she was asking for. It was no problem at all, and we very soon had an off-menu boiled egg delivered to our picky toddler.

Now, you can’t stop at a cafe renowned for their treats without indulging. I was hoping for a scone, but sadly they weren’t being served till later in the afternoon. Instead I chose one of the Smartie cookies and shared it with an ecstatic missy E.

Inside the mansion is the Burnt Orange store. While I used to enjoy the adult section, with gorgeous clothes and home wares, this time I gravitated towards the kids’ section, loving the boutique brands and adorable toys. E was particularly taken with the kid-sized mirror pictured below. I would LOVE to go on a shopping spree here and fit out her room. The “Parisian shabby chic” feel is exactly what I would love for her bedroom, and for our home in general!

After our lunch we drove further down to Balmoral Beach. Balmoral has always been one of our favourite beaches because it’s simply stunning. In my opinion, one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. We noticed on this trip that it is also extremely toddler-friendly — the perfect beach for toddlers, in fact, as it’s sheltered and doesn’t get many waves. The water is calm and clear, and E thought it was amazing. She ran in and out of the water, shrieking with joy. Walk along the pedestrian path to the kiosk for gelato (there’s also a playground right next to it for days when it’s not swimming weather).

Last Bite: Burnt Orange satisfies all customers looking for a delightful afternoon tea or lunch, from toddlers to their doting grandparents.

Highchairs: Yes.
Stroller storage: Yes.
Easy access: Yes.
Change tables: No.
Kids’ menu: Yes.

Burnt Orange
1109 Middle Head Rd,
Mosman NSW 2088
Phone: 02 9969 1020
Prices $$$
Hours: Daily 8:30am-5:30pm
Get Directions

A Day In The Life Of A Sleep-Despising Toddler

April 1, 2014 / Kids / 2 Comments

A Day In The Life Of A Sleep Despising Toddler via akissgoodnight.co

We had a rocky start to sleep with our newborn, thanks to silent reflux, which plagued our family’s first year together. At 10 months we sleep trained, desperate to stop getting up three times a night with the baby. And for a few, sweet months, we had our first full nights of sleep in almost a year. Sadly, however, it didn’t last. Teeth came in. Sickness took over. Our toddler learned to climb out of her crib, and then developed a fear of the door being closed.

And so, here we are, with a 2.5 year old toddler who still wakes up several times a night. To say we are sleep deprived is an understatement. I’d use words like “zombie” and “brain dead”.

Most people we know have babies and kids who sleep in their beds for the whole night, maybe occasionally waking up here and there. I just don’t understand how we ended up with a child who just despises sleep so much (sleep is so wonderful! why don’t she do more of it?!).

So here is a day in our lives, with the worst sleeping kid of all time.

6:30am: E wakes up, still tired but chirping “it’s not night any more!”. If I don’t hear her calling she will walk into the bedroom, grab my face in her hands and yell “mummy wake up!”.

6:45am – 8am: Drink copious amounts of caffeine to wake up while sticking the child in front of the iPad and a huge bowl of Cheerios and milk. I take morning duty so my husband can get a few hours sleep after being up all night with her.

8am – 12pm: Run errands or work while Eloise is at school two days a week. The days she is at school I really want to nap and have to force myself to write the articles I’ve been assigned.

12pm – 2pm: Nap time. I know this, but apparently my toddler does not agree. I either lie down next to her on the floor and beg her to sleep until one of us gives up, or put her in the stroller and walk around the neighborhood for two hours while she naps.

2pm – 7:30pm: Afternoon fun. Playdates, followed by dinner, bath and an attempt to put the child to bed.

8:30pm: It’s clear that the child is still awake, either singing in her bed (preferable), or coming out to the living room to request “more milk” even though her milk bottle is full.

9pm-9:30pm. The visits and talking finally stop and she’s drifted off into peaceful slumber.

10:30pm-12am: She wakes up at least once – I prefer it when I’m awake as it’s hard to go back to sleep when I’ve just fallen into a coma. Either my husband or I cajole/beg/threaten her until she goes back to sleep, which might take anywhere from 10 minutes to two hours.

12am – 6:30am: My husband is on night waking duty. On an average night, she will wake up hopefully only one more time. Several nights a week she will be up at least two more times and takes forever to go back to sleep again. My husband is destroyed. I wake every time he does but thankfully get to stay in bed and go back to sleep.

6:30am: Aaaaaaand she’s up! And it all starts all over again.

Friends with kids who also hate to sleep – it does get better, right? Surely there will come the day where I have to force her to get out of bed? I’m picturing immense payback in her teens – cheerily waking her every morning at 5am, and then dropping her off at school in my pjs with bed hair.

Parramatta Park + Parramatta Park Cafe; Kid-Friendly Sydney

March 31, 2014 / Parramatta, Sydney, Sydney Food, Western Sydney / 0 comment

When meeting a friend for breakfast recently, we chose Parramatta Park Cafe purely due to its location — exactly in the middle of where we each were staying in Hornsby and Liverpool. It’s the first time I’ve been to Parramatta Park since having Missy E, so it was a pleasant surprise to find another great area of Sydney to take a crazy toddler for a fun morning outing.

Parramatta Park is World Heritage listed. It’s the home of Old Government House and has evidence inside the park of 20,000 years of Aboriginal occupation. Parramatta Park became a public park in 1858 — one of the earliest parks in the world.

As well as the cafe we visited, there is a larger (and fancier) restaurant located in the Old Government House, plus several play gyms scattered all over the park. There’s also a stream running through the park, lots of walking paths and plenty of birds to amuse little tiny ones.

Parramatta Park Cafe opened in 2005 to offer locals and park visitors a casual breakfast and lunch option in a tranquil setting. The cafe overlooks the river and plenty of greenery. Grab a seat on the balcony and admire the view with your morning coffee.

Kids are frequent guests at the cafe – evident by the colouring in sheet-slash-menu and pencils that the kids are quickly given. The menu is more lunchy than breakfast, so we chose Kid’s Chocolate Shakes ($3.80) for the toddlers, and both my friend and I decided on the Vegetarian Omelette (with tomato, mushroom, feta and spinach served with sourdough toast, $14). The omelettes were massive, plenty of food for us to share with the kids. We asked for extra plates and vegemite for the toast. The shakes were pretty large as well — which meant plenty for me when E decided she only wanted a few sips. Score!

While we were dining I noticed a local mothers group turn up with their newborn babies. With a lot of room and obliging staff, they couldn’t have chosen a better location to meet for a stress-free breakfast.

Last Bite: A kid-friendly and casual breakfast or lunch option in Parramatta Park.

Highchairs: Yes.
Stroller storage: Yes.
Easy access: Yes.
Change tables: Yes.
Kids’ menu: Yes.

Parramatta Park Cafe
Byrnes Ave,
Parramatta NSW 2150
Prices: $$
Phone: 02 9630 0144
Hours: Daily 8am-3pm
Get Directions

A Date With The Fish at SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium

March 19, 2014 / CBD, Darling Harbour, Indoor Play, Sydney Food, Sydney Life / 0 comment

On a hot summer’s day, E and I were invited to take a day trip to SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium with some friends. Yes, yes, yes thank you. What a great way to spend a steamy Sydney day – in decent air conditioning, watching fish.

SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium has been around since 1988 in various incarnations. While it used to be a stand alone attraction, these days the aquarium is part of a large group of Sydney attractions, including SEA LIFE Manly, Madam Tussauds, WILD LIFE Sydney Zoo (not Taronga Zoo) and Sydney Tower Eye. If you buy your ticket at the aquarium, expect to pay $40 for an adult and $25 for children aged 4 and up. Buy your tickets at least 24 hours in advance from the website and you’ll save up to 30%. Buy passes to multiple attraction online at the same time and you will save even more.

The aquarium is broken up into various exhibits. The first few aren’t terribly interesting for little kids so we raced right through (if you’re interested in our rivers and so forth, then these are for you!). The big hits with the kids were the little sting rays, the glowing jelly fish, the rockpool where they could touch shells and starfish, and the tanks of tropical fish with the floor to ceiling glass.

The kids also enjoyed running like lunatics up the tunnels that run under the tanks with the water and animals swimming over head. Sharks were a popular spotting, as were the giant rays and the dugong. This particular section has a step and rails on the sides so kids can climb up for a closer look. Watching the giant animals float overhead in particular was thoughtfully entertaining for our bunch of toddlers.

The aquarium is on the small side, but does have a few kind of sad looking penguins (yes, I’ve seen Happy Feet a few too many times), which oddly our kids weren’t interested in at all. They have shark feedings (which we missed) and a dugong talk (which was interesting for adults but not kids). There is a cute shark treasure hunt throughout the aquarium for older kids. Given a map at the entrance they have to find each station along the way and stamp their map, and get a little prize at the end when they hand it in at the gift shop.

Bring lunch if possible to save a bit of money. There is a large cafe area inside the front of the aquarium with plenty of tables and space to eat.

SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium
1-5 Wheat Rd,
Sydney NSW 2000
Phone: 02 8251 7800
Prices: $$$$
Hours: Daily 9am-8pm
Get Directions