Let's Play! Cafes with Cool Play Areas

 

 

It's 10am.

 

You need coffee.

The kids need to get out of the house.

And you need some inspiration on where to take the youngins.

Here are our Top 4 cafes to visit that have excellent play areas for the kids.

 

North Folk
Head to Maxxii Moo :: Unleash the kids into the mini kitchen play area and let them cook you brunch! 

 

South of the River
Skip your way over to Cowderoy’s Dairy :: One word - PLAYGROUND – they have one next door – need l say more.

 

West Side
Get on that West Gate Bridge to Leroy’s :: On offer is a good little play area for the kids, complete with sandpit. So the wait in traffic is totally worth it.

 

East Peeps
Look no further than Fordham’s Milkbar. :: Bake treats are sure to add pounds to your waist line but who cares, the kids will love the milkshakes, mini cupcakes and of course the train playground.

Family Day Trip :: Ballarat

Readers of this blog know that I’m originally a Ballarat girl. Most of my teenage days were spent munching on chips and gravy at Central Square and hanging out at Lake Wendouree talking about boys, as you do.

Being Melbourne based now l usually jump at the chance to head back home, and recently l was invited to a preview of Ballarat in Bloom which was held by Ballarat Regional Tourism. Basically, Ballarat in Bloom will be a festival celebrating the vintage side of Ballarat. The festival will showcase everything from local food, fashion, art and blooms which is planned for the months of October and November.

We experienced a stunning gourmet lunch at The Botanical Gardens and a guided tour of the Capturing Flora exhibition currently on show at the Ballarat Fine Art Gallery. And while this was all lovely, for a mum without her kids, l got to thinking how Ballarat in Bloom would be appealing for families. And here is what l came up with.

Capturing Flora :: 300 Years of Australian Botanical Art
This exhibition is perfect for the art loving mums with a baby bub. If you want to get out of the house to check some local botanical art history then this exhibition is for you. The Gallery has changing facilities on site with a cute café next door serving tasty eats and treats to re-fuel.

Spring Fest Market (my personal favourite!)
We’ve been going to Spring Fest for many years now with the bubbas. Set on Lake Wendouree foreshore the Spring Fest market has over 350 stalls to visit. From food, fashion, kids clothing, baked treats, ice-cream, face-painting, vintage cars, carnival fares and more. A must visit in my book. Pack the pram along with your best walking shoes. There are toilets available all around the lake with FREE parking on site, plus loads of fun things for the kids to experience and look at.

Ballarat Botanical Gardens
A visit the Botanical Gardens with the Kids is a must. The gardens host a variety of fun activities for the wee ones like the BotaniKids Playgroup and the Great Big Garden Play Day.

The BotaniKids playgroup program welcomes families with open arms, aimed at children between 0 and 4 years of age, they meet up at the Robert Clark Centre in November for music, craft and fun. BYO Kids Snacks. See HERE for dates and times.

The Great Big Garden Play Day celebrates international children’s day in style. With a range of fun activities on offer for the kids, from bug hunting, water fun, dress up’s, treasure hunts, giant spiders and nature story time, there is sure to be an activity your little one will LOVE.  The Great Big Garden Play Day is on the 24th October. See HERE for a full list of more BotaniKids activities.

Kid Friendly Eats
How could we not mention some of our favourite spots to get some good country style family eats. Whether it’s lunch, dinner or morning tea these places will re-fuel your tiny tourists in no time.

Cake Bake Shop

Oscar's Bistro

Such N Such
Beechworth Bakery

The most important thing to pack when planning a day trip is your sense of adventure. The folk are friendly and the weather can be slightly cool, so pack an extra jumper, just in case. To me its home and Ballarat sure is fun for families.

For more information on other events during Ballarat in Bloom see HERE.

Kids Art and Eats :: South Bank

Last Wednesday the kids and l had nothing pencilled in the diary. Yes NOTHING! No kinder, no child-care, no sport, visiting family members or doctors’ appointments. We were most excited and decided to jump on a tram and have an adventure in the city. I’d been promising Mr 3 a visit to the NGV. He has been keen to check out some art work which was inspired by a recent episode of Gasper and Lisa. The characters had just recently visited an art gallery in Paris. He loves Gasper and Lisa and their “frenchy” ways. How cultured of him!

So off we went. The gallery opens at 10am so first stop after our tram ride from Brunswick was a stroll down Spencer St. Mr 3 took great delight in spotting all the street sweepers, police cars and colourful window displays. We also stopped by Dame Edna’s 'Gladdies' for a cheeky peek too.

The galley was spectacular, as always. We threw some coins in the fountain out the front and made a wish, admired the water windows and swung by the NGV kid's corner. Both boys loved running around this child-friendly space, we did some colouring, danced on the beautiful carpet lights, made a paper crown and sailed the high seas, all inspired by Napoleon of course.

Once we were done there we had a quick whip around the gallery to have a look at some of the amazing art works. We then parked ourselves on the carpet in the great hall to have a mini picnic, while admiring the stunning glass roof. ** Note::  Food or Beverages CAN NOT be consumed in the gallery. Please see signage and staff on appropriate places to eat and drink.**

After the galley the boys decided that they were still hungry so we paid a visit to South Bank, which is about a five minute walk from the NGV. We went into the South Gate building in search of food and by the time we got to the food court both boys were asleep. Talk about timing. But it didn’t stop me from doing a bit of “kid-friendly” food research! So here are my top picks of family friendly dining in South Gate.

Joy Cupcakes :: Freshly cooked cupcakes that come in a variety of sizes and flavours. The mini ones are perfect for little hands. They also have seating inside to rest weary legs. We’ve visited them before which you can read about HERE.

Wagamama :: Kids EAT free!! (Conditions apply) :: Large tables for big groups :: Pram access :: High Chairs ::  No booking required

Lindt Chocolate Cafe :: This visit is mainly for the mammas! I didn’t know Lindt were located at South Gate and thought they are well worth a mention! This place is filled with chocolaty goodness and definitely worth a visit if you’re in the area. Need I say more!

South Gate also has a PARENTS ROOM on Level Two.

NOTE :: There is a food court on the ground level in South Gate. It’s also good a good spot to re-fuel; but don’t get too excited, it’s just a run of the mill type food court serving everything from sushi to fried food, pizzas, smoothies and ice-cream. It can be the ideal pit-stop if you have the wee ones in tow. Plenty of room for the prams, some highchairs and of course it comes with a cracking view of the city.

So next time you plan your trip to the city with the wee ones just keep a note in the memory bank that South Gate can be an ideal place for eats and treats, making it an ideal spot for a family day out.

Mini Review :: Nuts About Coffee :: Blackburn

This tiny coffee shop opposite the Blackburn train station is a great place to grab a quick coffee and sweet treat with the kids. There isn’t much room for prams in the little space, but the entire front window is given over to toys, cushions and the biggest teddy bear you have ever seen!

The organic Fairtrade coffee (and babycinos of course) come with a complimentary piece of a honey/nut/seed slice, which is chewy and delicious. There are a few other sweet treats, like muffins, biscuits and slices, but no other real menu. You can, however, pick up bags of various dried fruits, nuts, lollies and snacks at very reasonable prices.

Being more a store, rather than café, there are no toilets or changing facilities either.

We visited on a cold and wet autumn morning and the place was super busy with families, walkers with dogs and those enjoying a relaxing coffee while reading the paper. Definitely worth a visit if you happen to be heading out East for a drive.


The Cheeky Deets!

Where 
80 South Parade Blackburn

Open 
Mon-Fri 7.30am-7.30pm, weekends 8.30am-3pm

Payment
CASH ONLY

For the Wees Ones

Babycinos :: Healthy Eats :: Toys :: Books

Five Sweet Little Ladies for your Friday

Yay its Friday AGAIN and here are some sweet little ladies to help you with your café hopping weekend. Enjoy!

Miss Marie
High Chairs – Change Table – Books – Room For Pram

Miss Marmalade
High Chairs – Change Table – Toys - Babycinos

Madelines's at Jell's
High Chairs – Change Table – Playground - Bike Tracks

Ester’s Table
High Chairs – Change Table – Toys – Kids Menu

Lulabells Café
High Chairs – Change Table – Toys – High Tea

5 Colourful Cafes for Friday

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Have a colourful Friday & enjoy the weekend.

Here are 5 cafes that splash a little colour about.


Brown Cow

High chairs - Crayons & Colouring Sheets - Kids Menu

Famous Blue Raincoat

High chairs - Toys - Kids Menu

Lemon Tree

High chairs - Crayons & Colouring Sheets - Mini Milkshakes

Pearl Oyster

High chairs - Toys - Kids Menu

Marmalade Cafe

High chairs - Toys - Kids Menu

L'atelier de Monsieur Truffe

The Monsieur Truffe menu is small & offers
a variety of breakfast & brunch dishes.


For the wee ones they have two menu options, kids raspberry
pancakes with coconut curd & kid’s sausage rolls with sauce.


For the hot chocolate fans they do offer mini hot chocolates
which are served lukewarm to prevent unnecessary burning tongues.


For tiny bottoms they have highchairs & a change table in the toilets.


To read more of this review pop on over to Hey Bambini.


Enjoy!

Cubbyhouse Canteen

With plenty of room to move a pram, baby change table
facility, high chairs, toys, colouring pencils & books,
indoor/outdoor/park seating option, great food & service,
this cafe makes for an ideal place for the whole family
& already proving extremely popular with the locals.

To read more of this guest review by Li-Ann from Ham & Pea click HERE

Sydney LOVE

Oh my goodness!

That's all l can say right now.

We have only been in Sydney for four days & our little family has already explored so much of this beautiful city.

{We are dreaming of having an apartment on the water - but yes just dreams...}

We can't wait to share with you all the great child friendly cafes we've already found.

Our jeans are starting to get a little tight so a see-food diet may be on the cards when we get home!! {LOL!!}

So stay tuned for the next exciting "cafe news" installment from Hey Bambini.

{We thought we'd just "check in" to let you all know we are still around!}

Until next time we meet lovelies.

Cheers to Sydney

Northern Territory Dining with Kids

Two words to describe the Northern Territory are remote and beautiful. Apart from Alice Springs, Uluru and Darwin there’s not much else. Having said that they don’t have the funky cafes and restaurants on every street corner like the big smoke. And why on earth would they anyway – it’s the desert!

Our little family did manage to find a few good eating places, listen they weren’t the best places l’ve ever dined in but you don’t track miles over the Australia desert for fine dining. You go there to immerse yourself in nature’s wonders. And they are truly wonderful. If you haven’t been to the Red Centre yet – put it on your bucket list and get up there!

Here is a snap shot of where we ate and what family friendly features they had for the kids. All the places we dined in were only too happy to accommodate the kids with small activities, menus, changing facilities and highchairs. Make Uluru your next family holiday.


Alice Springs

Hanuman Thai

Hanuman is a Thai and Indian restaurant rolled into one with good tasting meals at high to moderate prices (remember everything has to get flown in – they don’t have an Asian grocer on every street corner) **Bookings MOST Essential – a very popular spot with locals and visitors**

For the Kids: Highchairs – Changing Facilities – Kids Menu had mini chicken stir-fry, mini fish stir-fry and very mild beef Masaman curry all served with rice and vegies for $12.


Juicy Rump Bistro Bar

The Juicy Rump (what a name!!) is a basic bistro style restaurant. They have tellies on the wall and a full bar with very basic pub style food. They’re not trying to reinvent the wheel here, so don’t expect too much. Choices include steak sandwich, Caesar Salad and of course the good old Aussie burger.

For the Kids: Highchairs – Changing Facilities – Kids Menu which had your bistro favourites like juicy chicken fillets, tempura fish fillets and a mini minute steak all served with chips and salad. Kid’s drinks start from $3 and of course the ice-cream is FREE.


Uluru – Ayers Rock

Tali Bar at Sails

Tali Bar is a basic bar cum small bistro with a relaxed friendly atmosphere serving quick and easy meals such as burgers, salads and pastas. Great little spot to dine at if the kids are a bit tired and grumpy. There is a front lawn which they can run around on while you wait for your food. We ate twice there because our two were just about at the end of their tether by day's end. It is a touch on the pricey side – but you are out in the desert!

For the kids - Highchair – Kids Menu – Activity Sheets with crayons – Change Table – front lawn to play on

Winkiku Restaurant

Winkiku serves a buffet breakfast in a brasserie-style setting. For dinner (seasonal), enjoy a tantalising seafood buffet, delicious array of salads, hot dishes and a carvery. We had breakfast here one morning and there was a variety of goodies such as fresh fruit, cereals and gourmet toppings for yogurts right down to pastries, muffins, eggs, bacon and other warm breakfast treats. Mr 2 always gets Coco Pops when we are on holidays and Mr 8 months enjoyed the fresh fruit and yogurts. Reservations essential

For the kids - Highchair – Kids Menu – Activity Sheets with crayons – Change Table

Arnguli Grill

Located at the Voyages Desert Gardens Hotel, Arnguli Grill features a table d'hôte menu of two and three set menu options, in relaxed surrounds. All tables come with white table cloths, water and wine glasses and service is swift and efficient. We were super organised this night and had Mr 8 months asleep when we arrived for dinner and the staff were also very helpful organising Mr 2's meal and ice-cream and timed it perfectly so we could enjoy our meals to. *Always get a child ice-cream served with your main meals – just takes the edge off and they are totally captivated with their dessert they won’t even bug you until every last drop is gone! Food good – although l should never have gone the vegetarian option – it was a BIG fail. Better luck next time.

For the kids - Highchair – Kids Menu – Activity Sheets with crayons – Change Table – before we went to dinner there is a lookout near by the Arnguli Grill and we watched the sun go down over the rock, kids love running around in the red dirt and looking at the animals tracks in the sand. Well my Mr 2 did anyway!

Observatory Cafe

Set on the south side of the gardens is the Observatory Cafe; it’s a wide open space with various seating options from large communal tables to an enclosed private dining section to alfresco style overlooking the gardens. The café is perfect for prams and we had no trouble at all navigating our way through the restaurant.

For the children the Observatory Cafe has a lunch menu, brightly coloured biscuits, cakes and of course babycinos and milkshakes. For little bottoms they have highchairs and changing facilities.

To read more of this review visit our website!

Babycino Babes

Check out the cute babes from our last visit
at Babycinos Garden Cafe in South Yarra.

BabyCinos Cafe has thought of everything when it
comes to keeping the little ones entertained.


With an outdoor play area consisting of swings &
mini sandpit to the enclosed playroom complete with
books, games and doll house – your kids will
surely be entertained for more than the ten
minutes it takes to enjoy a good cup of coffee.

Have you been yet?

To get all the details check out our review.

Babycinos Garden Cafe

Babycinos Garden Cafe has thought of everything
when it comes to keeping the little ones entertained.

With an outdoor play area consisting of swings and
mini sandpit to the enclosed playroom complete with books,
games and doll house – your kids will surely be entertained
for more than the ten minutes it takes to enjoy a cup of coffee.

To see the full review visit our website

APTE Cafe

We arrived mid-morning and the place was jam packed
with families, couples and of course some four legged friends.

We were lucky to get a table and the staff was very prompt in showing
us to our seats, taking our coffee orders and fetching the highchair.

Not that bubba sat in it for long – the box of toys was calling his name.

The toy box was filled with all your usual fun things –
books, plastic cars and a variety of other bibs and bobs.

To read the rest of this review visit our site!

xo

Jerry's Milkbar

We felt totally relaxed at Jerrys Milkbar, as there were several
other children also running around playing with toys along
with a few expectant mothers and small family groups.

Inside the kids can drool over the old fashioned lolly counter which
is filled with all your usual milkbar mixed lolly favourites – pineapples,
fads lollies, snakes and all the rest you can think of from your childhood.

To read the rest of this review visit our site!

xo

Dining out with baby in Canada

As promised from weeks ago here are my baby friendly finds from overseas.

We dined out in MANY places but l guess these were the stand outs.Not only for their food and service but also for the facilities they had for kids.

Most restaurants in Canada welcome kids with open arms and that usually came in
the form of crayons, activity placemats, colouring books, kid’s menus, highchairs and changing facilities.

I was actually astounded at the amount of changing facilities in restaurants in Canada.


Here were my favourites....

The Canyon Creek Chop House in Niagara Falls

Highchair, changing facilities, activity placemat, crayons and kids menu


The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise

Highchair, changing facilities, activity placemat, crayons and kids menu


Creperie Chez Suzette Montreal

Highchair, changing facilities, activity placemat, crayons and kids menu


Aux Anciens Canadiens Resturant Quebec

Booster seat, normal menu at kids serving, changing facilities

We love the CERES Organic Market

CERES Organic Market, with its family-friendly atmosphere, live music,
craft stalls and coffee stand is the heart of the CERES distribution food system.

The Market sells locally produced, affordable organic fruit and vegetables,
sensational sourdough breads, pastries, and CERES famous fresh laid eggs.

All produce is sourced from CERES Honey Lane and Merri Creek market gardens
or from other small sustainable growers and backyard producers around Melbourne.

Each week information on the food-miles of all stock is published, giving shoppers
complete peace of mind that they are supporting local, sustainable food production networks.

**********

While you there why not pop into the CERES Shop, they stock all things eco friendly!

Bulk organic and biodynamic dry goods, greywater-friendly cleaning products,
Fair-trade coffees and teas, Australian-made chocolate, biodynamic wines and
food stuffs made by social food enterprises including the CERES Seven Stars Food Project.

**********


For you craft lovers...
CERES Craft Market focuses on hand-made and recycled items
and offers a bounty of crafts made by local community artists.

Swap your veggies!
The CERES Urban Orchard Project, which has a stall at the market,
is a collection more than 170 households across the inner northern suburbs
of Melbourne who are interested in swapping and sharing the
products grown in their own backyard gardens.

**********

The CERES Organic Market runs every
Wednesday and Saturday
9am-1pm

Bundle up the family this weekend for a great outdoor adventure!

Enjoy!
xo

Please note: the photos are only for use in the CERES Organic Market event listing in the Hey Bamini website and blog.
Permission must be sought for any other uses.

Bella Sistas Espresso

"If you were to drive down busy Toorak Rd and blink you would miss
Bella Sistas, so all the more reason for us to share this little gem with you.

Bella Sistas is a family run cafe with loads of heart and soul.

Staff are very welcoming and friendly, the owner Pino bends over
backwards to help make your dining experience an enjoyable one."

Too see the full review see our website

Enjoy!

Northcote Social Club

"Northcote Social Club is better known for its pumping night life
and amazing live bands, not so much for its facilities for the kids.

So l was pleasantly surprised to see when we arrived for a casual
Saturday pub lunch that not only do they cater for the big kids and little
kids but there were several other families enjoying a Saturday lunch too."

Too see full review on the Northcote Social Club check out our website