Rookie Moms

Sending out a huge Grazie to Michela in Milan for rounding out our wonderful set of activities by the moms from BabyccinoBlog. Michela kept telling us how UN-kid friendly Milan is, but she managed to come up with a fun array of activities for moms, babies, and young children.

We’re all in favor of mama getting a cappuccino break…I hope if I ever make it out to Italy with bambinos, she’ll show me the best spots in person.

Monday:
Take it easy on Monday morning, as so many things are closed! Go to a nice bar and have the typical Italian breakfast: cappuccino and cornetto (the italian croissant) and get a babyccino for your kids. To get the full experience you should have it quickly and while standing up, but that may not be ideal with children in tow.

Wherever you are you should not be too far from a stop of the 29/30 tram line: it’s a line that does a complete loop around Milan following the (now inexistent) Spanish walls. The trams in service on this line are very old, similar to San Francisco’s cable cars, and children love them! Wait until rush hour is over and board one, tickets are 1 euro and kids below 10 go free.

Get off in Corso Vercelli, one of the nicest shopping streets in Milan. Corso Vercelli, together with its continuation Via Belfiore and Via Marghera is probably one of the best places for shoes, kid’s shops and jewelery (together with everything else). Take a break and have a gelato at Grom, undoubtedly the best ice cream in the world! Reboard the tram and complete your tour.

Tuesday:
Head to Leonardo da Vinci Science Museum, where the highlights are the models of the machines designed by Leonardo and a real submarine. The Toti is a war submarine, built in Italy in 1967 and is over 46 meters long. Its transportation to the Museum took place in the middle of august and during the night to minimise disruption. It was very spectacular! Tickets can be booked in advance or bought at the Museum entry.

Unfortunately the cafeteria is closed until further notice, so you can walk down Via San Vittore and have a sandwich in one of the many cafés or have a slice of pizza or focaccia from one of the bakeries.

After lunch have a stroll around the Basilica di Sant’Ambrogio. It’s the quintessential Milanese church, very austere and elegant. Kids can run around in the porch if they still have some energy to burn off after the Museum visit.

Take Corso Genova, a nice shopping street, and walk towards the Navigli. These canals are what is left of the whole canal system that existed in Milan in the middle ages. The neighbourhood is very characteristic, a bit bohemian maybe. If it’s summer the streets along the canals will be pedestrianised and all the bars will have tables outside. You should have an aperitive, this is the ultimate Milanese habit. You get a drink and the bar provides so many snacks that you may as well skip dinner. Try to go early in the evening, so that it’s not too crowded.
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When we started the “week in” section of our site, it was an attempt to not be so Berkeley-focused. If you’re not our neighbors, there are still a ton of great options that are better than wiping someone’s tushy, right?

We’re so happy to share another one in Europe — where neither of us has (yet) been with our children — Emilie from BabyCCINO shares with us her favorite activities in Paris! Emilie has one young daughter, Coco, and is expecting a second baby this month.

As soon as I can get my passport together, I’ve got to get on a plane and meet these fun women.

Monday
Take a walk in the Tuileries Gardens. They have trampolines (for kids over 2), and a merry-go-round situated in the middle of the gardens. Try to go before 4pm as this is the time school finishes and the parks get packed. Go for a hot chocolate at Angelina’s (226 rue de Rivoli). Rumour has it, that this is the best hot chocolate in the Northern Hemisphere….

Tuesday
Treat yourself to a spot of shopping on one of the shopping hotspots of Paris, rue des Franc Bourgeois and rue Veille du Temple in the Marais. Around these streets are numerous little parks (place des Vosges and parc Royale) so you can let the kids have a quick play in-between shops! Go for lunch at Le loir dans la Théière also in the Marais (3 rue des rosiers 75004 Paris Tél. : 01.42.72.90.61).

Ironically all the antique highchairs there are purely for decoration, but it is a really kid-friendly place with big leather sofas. Nobody rushes you, even if there is a huge queue in front of the door (and the lemon tarte is something to behold– its meringue topping must be at least 15 cm high)!
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Last month, we were very lucky to get Courtney from Babyccino to write up a week in London. Now, I’m excited to tell you that we have another fun European city to explore: Amsterdam! Esther has two little ones almost the exact ages as my two… now if we could just schedule a playdate. She’s a busy Dutch stay-at-home mom with a ton of good ideas for rainy days and sunny days in her home city.

Monday
Go out for breakfast in the Bakkerswinkel. A basket of different sorts of bread, muffins, scones and croissants makes way to your table accompanied by a much needed coffee and orange juice. Fancy jams can be found on the table. Open from 7AM - what a wonderful way to start the week!

After, take your children to the Amstelpark, where there is a lovely playground and a little city farm. A ‘real train’ can take you around the park – a sure hit with your little ones.

Had enough of the park? Go to the Scheldestraat where you can find the great kids’ shoe store Meys & Co (open from 1PM onwards), with across the street Koter & Co where they sell a big selection of the cool Dutch kiddie brand Imps&Elfs (and more).

Before going back home, don’t forget to visit Italian delicatessen Feduzzi for a cappuccino and one of their mouth watering Panini. And don’t forget the babyccino for your little angel! You can pick up something for dinner here too – I promise you, the food is great, and prices are reasonable.

Tuesday
TunFun is an indoor playground that your children will LOVE. There are different soft play areas for different age groups, and there are also benches and a lounge area for the grown ups. A good place to start the day with a cup of coffee! (And a great place to go if it’s raining)!

Artis, the Zoo of Amsterdam, is not far from here. Because of the mix of historic, listed buildings, huge amounts of green and great variety of animals, this is truly a magnificent place to spend half a day.

In the unfortunate but not unthinkable case of bad weather, Artis provides many indoor activities for your children and yourself to enjoy: the aquarium, the greenhouses, reptile house, Planetarium and the new butterfly-garden.
The playgrounds and restaurants are very good, but if you feel like having lunch in a different environment, you can go to restaurant Plancius, across the street from Artis. It’s a good place to go with children (high chairs are available).
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We recently “met” Courtney from Babyccino — an excellent blog in which moms in 4 European cities hold an online conversation about life, kids, and style.

She is an American from Seattle living in London with her husband and 2 lively sons, Easton and baby Quin (near the same ages as mine!).

She shares some of her favourite mum and baby activities.

Monday: Burgers and Electric Scream
Head to “Babes ‘n Burgers” on Portobello Road for a quick lunch. They have a play area in the back for kids, and the burgers are decent!

After lunch, walk a few blocks south on Portobello Road to the Electric Cinema. They have a 3:00 screening slot set up for mums and their babies under 1-year-old. You buy a ticket, “valet” park your buggy, take your seat, and your baby sits on your lap (or the ample floor space in front of you). No worries if they scream — it’s actually called “Electric Scream” because it is to be expected! This way you can stay up-to-date on recent films, and maybe meet some other mums while you’re there. (Buy your ticket early on Monday, because it always sells out)!

Tuesday: Kid’s Zone and delicious pasta
Take your kids to the (free) National Army Museum in Chelsea. They have a Kid’s Zone for interactive learning and a play space with a forest, castle, board games, a construction corner, and a reading area. The Zone is meant for kids under 10, including a soft-play area for babies! After the museum, head to the nearby King’s Road for lunch at Carluccio’s. They have a great kid’s menu, loads of highchairs, changing tables in the bathrooms, and the food is good!

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