On recent raining days when I’ve been having a very very hard time getting motivated to get out of the house with my sidekick, I have been thinking about how lucky I am to have several baby and toddler-friendly coffee shops to choose from.
For me, what makes a coffee shop friendly for parents is a corner with toys to keep them busy and a bathroom with a changing table. In Oakland, we have an amazing place called Sadie Dey’s Cafe, which has a huge play area for kids and wi-fi for adults. There is a full menu of food for everyone (including babyfood). There are cubbies for your shoes, and coffee holders mounted high up on the wall all around the space, along with purse hooks, so that the toddlers don’t get into anything they shouldn’t be touching (like MY LATTE!)
When my MIL and SIL came to visit and I brought them to Sadie Dey, they were totally blown away and insisted there is nothing like this in Minneapolis. Are they right?
I would love to have a round-up here, if y’all would do me the favor of commenting on your favorites in your neighborhood.
Red Tricycle has this post on Seattle favorites for parents.
I used to love bringing our little girl to the local coffee shop, unfortunately it doesn’t work so well now with three children under five.
For those of you in the inner loop of Houston, we love Brasil (in Montrose on Dunlavy and Westheimer) and Khon’s (in Midtown on Milam). The owners of both places have kids – and Khon’s in particular welcomes wee ones.
Sold. I want to move there.
In West Seattle you can go to Sugar Rush Baking Co. They have a play area in the back for wee ones. Also C and P Coffee on California Ave is very kid friendly. My 19 month old is there nearly every day and the regulars have enjoyed watching her grow up.
In Ann Arbor, MI, we have a couple of these awesome coffee shops. One is Jungle Java, where they have a completely padded infant/toddler area, a huge play space for kids, tons of tables and couches and chairs for adults, and great food. Also in nearby Ypsilanti they have Zoobilee, which is about the same but on a smaller scale. I just moved here from Milwaukee and they didn’t have anything like this. Such a great idea!!
For those of you who are in San Diego, Ca or visiting. Java Mama is a coffee house specifically made to be kid friendly. It’s really very nice. One thing, there is a small admission fee. There is also My Kid’s Clubhouse. It’s not a coffee house but is usually located right next to one.
There is a great coffee shop in Vancouver, WA that caters to mom’s and kids under 5 called Sip’n Play. They have an activity calender and you can have birthdays and mom’s night out there.
Not insulting anyone!!
I wouldnt really like this idea i can imagine trying to relax and write something for business surrounded by a ton of screaming kids.. heres a good idea put the kids in a soundproof room with a window for the parents to watch them!!!
@Robert, You’re cracking me up. We suggested finding a “kid-friendly” coffee shop and not just setting our wild toddlers free in a laptops-only cafe for the terrorizing.
There are a few great cafes on the Eastside of Los Angeles doing this now too. Cafe de Leche in Highland Park has a small play area with toys and shelves and a beautiful wooden block puzzled covering one of the walls painted with their logo. Swork in Eagle Rock has an impressive area with a train track, padded floors, benches for parents with hooks for their diaper bags and tons of buckets of toys. Swork recently installed a gate so that you don’t have to constantly putting the toddlers back in the play area!
[...] Baby too old for this? Try Activity #183: Find a kid-friendly coffee shop [...]
If you happen to visit or live in Chicago, there is a kid friendly cafe at the corner of Lincoln Ave. and Addison (one block north). It is called Family Grounds Cafe.
Anyone know of a good place in or around Pittsburgh? There is My Little Outback on Squirrel Hill, but it’s an indoor playground which happens to sell coffee. Caribou coffee in Southside Works used to have a kids table, but has since removed it to include additional tables. FYI- it looks like Sadie Dey’s is no more. : (
I live in SE Tennessee and there is nothing like this in my town. I actually was thinking of opening a place like this, and am trying to find a possible franchise. Most of the places suggested above look great, but appear to be locally-owned businesses. Anyone have any ideas of a franchise like this?