Ulster Museum, Belfast – BT9 5AB

I visited the Ulster Museum with the family just after Christmas and have to say i was impressed from the the start. Housed next to the botanical gardens the building is a mix of modern and classic and has a lovely open layout inside.

On entry we were given children’s map with stickers that you put on the map when you have seen specific exhibits, such as my boys favourite the big Triceratops skeleton. A great way to get the kids involved from the start.

Another highlight was the Art activities room, one of three learning zones inside the museum to keeping younger visitors engaged. You could play with mirrors, puzzles, drawing and also clothes to dress up a a Toby Jug :S

We had lunch in the cafeteria and the food was really good value and quality. They offered kids meals or just small portions of the adult food for those with a fussy palette. I enjoyed the lasagna, which came with chips that were stolen quickly.

The changing facilities we used were spacious and clean and had seating if you wanted to nurse too. 95% of the museum is pushchair friendly but like all old buildings there are always small areas where you may need to tackle a few steps or go around another way.

The obligatory trip to the shop meant we came home with a T-rex, Stegasaurus and two Ulster Museum drinking cups with built in straws. After leaving we quickly wandered into one of the hot houses which holds the tropical plants, but due to the grumps starting to appear we decided to call it a day.

All in all a fab day out and definitely on to recommend

Find it on Babmap at http://www.babmap.com/baby-changing/at/ulster-museum-stranmillis

Giraffe – Brighton BN1

I know Giraffe by name and by reputation. They are well known for being child friendly; because of this they were on of the first companies we added all the locations of on Babmap. Weirdly though I had never been to one, and this wasn’t right. We can’t visit all of our locations but we should at least test out the chains. So last Sunday we all went out the Giraffe Brighton for a late lunch, accompanied by Autie Emma who we were visiting.

I have to say the greeting was great, we were given a choice of seats and chose a booth near the back as the kids like to crawl around. Crayons etc were seemingly already laid out, balloon were given and a high chair appeared like magic. Service was great and the kids’ food was brought straight away with the starters. They even stock Brooklyn Beer so I had to indulge (yes I know I shouldn’t drink on duty but visiting Auntie is technically a holiday). While eating the staff played peekaboo with my boy and the feel was definitely nice.

Taking the boy to the loo there was changing in the Mens toilets as well as the womens (I was told). Everything was clean and well maintained though I was surprised that they did not have a junior urinal, the boy likes to feel like a man and using the cubicle was just making do.

The food was good for the value and they didn’t mind the mess a 3yr old and 20 month old leave behind.

Overall a great experience, nice one Giraffe.

Find them here:

http://www.babmap.com/baby-changing/at/1561/Giraffe+%28Brighton%29

Tenby House – Tenby SA70

The sun was shining and it was a lovely day in Tenby. Unfortunately the baby wasn’t feeling up for a relaxing day. It was coming up to lunch and we needed somewhere to stop and the Tenby House looked ideal.

As well as the main entrance you can all access a courtyard area directly from the street, which was perfect for the buggy. It’s nice and and the central area shared by a few other businesses. Along one wall there is also a number of snugs that can seat 4-6 people. This offered a bit more of a discreet opton for breastfeeding too, something my wife appreciated.

The menu was little bit of  let down, a wide range but all quite basic and no local fish or crab that is could see.  I opted for a fish finger sandwhich which you can’t go wrong with, and a sausage and chips of the kids menu for our little boy (well he is on holiday). The food was fine and all very reasonably price for the location.

The one thing that really let them down though was the changing facilities. As with a lot of places the changing facilities were shared with a disabled toiled but it definately could do with some decoration. More of a concern though was that it also appeared to be used as the cleaners cupboard. On the floor these were large bottles of what looked like cleaning fluid, not what you would want if you had a toddler poking around while having to change a baby. Similarly above the pull out changing table an a shelf full of toilet cleaners and cleaning sprays, i’m sure it’s safe enough but doesn;t make you feel comfortable.

So overall good value and an OK place but they need to sort out the changing.

The photos below were taken in June 2009.

Wisemans bridge inn – Pembrookshire SA69

Wisemans Bridge Inn

This place is not just about a fantastic view but also has a friendly staff a good kids menu and baby changing. It’s a bit off the beaten path but if your looking for a quieter beach in the South Wales near summer then wisemans bridge may offer this too.

I didn’t get to take a picture of the baby changing facilities but they were in a shared diabled toilet and were in good condition. I prefer this setup as of as a Dad i can help with the changing too. They were really chiled freindly and happy to sit us at a larger table as we had the double buggy.

The kids menu had lots of options, we oppted for the star shaped fish cakes, unfortunatley before they arrived our little boy fell as asleep. The good side was my wife and i had a great meal without distraction and the roast was to die for, especially the red cabbage in the side vegatables.

As we had to make a move they we happy to put our kids meal into a take away carton for us too, though a dog wandered into our beach tent and licked it before our boy got to finish it

Anyway, great place. Thumbs up from us. Oh and nice view!

Guest review – San Lorenzo Fuoriporta, Wimbledon SW19

Entrance

This has always been a really nice, posh Italian restaurant that I’ve been to for dinner a few times to celebrate special occasions. But these days nothing is immune to the Credit Crunch and so to keep the cash flow flowing even San Lorenzos has stooped to opening its doors for breakfast & lunch, open daily 9-6 (10:30-4 Sundays). They call it their ‘Garden Cafe’, and it’s a lovely, family-friendly environment to go for a nice lunch on a sunny day.

The main entrance is not the one on the main road (you’ll stuggle to get a pram through that as it takes you through the main restaurant), but rather round the back, down an alleyway opposite Elys department store. Menu is a simple selection of teas, coffees (best coffee I’ve had in ages), grilled sandwiches and a small number of pasta and salad dishes. No children’s menu as such, so parents with picky eaters might sturggle to get kids to eat anything except the ice-cream!

Ok, it’s not cheap food, but if you want to go for a bit of a treat where the quality speaks for itself, this is the place!

Now for the baby changing: there are baby changing facilities upstairs in the women’s toilets (there might be some in the men’s too but I couldn’t look because I’m a lady!) Nothing too glamorous, but there was a changing table, box with spare nappies, etc., and a nice chair to sit in for breast feeding.
When we went there were a couple of families with kids of all ages (one had a baby in a high chair), everyone seemed very relaxed. The staff are brilliant here, really accommodating and friendly.

Parking may be the only real issue, probably best to try one of the residential roads just off the high street and walk a bit.

Review from catslikefish, not a mummy yet but a welcome supporter.
View her blog  @ http://catslikefish.wordpress.com/

Entrance

Entrance shot 2

Changing station

Wandsworth Southside (Mini review) – London SW18

Look like they have some quite good facilities in the main shopping centre. There are two  separate rooms for baby changing opposite the standard toilets. These have a changing table and a toilet.

The signs outside show breastfeeding facilities but these where not obvious. There were no chairs in the changing rooms i looked in.

Relevant shops include Mothercare, Baby Gap, H&M, Adams, Next, Primark plus many other general shops.

M&S Kings Rd, Chelsea, London SW3

M&S Kings Rd, Chelsea. Signs say baby changing, staff say..er.. actually we don’t have any. Not very good

The Social (Mini Review) – Glasgow G1

The Social Glasgow

Just a quick review on this one as i only had the chance to pop in for a quick drink while on a training day.

The bar is big and spacious, with a small seating area out front (this seemed mainly for the smokers). I just had a pint of Amstel but the bar menu looked big.

Down at the back of the bar looked a bit more interesting, where they had almost cantina style tables and i noticed a next to the waiters point a number of high chairs. Obviously quite happy to cater for families. On further inspection i noticed they had babay changing in the disabled toilet and it all looked clean and well maintained.

I didn’t get the chance to take any pictures as a guy by himself wandering around the toilets taking photos could be frowned upon. But from asking a few of the locals they said the place was a bit of a gem and the food was good value.

The Bridge Tavern – London SE20

Bridge Tavern

I thought this would be a good place to start as it’s my local. Until last year this place was awful but the new owners and management have completely turned it around with great food, drink and baby changing.

The pub is laid out over two levels with the baby changing on the lowest level. You can access this from a main ramp at the front, where you will find a  mix of relaxed sofas and high bar like tables. The second level is more dining orientated but also has access to a large outside area. Outside are rows of picnic tables where they have barbecues in summer. There is a gate at the side of the garden to get buggies in but it’s not open all the time and you’ll have to get the staff or someone to open it for you.

The changing facilities are quite standard, a fold down table in the downstairs toilet area. The space is good though, not too cramped. They also have some high chairs available to use that work best with the dining area tables.

Food wise we’ve tried lots of the menu. I normally go for the burgers or the fishcakes but the Meze and specials all always good too. In addition they have free wi-fi for anyone wanting to check their mail on the go.

In general great place and i think they’ve also got discounts on midweek for mums (and dads) meeting up for lunch.

Bridge Tavern Interior

Bridge tavern changing table

Bridge Tavern interior

Bridge Tavern high chairs

Bridge Tavern

First hurdle

Well I was hoping to post my first review today of a place with great baby changing facilities, but as is life with kids, it didn’t really go to plan.

My daughter (3 months) developed a temperature and a rash so we were a little housebound trying to manage her distress and lack of eating. I popped out quickly to the shops to pick up some milk and on the way back I heard a funny sound from my little boy (2.3 years). I looked in the rear view mirror just in time to see him vomit all over himself! Turns out it’s nothing serious, I think he just tried to chew on a toy car and gagged.

So the only thing I can review is how easy it is to get sick out of our car seat. We have a Maxi-Cosi Tobi; which I have to say has been excellent. Due to size you have to leave it in place but we had no complaints at all. But this was the first time we’d had to give it more than a quick hoover for crumbs.

The covers are not fully removable but it was surprisingly easy, most pieces peeled back or pulled out to allow it to be scrubbed. We actually threw the whole chair in the bath and used the pressure shower to hose it down. It seems fine. I’ll let you now if anything rusts!

Anyway, next week I’ll give you a proper review