Raising a Baby in St. John's: Fine Dining with a Baby

Now that Thomas is able to sit up in a high chair (yay!), I wanted to put together this round up of fine dining establishments in St. John's that have a high chair. It's great to know there are high and (medium!) end dining options for the whole family to enjoy -- not only to be able to bring baby along to avoid the costs of a sitter, but also to expose baby to the enjoyment of dining out. As Thomas grows up, it is a priority for me that he be comfortable (meaning enjoy eating) and able (meaning having the appropriate table manners) to eat at a high end restaurant. In St. John's, high chairs can be found at (in alphabetical order):

• Aqua
• Bacalao
• Bianca's
• Blue on Water
  
• The Casbah
• Get Stuffed
• Indian Gate
• The Keg
• Oppidian
• Piatto
• The Peppermill
• Portobello's
• The Rooms Cafe
• The Sprout
  

In completing my round up, some restaurants (Duck on Water, Oliver's, The Cellar and Chinched Bistro notably) let me know that while they don't have a high chair, they encourage patrons to bring along a booster seat as they're child friendly. Annexe Resto also mentioned that they plan to buy a high chair soon (as they're a new establishment). I also couldn't reach anyone at Basho or Yellowbelly, so I'm not sure about their status? Anyone know? If I missed somewhere, please let me know. I'd love to add them to the list!

Raising a Baby in St. John's: Alternative Places to Register

Especially for a first baby, a shower is typically one of the joyful pregnancy milestones. While I'll be sharing my advice on creating a baby registry soon (check out a list of my favourite baby gear on the right of this blog, if you're curious for a preview), knowing where to register can often be as confusing as determining what to add to your registry. Of course St. John's has the basics (Sears, Babies R Us and Walmart), but if you want something more unique, why not consider registries at one of my favourite baby stores in St. John's? For my own baby shower, I registered at Babies R Us and Bellies and Bundles and had my mom manage a wish list of books at Chapters.

Wonderful places to register in St. John's include (in alphabetical order):

• Bellies and Bundles
  
• Coo Chi Coo
  
• Flowerchild
  
• Gingersnap

In addition, if you have friends and family living elsewhere, why not set up an online registry? Baby Bot in Calgary is a great choice -- they have tonnes of unique products not available in St. John's and their shipping is prompt and service is friendly.

Do you have any other recommendations on great places to register? I've also found beautiful baby products at Newfoundland Weavery and Home on Water.

Modern Motherhood Survival Guide

What didn't begin as a 'mommy blog' has often become one, because here on Horizontal Stripes I've enjoyed sharing my life and things I've learned with you, my dear readers, and one of those most recent developments has been becoming a mom. In case you're curious, I've packaged my recent posts on motherhood into a "Modern Motherhood Survival Guide". You can read all my posts here on topics such as entertaining at home with a baby, and preparing your closet for maternity leave and pregnancy. You can read even more posts about babies here.

I'll be adding to this Guide in the coming days, weeks and months, with posts about baby registries, fine dining with a tot, raising a foodie, traveling with baby, coming up with alternative childcare arrangements, and more. I do hope you'll check back! And as always, I'd love to hear about your experiences in parenthood through the comments. Please don't be shy to say hi! xo Image via The Sartorialist.

Raising a Baby in St. John's: Enjoying George Street

One of my city's most famous tourist attractions is a pedestrian street lined with pubs, bars and dance clubs -- George Street. If you're entertaining guests, want to catch a live concert during the summer or have a bachelorette party while pregnant or nursing, chances are George Street might be a part of your plans. To enjoy a night out there (or anywhere) if you're pregnant or nursing or simply don't drink, here are some great mocktail recipes. Any bar should be able to whip up one of these for you! They're so much more fun and tasty than a diet 7-Up.

Mocktails cartoon designed by Alyson at Unruly Little Things.