The Things That I Used to Do....

The hardest part of becoming a parent so far has been trying to adapt an old life (free of diapers, strollers, and bottles) with a new life that includes all the above.  One of my favorite loves of Phoenixville is it's coffee shops.  Yesterday, my husband and I attempted to merge our love of a good latte with our love of our daughter. 

After waiting three hours for our baby to eat, sleep, and poop we finally got her bundled up and ready to go to Artisan's Gallery and Cafe.  Since we live in town, we decided to make this a stroller day and walked down a few blocks to the coffee shop.  Of course, she falls asleep almost instantly once we hit the rocky terrain called a sidewalk. It's easy to take a sleeping baby around town.

Now I've debated how I should "review" businesses for new parents, and I'm going to base it on certain criteria that every parent needs to know on a scale of 1-5. (1 = poor and 5 = awesome)

Stroller Accessibility:  4 There are no stairs leading into the establishment, which is a bonus, but if it's packed with customers forget about getting the stroller to the counter past all the tables and chairs.

Dirty Diaper Changing (DDC): 4 While there is no changing table, the bathroom is a clean room with a lockable door.  If you put a changing mat on the floor, you could change the baby in peace. 

Family-Friendly Ambience: 3 The place doesn't scream "Welcome Babies," as clientelle tends to be the 20-something crowd connected to a laptop.  I wouldn't take a toddler in as there are too many pieces of pottery to potentially break.  But for a baby confined to a stroller or parents' arms, it's a not overly stimulating place to chill for a while. 

Nursing Possibilities:  3 Now, I'm not big on public breastfeeding...I'll bring a bottle of milk before I whip out a boob, but if I absolutely had to nurse I would say that the space is a little small and intimate.  There are some comfy chairs that would make nursing easier, but you might be sitting a mere foot away from a stranger with your nipple exposed.  However, that person might be so engrossed in his/her laptop they'd never notice!  There are not many places to descreetly "hide" and feed (like a back of the store table), but again the bathroom might work in a pinch if you don't mind sitting on the toilet. 

Overall the experience at Artisan's was quite enjoyable.  We enjoyed a little piece of our old lives combined with a little piece of our new one.  Of course, our conversation wasn't as much about politics as it was about how cute our daughter is, but that's to be expected: we're new parents!