St David's 2

Not a food-related post today, but a useful one all the same - a guide to St David's 2 with a baby.

So, before the Little One came along, there was no planning involved when popping in to town to go shopping. And then, I was in town. With a pram. And a hungry baby. And I needed to go to Mothercare. On the first floor. Hmmm.

As a new mummy, I briskly walked past the oh-so-convenient escalators, and over to the main lifts (the only ones I knew of at the time). Big mistake. These lifts are mainly used by people who are going to the multistorey car park, and not simply to go up one floor. I was queuing for ages, and when I finally made it in, I was blocked in by several people and a mobility scooter. Not fun at all.

So that you can avoid any situation like this, there are two other lifts that I know of. The first is by Costa Coffee, near the John Lewis end of St David's. The other is on the opposite end, by Krispy Kreme. Hardly anyone uses these, so you'll be on the first floor shopping to your heart's content in seconds.

As for nappy changing facilities, St David's is pretty good to be fair. 

It's not essential, but it certainly makes life a lot easier - a wide variety of toilet/changing/feeding facilities!

If you simply need to pee when shopping with the Little One, there are a few toilet cubicles you can use that either have more space for prams, or that have two toilets - I assume one for you and one for a toddler that might be with you.

There are quite a few different rooms for baby changing, as well as a couple of sofas for feeding. All basic but perfectly suitable and clean. Also, they have big bright mirrors for when you need to touch up your make up or check for spit up!

John Lewis is another good pit stop with a Little One in tow, but I'll leave that until my next post.

www.stdavidscardiff.com/

All photos are my own unless stated otherwise.

Bellini's - Park Place

The other day I was fortunate enough to be invited out for lunch with some workmates. We decided on Bellini's in Park Place as it tends to be pretty quiet during the week.

I walked over, only to be faced by two big heavy doors - a Mummy's worst nightmare with a pram. But fortunately, the staff were so friendly and welcoming, that this didn't phase me in the slightest. The second I got to the door, a lovely woman came out to hold both doors for me. Top marks!

We'd booked a table and mentioned that there would be a couple of prams, and as it was quiet, we were allowed to choose our table. We opted for a table along the side wall as they have those long sofas on one side, ideal when the Little One wants to lie down and have a kick about for a bit.

I would usually go for the Express Lunch Menu like my friends (I love a starter, especially when it's cheap!) but on this particular day, I really fancied one of the pasta dishes that wasn't on the Lunch Menu.

Overall, the food was good, the service was great and as it was a mid week lunch, I felt very comfortable with the Little One.

When I visited: 12:30 on a Tuesday.

What I had: Spaghetti all'Aglio for £6.95.

Access: As mentioned, the doors are big and heavy but I received the warmest welcome and the staff were very helpful. It was easy to manoeuvre the pram when I went, but I'm not so sure how easy it would be when it's busy - it's pretty narrow. I would definitely book and let them know you will be bringing a pram. 

Nappy changing: Yes, on the ground floor at the back. It had everything you'd need.

High chairs: There were a few, but the Little One isn't old enough to use one yet. She's almost six months now and ready to start on solids, so I'll have more information on this point from now on.

Pram parking: As mentioned, a little narrow, but perfectly fine during the week.

Car parking: I think Capitol or the parking spaces by the museum would be your best bet.

1 Park Place
City Centre
Cardiff
CF10 3DP



www.bellinis-mermaidquay.com(I couldn't for the life of me find the same website for the Park Place branch)


All photos are my own unless stated otherwise.