Copenhagen: New Cafe Crowd Have Babies on Board

There’s a new breed of customer in Copenhagen’s cafes, and they come armed with prams, diaper bags and – babies. On maternity leave from well-paid jobs, new mothers’ groups meet for coffee mornings, for take-baby-along matinees at the movie theater, for baby music and movement classes and for baby swimming. In fact there are now so many opportunities for the new mother in the Danish capital that one woman now offers ‘maternity leave coaching’ for women feeling the pressure of juggling it all.

With new mothers now a lucrative market for businesses, most restaurants and cafes have been only too happy to offer baby changing facilities, high chairs and children’s menus for possible siblings. As the mums arrive en masse, however, a backlash has begun at some establishments: one Østerbro cafe has become well known for the sign on its door proclaiming that while children are welcome, prams, breast-feeding and diaper changing are not.

The brunch concept is particularly popular in Copenhagen, with long lines around the buffet tables at many eateries every weekend. For new mums, this late morning luxury has gone midweek; well, who wouldn’t enjoy sipping a latte whilst discussing baby massage?

You don’t have to be a local to enjoy the family atmosphere at many of Copenhagen’s cafes and restaurants, of course. Though a little out of the way in outer Østerbro, the cafe Stuen t.h has an ambience that is more ‘parents welome’ than child-friendly. Mums and dads will be enthralled by the extensive young children’s play area, while older children have another room with computers at their disposal.

Most of the city’s cinemas now offer a ‘babybio’, a once-a-week, mid-morning matinee showing for mothers, where the babies can join mum in the theater or be left in the foyer to sleep in their prams, parents relaxed in the knowledge that someone is there to check on their little ones and, should they wake up, a discreet message will be conveyed inside.

Perhaps Copenhagen’s real treat for families with small children, however, is the public transport. Once you’ve traveled by bus, train or the underground Metro system, you can see why prams are so popular: there’s no need to constantly fold and unfold a stroller here, with wide opening doors, expansive elevators and large areas for prams, wheelchairs and bicycles on all forms of public transport.

Conversely, many shops and restaurants are accessible only via narrow steps. While many parents will no doubt balk at the Danish custom of leaving both carriage and baby outside (thankfully the consequences appear benign), those unwilling to disturb baby from his or her mobile slumber might prefer larger stores like Magasin and Illum.

[Photos: complexify/midnightcomm/creativecommons]