Traveling to Vancouver with Babies
I love how Baby Friendly Canada is…
I have only been to a handful of cities in North America with our Baby, but I am very impressed by how baby friendly the places are. Every time I fly to Vancouver I can travel with ease and less stress, because I know I can buy baby foods and essentials very easily. We travel a lot in Europe and despite the fact that I have family in Vancouver, visiting Vancouver with Babies is a lot easier.
Canada is general is a lot more accommodating towards Babies and this could just be because the cities are not as old and they have more space. But in any case it is amazing and I feel I can relax more on my family holidays in Canada. Because in the back of my mind I am not worrying about where to find food, essentials, etc. for our Baby/Toddler.
Rent Baby Gear
Another great thing about traveling to Canada with Babies, is that if I do not want to bring additional baby gear with me, for example a crib, stroller, car seat,etc. and I can rent baby gear with Flybaby. With FlyBaby, you can rent everything you need to make your baby feel at home, and they will deliver it your destination! They recently launched in Vancouver and various other cities across Canada. Please click here for more details.
Getting Around Transportation
Depending on what your plans are, I would probably recommend renting a car during your stay there. Vancouver is a big city, pretty much everyone drives and the public transport system isn’t as great as it is in Europe. It might also be quite costly to take a taxi out there as most people have a car.
The Vancouver airport is located in Richmond, which is approximately 15km from downtown Vancouver. Since the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics you are able to take the sky train from the airport to downtown now as well.
Restaurants
Vancouver Restaurants are very friendly and accommodating towards families with babies. Most restaurants are family friendly and have kids meals, high chairs & change tables. The Restaurant staff are also very friendly and often ask if they can even help heat up baby milk/formula.
As the hourly wages for service staff are normally lower, should service not be included the final bill, it is custom to tip 10-15% on top of your bill.
Baby Essentials & Supplies
All supermarkets carry essential baby products and foods. The best stores to check for baby products such as nappies, wipes, formula (enfamil), snacks, etc. would be London Drugs, Safeway, Save-On, Thrifties, Shoppers Drug Mart, or Walmart.
You will also notice that there are a lot of baby stores, therefore if you need to buy and clothes for your baby or toddler you should not have a problem finding a range of options.
Breastfeeding
Breastfeeding in public in Canada is very common and legally protected. In North America mothers tend to Breastfeed their babies a lot longer than in Europe as well. So don’t be alarmed if you see a Mother breastfeeding a toddler.
The Weather
The best time to travel to Vancouver is probably be between April/May through to September/October. The summers are beautiful and it gets quite hot with clear blue skies and temperatures over 30 degrees. The winters do not get very cold, but the reason why it is so green there is because it rains a lot. And if it rains it can rain non stop all day long. So during the winter months it gets really foggy and rainy.
Baby Friendly Tourist Spots
- Stanley Park – A great family activity for the summer is to rent bikes and ride along the sea wall to Stanley Park. If you are of course with a stroller it makes for a beautiful walk as well.
- Sea Wall – Along Coal harbour (downtown Vancouver)there is a beautiful promenade called the sea wall. If you are visiting Vancouver with a toddler you can sit and watch the sea planes going up and down.
- Granville Island – One of my favourite places to take my daughter. It is also very famous for its beautiful city view and the market. I especially love Granville Island in the summer as it has a water park and a big play ground for kids next to a park.
- Vancouver Aquarium– It is interactive and very family and stroller friendly. It is quite easy to get to, especially if you are staying downtown. You can get there by walking through Stanley Park.
- Science World– Unlike other museums Science World is quite unique as it is very interactive and perfect for children across various different ages. They have a baby sensory area for those families with the babies. In addition they play music, have mirrors, as well as an interactive group of employees who engage with the kids.
I hope you will have found this blog helpful while planning your trip to Vancouver. While there are many Destination Blogs out there I try to provide more information from a perspective of a parent and provide tips that might help improve your holiday or inspire you to travel there with your infant.
If you have any question in relation to Vancouver or any other Baby Travel Topic please do not hesitate to contact me via email hello@jetlifebaby.com
Happy Baby Happy Travels
xo
