About to have a baby in Toronto? Here’s what you need to know.
1. Which subways STILL don’t have an elevator.
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The TTC is working toward becoming completely accessible and is in the process of installing elevators in every subway station. This is a very, very, very long process and about half the stations are still without. We’re looking at you: Islington, Royal York, Old Mill, Runnymede, High Park, Keele, Lansdowne, Ossington, Christie, Bay, Sherbourne, Castle Frank, Chester, Donlands, Greenwood, Coxwell, Woodbine, Warden, <deep breath>, Wilson, Yorkdale, Glencairne, Dupont, Museum, St. Patrick, King, College, Wellesley, Rosedale, Summerhill and Lawrence. You don’t strictly need an elevator to get around with a baby in Toronto (and please do let those with more permanent accessibility obstacles have first dibs on elevators), but they do make life easier and it’s nice to know that you’re facing a three-story-high wall of stairs before you load up your stroller with a week’s worth of groceries. (Updated: Oct. 6, 2016. Check here for the most recent list.)
2. The city will freeze over. You’ll still need to get out of the house. Be prepared.
It’s really, really, extremely easy to just stay home during the worst of the winter if you don’t have anywhere to be. This is especially true when you have to juggle feedings and diaper changes and enough gear to survive an antarctic expedition just to have coffee with a friend. So give yourself somewhere to be. Schedule coffee dates, drop-in programs, grocery shopping or whatever. Getting out of the house is probably the single best thing you can do for your own mental and emotional well being.
3. Get on all the lists as soon as possible.
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There are A LOT of people having babies in this town, but there are not always a lot of the things you want for your baby. If you think you might, possibly, maybe like a midwife, then pick up the phone and get on your local clinic’s waitlist as soon as you find out you’re pregnant. Really, your parents can wait to hear the news — and so can your partner. Then you’d better start working on securing your spot on the two-year-long waitlist for a daycare spot for your one-year-old!
4. Everything about your closest Ontario Early Years Centre.
The OEYC is a government-funded, completely FREE, community centre that offers both drop-in and registered programs for children from birth to six years old. Find out where your closest one is, download their calendar, commit their drop-in hours to memory and get over there as soon as possible. There are 23 centres in the City of Toronto alone. Tip: this will be a lifeline to sane, adult human interaction for you and that’s even more important than what the baby gets out of it.
5. Your local farmer’s market, organic grocer and health food store.
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So maybe you already know this. But even if you don’t because you don’t go in for that crunchy, hippie nonsense because you’re living on a budget and food from a standard supermarket is just fine, thankyouverymuch, wait for it. There’s nothing like motherhood to bring out your inner hippie and drive you to fill your freezer with homemade, locally grown, organic squash puree. Don’t think it won’t happen.
6. Where your breastfeeding support is at, yo.
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Breastfeeding is almost always hard at first and you want to know where to turn when sore nipples and a fussy baby conspire against you. Doctors, nurses, friends and family are all good for support. And sometimes you need to talk to as many people as possible before you find the advice that works for you. La Leche League Canada has groups all over the country (and 13 right here in Toronto!) for ongoing breastfeeding support and encouragement. And for especially difficult cases, the Newman Breastfeeding Clinic is one of the preeminent breastfeeding clinics in the country. It’s a good name to have in your back pocket.
7. These streets were made for walking.
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Leave the car behind because there’s nothing more therapeutic for both you and baby than to go out for epic, marathon walks as much as possible. Walk from the Junction, through High Park and right down to the lake and back. Stroll through Dufferin Grove and then along College St all the way to Kensington. Make the trek from Leslieville to the Beaches, I’m not even kidding. Rock your subdivision and shop your local strip mall in the burbs. You may never again have the chance to spend this much time checking out your city on foot. And your baby will SLEEP.
8. Love your library.
Adapted image source, via Creative Commons license
I forgot about the library until I had kids. And then suddenly there I was again, once a week or more. It’s warm and friendly and filled with books and good memories. The TPL has free programs and story times for kids from birth on. We have so many branches, guys! They’ll transfer books from across the city for you. They have ebooks and movies to take out or stream and magazines and more.
9. Trains, subways and streetcars!
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Older babies and toddlers are all about the choo-choos. So talk about a score for them being a baby in Toronto. We’ve got rail lines full of freight cars and Go Trains crisscrossing all over this town. Plus we have streetcars and subways which totally count as trains. You might as well find your own train groove now because there’s really no escape.
10. We literally have hundreds of parks. The really good ones have people like you.
“This is the summer of parks,” I told my kids. “We’ll go to a new park every day!” We didn’t manage it, but we could have. Definitely check out the big destination parks like Centennial, Sunnybrook, the Scarborough bluffs, the Beaches, Dufferin Grove, High Park and so on. But the small park near your house is where your community will be. If you can connect with the other families, your park will be about so much more than the playground.
11. Going out of your way to find construction sites is a thing that will happen.
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What can I say? Tots love diggers almost as much as they love trains. Don’t worry. This too will pass.
12. The city will love you and your baby, but not at rush hour.
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If at all possible, do try to avoid travelling either by transit or car during rush hour with a small infant. It’s not fun for anybody, least of all your hungry/wet/tired newborn. I say this only because it’s so easy to forget rush hour even happens when your living on a spit up and poo routine. Also, worth noting: eating out is also much, much better if you can avoid the lunch and dinner rushes.
13. Skip the zoo or the aquarium for the first few months. We have more than enough squirrels and pigeons to go around.
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Babies and toddlers love them some random street critters. For serious. Dogs, cats, squirrels and even those blasted sea gulls will bring endless peels of laughter, smiles and points. Hold off on the rhino and sting rays until they’re a bit more jaded.
14. You can breastfeed anywhere in this city.
Pictured here, the multi-talented Laura of Cubits Organic Living
I never received so much as a dirty look in four and a half years of breastfeeding three different children all over this town. That’s not to say it doesn’t happen, but it’s pretty rare. Breastfeeding is fairly normalized in Toronto as a whole, so don’t be afraid of feeding your baby on the go.
15. Four months is too young to ride the Tilt-a-Whirl at the CNE.
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14 months is still too young. This one’s for the dads.
16. Baby-wearing is wonderful but in this town there’s a 76% chance of dripping tahini sauce onto your baby’s head.
Don’t worry. It wipes off.
17. Support your local businesses.
Toronto has a wealth of businesses and agencies that have products, services and resources that will help you through the first year and beyond. Big exhibits like The Baby Show happen seasonally and are a great place to be to find out who these are.
Oh, and follow my #kidsTO hashtag on Instagram for the latest. I’m here for you.