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baby food, for example, is hard to come by – you can sometimes find the odd
jar in a health-food store – and most Spanish non-organic baby foods contain
small amounts of sugar or salt. If you require anything specific for your baby or
child, it’s best to bring it with you or check with the manufacturer about
equivalent brands.
For relatively cheap, well-made babies’ and children’s
clothing
, Prénatal
(
W
www.prenatal.es) has an excellent range, and there are branches all over the
city. Chicco (branches at Ronda de Sant Pere 5 and in Diagonal Mar shopping
centre;
W
www.chicco.es) is the place for baby and toddler clothes and gear. Or
go to Galeries Malda (c/Portaferrissa 22, Barri Gòtic) or El Corte Inglés (Pl.
de Catalunya 14, Eixample) for more children’s and babies’ clothes and
designer labels.
Most establishments are baby-friendly in the sense that you’ll be made very
welcome if you turn up with a child in tow. Many museum cloakrooms, for
example, will be happy to look after your pushchair as you carry your child
around the building, while restaurants will make a fuss of your little one.
However, specific facilities are not as widespread as they are in the UK or USA.
Baby-changing areas
are relatively rare, except in department stores and
shopping centres, and even where they do exist they are not always up to
scratch. By far the best is at El Corte Inglés, while El Triangle and Maremàgnum
have pull-down changing tables in their public toilets.
Restaurants, accommodation and babysitting
Local restaurants tend not to offer
children’s menus
(though they will try to
accommodate specific requests), highchairs are rarely provided, and restaurants
open relatively late for lunch and dinner. Despite best intentions, you might find
yourself eating in one of the international franchise restaurants, which tend to
be geared more towards families and open throughout the day.
Suitable
accommodation
is easy to find, and most hotels and pensions will
be welcoming. However, bear in mind that much of the city’s budget accom-
modation is located in buildings without lifts; while, if you’re travelling out of
season, it’s worth noting that some older-style pensions don’t have heating
systems – and it can get cold. If you want a cot provided, or baby-listening and
-sitting services, you’ll have to pay the price of staying in one of the larger hotels
– and, even then, never assume that these facilities are provided, so always check
in advance. Renting an
apartment
is often a good idea, even for just a
weekend or short stay, as you’ll get a kitchen and a bit more space for the kids
to play in.
You’ll pay from around €10–12 per hour for
babysitting
if arranged through
your hotel, or contact Tender Loving Canguros (from €7 per hour plus fee;
Mon–Sat 9am–9pm;
T
647 605 989,
W
www.tlcanguros.com), whose nannies
and babysitters all speak English.
Children’s attractions
If you’ve spent too much time already in the showpiece museums, galleries and
churches, any of the suggestions below should head off a children’s revolt. Most
have been covered in the text, so you can get more information by turning to
the relevant page. Admission charges are almost always reduced for children,
though the cut-off age varies from attraction to attraction.
CHILDREN’S BARCELONA
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Restaurants, accommodation and babysitting