Heading to Leigh-on-Sea with a little one in tow? These places will make stopping for a bite to eat worth your while!

• TruLeigh Scrumptious, Broadway West. We held Sonny Jim’s post-Christening bash here. Which should give you some indication of how lovely I think it is. There is baby changing. High chairs. Friendly staff. Fizz to drink. And the tea room decor is just pretty lovely too.
• Piggy Went To Market, Elm Road, has plenty of room to get the pram in and to park it next to the table while still leaving room for others to get by. And plenty of high chairs. It has an alcohol licence too. And a stash of daily newspapers. And staff who are friendly and have no interest in rushing you out. Which is always good. Downside? No changing facilities on-site (but the community centre is just a couple of doors away…)
• Speaking of the community centre… Lorna and Lotties Cafe, on the ground floor of the centre, Elm Road. Soooo family friendly. And sooo reasonably priced. Me and Sonny Jim stop here for a hot chocolate (me) and milk (the boy) before our baby yoga class.

• Mariners Court, Broadway. We plotted up at this pub with Sonny Jim the night of Leigh Lights – and we were not the only family to do so. With a reasonably priced menu, a couple of high chairs and baby changing facilities it ticks all the boxes for families with babies. Plus there’s Prosecco aplenty so what’s not to love.
• The Grove, Belton Way. Me and three very new mums – plus babies obvs – rocked up one rainy lunch time.

  

  Without booking. And though they did say it would have been helpful to know that we were all going to have prams they were super accommodating once it became apparent new-mummies-are-us were descending on them. Tables were moved and pushed together without a grumble. Super family friendly. And they do have a mat in the loo to change babies and high chairs too.

• Snug Cafe & Bar, Leigh Road. The owner (and her mother who also works there) loves babies. It’s super cute and though – as the name suggests – it’s a little, um, snug inside they had no problem finding us a table where the hubby and I could sit and enjoy lunch with Sonny Jim snoozing alongside us in his pram. We were made to feel totally welcome, the food was awesome and we were even given a free cake each to take home when we left. Winning all round.
• Birdwood, Leigh Road. This seems to be something of a mummy mecca. With good reason. There’s plenty of room to plot up with a pram both inside and out, decent baby changing facilities (though they are upstairs), plenty of high chairs and even if you’ve rearranged three tables to accommodate five mummies and their babies (yes, us NCT ladies do seem to travel in packs!) and only bought a coffee and a little bit of cake each they’re still happy for you to take your time.
• Birdwood, Clements Arcade, Broadway. (Formerly, Cockadoodledoo.) Ditto all the above (except it’s only one floor, so the baby changing is not upstairs!) Plus they serve Prosecco. And they have a nice play area (Sonny Jim was a fan of their abacus!)
• Irmas, Elm Road. Since we moved to Leigh-on-Sea a couple of years back we’ve paid a visit to here more than a couple of times (read a review written by the hubby earlier this year here) but for some reason I’ve never really thought about it being a place to pop into for a hot chocolate and a little bite to eat. But that’s exactly what Sonny Jim and me have done, with other mums and babies – with prams. It’s plenty big enough to navigate – even when busy – and there’s easy to access baby changing facilities. And again, plenty of high chairs (the Ikea ones, if you’re wondering.)
• Woodlands Cafe at Belfairs Wood, Eastwood Road North, is super child friendly and the changing facilities have a loo in them so you can go to the loo without having to jam the buggy in the door too – result!
• The Peterboat, High Street (Old Leigh). Proper nice pub – with a lovely menu (read my review here!) room to manoeuvre a pram or buggy, high chairs and baby changing. Ticks all the boxes, with aplomb.

PS Have I missed any? I’d love to know your hero places for mums and babies, so please do leave your suggestions in the comments below.