Raising kids in a city can feel like operating in a different universe from parents in other places who have their their minivans, wide open roads, garages, pantries, and big backyards. Toronto in particular has its own little quirks that make parenting here unique.
Here are some of the little things we Toronto moms and Toronto parents have in common!
1. The first thing you did when you found out you were pregnant was get on daycare waitlists. Then you told your mom.
2. You chose a stroller based on two criteria: navigation in snow and shopping basket size.
3. Your stroller has all the pimpin’ accessories: hooks, organizer, coffee cup, sun shade, rain cover, baby/toddler bundlers, and maybe even stroller hand muffs.
4. A white noise machine is not a luxury—it’s a necessity.
5. Your baby had been to 12 different coffee shops before s/he was 3 months old.
6. You couldn’t hide your pregnancy by offering to be the DD.
7. At least your teenager won’t be driving drunk!
8. You are envious of your suburban friends’ backyards, storage space, and massive play structures, but feel smug when you hear morning traffic reports.
9. Your local park is your real backyard.
10. Your child can fall asleep on a subway platform or a crowded city street.
11. You are intimately familiar with all the playgrounds in a 10-block radius.
12. Your kids are down with diversity and don’t blink twice at people who are “different”—they’ve never known anything else.
13. Your kids have tried 50 different cuisines by their 5th birthday.
14. You’ve never taken your kids to the CN Tower.
15. You know so many moms with kids the same age as yours that you don’t consider a child who is several months older or younger than yours to be the “same age”.
16. Your child has more playdates than you do.
17. Half of your kids’ toys are street finds.
18. A car is a second or third choice for transporting yourself and your kids.
19. Your children never have a legit reason for being bored!
