Fake Friday: Area Bar Welcomes Parents Who Refuse To Get a Babysitter When They Go Out

WEST WELLINGTON - A new bar has recently opened and will be catering to the trendy, hip parents of the neighbourhood by welcoming toddlers and babies to join their doting parents as they get intoxicated with other, trendy, hip patrons. Called “Soothers”, the new bar on Wellington Street opened Friday night to an exuberant crowd of stylish parents cramming giant strollers and their crying babies under one roof. The bar is unique in that it welcomes babies and toddlers to join adults in drinking and staying up late beyond their bedtimes, allowing young parents to share an understanding of of how hard it is to leave their child at home with a relative or worse yet, a baby-sitter.

Once deemed unacceptable to bring a toddler into a drinking establishment, it is now becoming common practice for many younger parents to bring their babies into bars or nightclubs so they don’t miss out on what their other non-parent friends are doing. “I really don’t want to leave little Kyla alone with a babysitter when I can just bring her along with me. This way I can constantly be with her while I get wasted with my other friends who don’t have babies, and everything is cool.” explained Soothers patron Naomi Heatherington, 32, who never leaves her toddler’s side. “They have 12 different pablums on tap and a breast feeding booth so it’s really convenient.” Heatherington remarked.

Soothers owner and manager, Katie Deluth, is excited about the prospect of being able to accommodate parents and their babies in a bar setting. “It’s just what the area needed...a place for those parents who are just not ready to give up their previous bar/nightclub lifestyle.” Deluth explains. “Before parents would cart their toddler into bars and have to endure the lack of apple juice, Goldfish and Arrowroot cookies on the menu, but at Soothers we have it all, but also a great martini menu for the parents to enjoy.” commented an excited Deluth, who also brings her 3 year old son to the bar and keeps patrons entertained with his “cute” antics, like throwing tantrums and smashing cake into his face.

Soothers is located at 1123 Wellington Street West and has stroller parking for 24 machines and a baby changing table located on the bar. Hours are from afternoon nap time to 2am, Wednesday to Sunday. www.soothersbar.com

_ Editor’s note: Most Fridays on OttawaStart, we feature a “best of” post from the-o-dot , the satirical Ottawa blog. _