Where is it? Whatever the effect on your wallet, sleeping patterns and nerves, becoming a parent can wreak havoc on your drinking life. Haunts that have long served as clubs, counselling clinics and occasionally extra bedrooms are suddenly off-limits, and previously undreamt-of concerns emerge, like the question of smoke and whether that toilet floor is really clean enough to change a nappy on. By adding the role of informal cr che to the more traditional bar functions, Banners in Crouch End provides a refreshing change from the many pubs that welcome children provided it's before 11 in the morning and they're kept in an airtight box.

What's it like? An institution in the heart of North London's nappy valley, Banners pulls off the remarkable combination of being both vigorously child-friendly and a nice place to hang out. Featuring an eclectic collection of decor, including old film posters, a Cuban flag, a well-worn set of Ducati leathers, it has the feel of a friendly American diner, with world music tunes imparting a tropical flavour. The Crouch End grooverati, many having breaks from working on their comeback albums, come and go, taking the big stack of highchairs by the door in their stride, flicking through menus whose covers are drawn by children, and advising the chirpy waitresses whether or not they'll be needing a little welly full of crayons.

What do they drink? With the children catered for with free ice-cream, cups of babyccino and a selection of sweets that includes a tequila-flavoured worm lolly (no doubt aimed at those immune to Calpol), Banners takes care of the stressed parent with a well-priced wine list, cigarettes sold individually and an impressive ability to warm a bottle. It also offers beers from such colourful spots as Mexico and Sri Lanka, including one brewed entirely by women in Lapland. And that's a nice gesture because, to be brutally honest, this is the closest many parents will get to an exotic location for a long, long time.

Banners, 21 Park Road, Crouch End, London N8 (020-8348 2930)

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