DC area鈥檚 best family brunch spots

This October 5, 2015 photo shows cranberry sauce, oat and flax pancakes in Concord, NH. Making your own cranberry sauce this holiday is incredibly easy and it allows you to cut the sugar content in half without anyone missing it. (AP Photo/Matthew Mead)(AP/Matthew Mead)

WASHINGTON 鈥� Having kids changes your life in many ways 鈥� but it doesn鈥檛 have to change your brunch plans.

Sure, you may not be able to sleep in and follow your leisurely morning with hours of eating and drinking, but there鈥檚 no reason to deprive yourself of eggs Benny and bloodys.

parenting and travel writer Guiomar Ochoa shares some of her favorite family-friendly brunch spots in the D.C. area:

It helps that the chef and owner of Chef Geoff鈥檚 and Lia鈥檚, Geoff Tracy, has three kids of his own. As Ochoa puts it, 鈥淗e gets it.鈥� The staff at his restaurants are known to accommodate families 鈥� even going so far as to make menu modifications for the toothless set. (Fancy a side of mashed potatoes or mashed avocado, anyone?) 聽鈥淏ut they also have a great [kid鈥檚] menu, and it鈥檚 not just chicken fingers and french fries,鈥� Ochoa said. Some of the options include French toast with berry compote, Sunday egg scramble, Belgian waffles, and lunch options such as cheeseburgers and grilled cheese sandwiches. 鈥淲hat I love is their dirt pudding dessert. It鈥檚 chocolate pudding, crumbled Oreos and gummy worms, so kids love this,鈥� Ochoa added. Adults aren鈥檛 left out, either. Menu items range from smoked salmon Benedict to breakfast tacos, sandwiches, salads, and yes, bottomless mimosas. (海角精品黑料/Michelle Basch)

Located on New Hampshire Avenue near Dupont Circle is Firefly, an American-focused restaurant with options for vegans, vegetarians and the gluten-free. When it comes to brunch for the kiddos, Firefly sticks to the classics. On the menu is a peanut butter and jelly with banana; cereal with milk; and eggs, bacon and toast. The best part of the meal, though, is the activity that comes before the food. 鈥淓very child gets a cookie to decorate. Instead of giving them a coloring book to play with, they get a cookie and things to decorate the cookie with. And then they bake it while you鈥檙e having brunch or dinner or lunch, and then they get the cookie as dessert,鈥� Ochoa said. 聽 (海角精品黑料/Michelle Basch)

This breakfast and lunch spot has eight locations in the DMV. The menu has some sophisticated options for adults 鈥� try lemon ricotta pancakes or a 鈥渟uperfoods鈥� bowl with coconut milk chia seed pudding, berries and granola 鈥� and the tried-and-true plates for kids, including chocolate chip pancakes. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a really fun place if you don鈥檛 want to go to a pancake house, but you want something a little bit more like a diner with better options for parents,鈥� Ochoa said. (海角精品黑料/Michelle Basch)

If you鈥檙e celebrating something special, head to Mrs. K鈥檚 Toll House in Silver Spring, Maryland. Brunch is served buffet-style, making it the perfect option for impatient kiddos. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e not waiting around for food; they can just get up and go. If your child is hungry, you can get them something to eat quickly,鈥� Ochoa said. 聽 The spread includes a carving station, an omelet station and a Belgian waffle station 鈥� 鈥淲hich I think is really fun for kids,鈥� Ochoa said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a really quaint little place.鈥� (海角精品黑料/Michelle Basch)

This outpost in McLean, Virginia, caters to kids with menu items like Cinnamon Toast Crunch French toast and chocolate chip pancakes. Plus, the restaurant hosts several family-friendly activities, including an Easter Egg Hunt and cookie decorating classes. 鈥淎nd worse case: It鈥檚 inside Tysons Galleria, so if you really need to bribe them, you can always take them for a toy or something afterward,鈥� Ochoa said. Adults can kick back and enjoy a bacon, cheddar and fried egg-stuffed burger, plus mimosa flights. (海角精品黑料/Michelle Basch)