Are you thinking of visiting London, but are slightly intimidated about getting an easily bored toddler around the city? Katherine MacGregor has spent the past 16 months negotiating London’s transport system with a buggy plus impatient munchkin, and she’s concluded that it’s really not as bad as one would assume.
1. Getting around
First of all, logistics. Do not fear London’s transport. There is always someone around to help you negotiate those tricky Tube stations that won’t necessarily have lifts. Any normal Londoner expects at some point in their lives to help people with prams up stairs, and few would ever let you carry that buggy up the steps by yourself. If all else fails, the London Underground staff are generally quite friendly and understanding.
You won’t be stuck for a baby change. With all of London’s tourist attractions, parks, train stations and restaurants this is not an issue. If you’d like a little bit of extra help finding one, NCT’s Baby Change Smartphone app is your friend.
2. Museums
Museums and galleries have been one of the biggest surprises about living in London with a toddler. Most of the museums have young children’s learning and play areas, many closed in so you can have a rest while they play with giant Lego or run around in soft play areas.
Of special note here are the Science Museum and the Museum of London. The Science Museum is incredible – no child can leave there without a massive grin on their face, if they haven’t fallen asleep out of sheer exhaustion after a couple of hours inside. The Museum of London holds regular free classes for under-fives where they sing songs about London and make sounds that you’d hear on a visit to the city. The Dockland’s Museum in Canary Wharf (the East End’s extension of the Museum of London) also has an area called Mudlarks for the little ones to bounce, splash and learn. Don’t forget the V&A’s Museum of Childhood if you have time – think children’s toys throughout the ages and plenty of space for the kiddies to run around in.
3. Parks and outdoors
You can’t come to London without enjoying its amazing parks. All of them have playgrounds, some of the best being the Diana Memorial Playground next to Kensington Palace, Victoria Park and Olympic Park – all filled with a decent half-day worth of fun.
While London Zoo should be on any itinerary for the young or not-so-young, Battersea Park Children’s Zoo was made for the shorter ones among us. Think otters, meerkats, lemurs, tiny monkeys, wallabies, reptiles and donkeys among others. It’s £8.75 entry per adult, £6.50 for children aged 2-5 and free for the under-twos. The Travelodge Battersea is nearby, offering easy access to both the zoo and South Kensington.
If you’ve arrived on a rainy day, Stratford Circus and the Discover Centre have frequent events on for the under-fives and come packed with imagination. Plus they are close to Olympic Park should the sunshine come out. The Southbank Centre near Travelodge Waterloo always has child-friendly events and if nothing else, provides a fantastic space in the heart of London for kids to mess around and use their own creativity to enjoy themselves.
4. Food
If visiting South Kensington for the V&A, Science and Natural History Museums, or Hyde Park, Comptoir Libanais offers a fantastic kids’ menu and they are very family friendly. There are also branches of family-friendly restaurants Giraffe, Leon and Pizza Express in locations all over London.
If you happen to be visiting the East End, Nancy’s Pantry around the corner from Dalston Junction station was made for children. Think play areas for kids of all ages with a healthy cafe in the middle. It is perfect for enjoying a coffee while your little one plays, enjoys an activity, or eats one of their kids’ meals.
Hopefully you are armed with a few more ideas on negotiating London with the littlest members of society. Embrace it – kids love London.
