toys from your childhood and toys from theirs...

London Museum of Childhood - 3.5 stars

the London Museum of Childhood is an amazing place to visit for adults and children alike.

With free admission, it's an easy half day activity for children of all ages.

Located in Bethnal Green (see map below),

the Museum showcases toys from childhood past and present. This is a great place for toddlers in

London.

For the younger children it is enough to have a quick wander through before heading up to the play area where there are sandpits and building areas (not to mention enough running/crawling around space).

Toddlers short attention span is easily satisfied with the sheer range of toys, dolls, pictures and clothes to look at.

For the slightly older child, you'll find that they'll be fascinated with the 'old' dolls and toys that you used to play with. For the adults, you can reminisce at spinning tops, rubix cubes, plus be horrified at some of the clothing that children had to wear in the 1800s!

One of the most difficult things may be explaining to your toddler that the amazing dolls houses are not for playing with!

Facilities: are excellent - food-wise there is a Benugo Cafe (who do half size portions for children) plus an outdoor eating area and a Summer room where you can eat your picnic. For the very young, there is a baby

feeding room (with bottle warming), baby change and a buggy park.

Cost: Free. Another great free activity for toddlers and children in London.

Where is it:

Cambridge Heath Rd,

Bethnal Green, London E2 9PA

How to get there:

Bethnal Green tube (escalator access - no lift unfortunately)

Buses: D6, 106, 254, 309 and 388 stop outside the Museum and 8, 26, 55 and 48 stop nearby

Train: The Museum is less than 10 minutes walk from both Cambridge Heath and Bethnal Green overground stations

The London Museum of Childhood is one of those amazing London museums - it's free, it's fun and it's for all ages.

Tall, spotty and a sure bet for somewhere to eat with a toddler!

Originally, when I started this blog, I didn't want to endorse products or brands. But 'getting out with your toddler' often involves food... and let's face it, 'when toddlers go bad' tends to occur when you want them to sit and eat in a public environment.

My favourite place to eat at the moment is Giraffe.

Why? Well, it's really difficult to go past the balloon that they give to the children for starters. They also give crayons and paper to draw on as soon as you arrive. Quite often you'll also receive a cute plastic giraffe. All of these are winners in my books.

On the food front, they have a wide selection of different toddler friendly food. If it's one thing that drives me a bit crazy it's a child menu that simply offers chips three-ways - you know the one: beans and chips, fish and chips, nuggets and chips. Giraffe has a lot of healthy food, and healthy drinks - hey they do chips too - but it does offer more variety. It's well priced - with the mini-mains for under £4.50.

PLUS, the adult food is also great. Their club sandwich is to die for and their burgers are very delish too. It's not cheap, but I usually feel like I get my money's worth (especially if I don't order any alcohol).

The biggest plus for them must be - they actively encourage children to come to their restaurants. This ultimately means that the staff are great with kids. They expect spills and food on the floor, they know to bring the children's food out first and they are, generally, just nice to them. Not snarling or rolling their eyes at the sight of a pram. Or tutting when cutlery/plates/food is dropped.

In my experience they have been willing to bring fistfuls of straws, their cute little plastic giraffe toys and an abundance of serviettes. No questions asked.

Where are they?

They're in 26 locations in the UK, predominantly in London.

I've had great eating out experiences in Chiswick, Kensington, & Brunswick Centre Giraffes. My daughter has also eaten out at the Richmond Giraffe with her grandparents.

Facilities:

All have baby change.

Some restaurants will ask you to fold your pram (dependent on how busy it is), and are happy to help.

who needs the beach when you've got Brentford?

Swimming at Brentford Fountain Leisure Centre - 3.5 stars

A pool is a pool is a pool? Not to me and my daughter. She had not been exposed to swimming until only a month ago, and on her first experience of a 'hotel pool' was pretty unsure. Let's face it - being taken into somewhere that you can't touch the ground is pretty daunting... and she's a girl who loves a bit of messy play with the water.

When it's awful weather it's always handy to have some indoor toddler activities on hand that you can rely on.

Step up Brentford Leisure Centre! Not only does it not cost a fortune to simply get in (£1.80 off peak on a weekday), but it has a wonderful sloped ramp entrance into the pool that made it incredibly less daunting to enter the pool itself.

There's also a mini paddling pool which is a nice place to sit and have a splash. For the older children there is a twisty 40m slide, plus there's also a 'fitness' pool if you're there on your own (or with another adult!).

Why just 3.5 stars then? It's a little bit tired, and could do with a bit of a facelift... the outside of the building is a wonder of concrete! It cannot be described as luxury, but for £1.80 to swim and parking for 40p I'm not complaining!

Facilities:

The changing rooms have a playpen where your toddler can wait whilst you get changed, or take advantage of the family room with change tables, which makes things a whole lot easier with a little one. Take a 20p piece for the lockers.

There's a little cafe which overlooks the pool, selling tea, coffee and basic snacks.

Where is it, how do I get there, and when is it open:

658 Chiswick High Road
Brentford
TW8 0HJ

As mentioned, there is parking for just 40p (maximum of 3 hours). Some buses run along Chiswick Road. Check out the Transport for London site for more details.

Opening hours:

Mon, Tues and Thurs: 9am to 10pm
Weds and Fri: 9am to midday (excluding pools and health suite)
Midday to 10pm

Sat and Sun: 9am to 6pm

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Looking for more indoor activities?

• Natural History Museum
  
• Science Museum
  
• Get to the library - and get free books
  
• Music House for Children

it's free and right under our noses... london's secret is out!

Coram's Fields - 4 stars

Who would have thought that right in the centre of London there would be a large enclosed area for children that will keep your children entertained for a good few hours, and that it is FREE.

Coram's Fields is just that. It's a funny mix of enought bits and pieces that put together make it a great experience.

I love the fact that it is a great, safe environment. There's not a lot of places in London where you can let your children roam, and not feel like you have to be no more than reaching distance behind them.

Adults can only enter if they are with children. The whole area is securely gated. So sit down and watch your toddlers go walkabout. The only worry might be that they get a little too excited and friendly with the sheep that are wandering about.

The animal area is great, and feels like a real added bonus. On our visit we saw sheep, goats, hens and ducks. There is also a large grassed area which is great for a picnic, or just fun to run around and play.

There's a good range of playground equipment in different areas, for different age groups/skill levels. There are swings, slides, sandpits, a paddling pool - basically there is a lot to keep your little ones entertained. They regularly have organised activities there too - on one of our visits they were doing singing and movement sessions.

Practicalities -

Pram Access: Excellent. Because of the enclosed surroundings parents tend to leave their prams parked in different areas. There is no offical parking area for them.

Cost: it's FREE. It's open every day except Christmas and Boxing Day. In Summer: 9am - 7pm; Winter: 9am - dusk

Cafes: There's a good little vegetarian cafe, but this place really is made for picnics.

Where is it & how to get there?

93 Guildford Street, London.

It's so close to Russell Square tube - which unfortunately is not step free. BUT, it's central location does mean that there are about 10 buses which stop nearby.

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roar like a dinosaur? yes please!

Natural History Museum, South Kensington, 4 stars

There's nothing like animals to grab a child's attention, and the Natural History Museum has hundreds of them... stuffed, motorised, boned - you name it, they've got it (just none of them are live!).

Make your way through the many corridors lined with animals from all ages - the Dodo is a great treat, but the best of all, it must be said is the dinosaurs. With huge skeletons of an Iguanadon, a Triceratops, and lookalike baby dino's coming

out of eggs, there is so much to keep your toddler (and children of higher ages) entertained.

The best part must be the motorised T-Rex. You walk down the ramp hearing the T-Rex roaring and screeching! At this point, I found it best to warn

our toddlers about what was to come, and how much fun it would be to roar at a dinosaur.

Turn the corner and there he is, tail flicking, head turning, and a huge jaw with big teeth opening and closing whilst he roars away.

Prior to going to the museum, I thought I'd be writing about this saying 'It's all great, but skip the T-Rex as he's too scary'. But most of the toddlers actually thought he

was great! (My daughter shouted out "HELLO DINOSAUR" at the top of her voice).

With so much to see and a great interactive 'play with stuff' area, this museum can do with many visits.

Practicalities -

Pram Access: Excellent. Ramps and Lifts throughout the museum. Coat room that doesn't cost for any children's items. Costs for adult coats and bags.

Cost: it's FREE

Cafes: there are a few dotted throughout the museum. They do have a funny policy of not being able to mix and match - eg at the picnic area you wont be able to have your own sandwich supplemented with the restaurant soup'. The food is pretty pricey but remember that the museum is free, so it is somewhat justified. I also MUST mention how great the restaurant staff were with kids. My daughter was having a particularly clingy moment and the guy serving the food carried my tray around, took it to a spare till, and then carried it to a table.

Babychange: a couple. Nice and big with adult toilets.

The details: Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD

How to get there: South Kensington tube has a lift (from piccadilly line only) and a few stairs. Plenty of buses run nearby.

On a map:


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roo-joey.minti.com

playgrounds (and posers) galore!

Ravenscourt Park - 4 stars

You know sometimes when you just get bored of the same playground all the time, but can't be bothered walking for half an hour, or jumping on a bus to get to another one? Not a problem at Ravenscourt Park which has 3 playgrounds suitable for toddlers, PLUS a sandpit, PLUS (most times) a paddling pool PLUS, if you're a parent with children who are a bit older, there's lots of green space to kick a ball around.

We mostly tend to stick to the one on the south east of the park which has 4 baby swings (very handy for a toddler who struggles to wait) and a climbing frame with a fun slide. There is also a pretend jeep to climb and play in, plus a slide built into the small hill.

The downside of the park, in a way, is how good it is. It is mostly, very busy. On a nice day you could amuse yourself by counting Bugaboos. Or you can sit in the cafe grounds (there is also seating indoors with high chairs) at one of the picnic tables and watch the glam mums stroll by as you wonder why some people go to such effort just for a playground visit (heels, big sunglasses, full makeup), or somedays wonder why you don't go to that kind of effort yourself. It kind of depends on my mood :)

Though it gets busy, it is a big park, and i've never felt crowded there. There are enclosed grassy areas that are dog free, and there's also a pond with some lovely ducks and geese that are incredibly bread savvy.

The details - Ravenscourt Park, Hammersmith - entrances on all sides - see map below.

How to get there: Ravenscourt Park tube has steps (surprise surprise), but there are plenty of buses from Hammersmith Tube (step free for District and Picadilly lines) which run along all sides of the park except the western side.

Cafe: Well priced adult teas, coffees, cakes and small meals (such as baked potatoes). Also sell child friendly food and snacks. No baby change facility.

Where is it?


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newsflash... toddlers love science!

The Science Museum - 4 stars

It's free, it's fun, it's BIG and it's got something different each time you visit.

For those still traumatised by school trips or learning, or simply think that their child is too young for museums... time to push those thoughts away and head for the Science Museum in South Kensington.

For your baby or toddler, get yourselves to the basement for 'The Garden' and the 3rd floor for 'the launchpad'.

The Garden is specifically aimed at the under 5's. There's areas with different textured items to play with, lots of funny sounds, places to climb in, a mini water rapid (with raincoats provided - okay they just put their hands in, but we all know this means that the whole body can still get wet), and an area with big soft blocks, mini hard hats and wheelbarrows (a firm favourite with Lily).

It's a nice fairly enclosed area, with brilliant staff on-hand to monitor/help the children.

The launchpad is aimed at older children, but this is really an area for all ages (parents - this is great for us too!). There are big bubble blowers, pumps that push balls through tubes, the 'big machine' that is too hard to describe - try and imagine a mix of pulleys, buckets, levers, slides, plus a hell of a lot of confetti! It's mesmerising! There's so much more too - lots of the littlies love the magnet block - it's just a few big magnets with teaspoons. What more could you need?

The surprising thing about the museum is its practicalities. They make it easy for you. Ramps, lifts, pram parks & babychange. Music to one's ears.

And... it's in a big building with lots of open space. If it's a wet weather day, this is a great location just to let your toddler have a run around the long hallways, and play peekaboo in the exhibition areas that erm... well that no-one tends to go into.

One last tip - avoid the weekend rush and go during the week if possible or early on a weekend. Otherwise... let's just say that the 'big machine' gets the kids pretty excited.. and we know how loud a room of excited kids can be!!

Practicalities -

Pram Access: Excellent. Ramps and Lifts throughout the museum. Secure pram park on ground floor (costs). Non secure on all floors.

Cost: it's FREE

Cafes: there are a few dotted throughout the museum. The ground floor one is the best (and has high chairs). The prices ARE a bit steep (the no-cost entry justifies this to me though), but 'picnic' areas are also throughout the museum if you want to BYO.

Babychange: yes. on all floors

Where: Exhibition Road in South Kensington, London, SW7 2DD.


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How to get there: South Kensington tube has a lift (from piccadilly line only) and a few stairs. Plenty of buses run nearby.

Enjoy!