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.

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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