Facilities
There is a cafe and indoor and outdoor areas where you can eat a picnic. So if you bring your own lunch it can really keep the cost down. There are also buggy parks and baby changing facilities.

Location
The museum is located in East London approximately 5 minutes walk from Bethnal Green Underground Station. There are also buses that stop near the museum. Check out the website for more details

Website

http://www.vam.ac.uk

Cost
The best thing about the museum is its free.

Website

http://www.nam.ac.uk/

Location
It’s based in Chelsea which is West London. The nearest tube is Sloane Square which is a 10 minute walk to the museum. Or the nearest rail station is Victoria which is a 20 minute walk away. There are also several buses which stop within walking distance.

What’s there for toddlers?
The London transport museum is perfect for toddlers who are fascinated by buses, trains and tubes. There are a number of life size buses and train carriages that toddlers can get on and explore with their parents. There is also a play area with miniature trains to play and other hands on toys to play with.

Cost
Children under 16 are free which is good. However, it does cost 10 pounds for an adult ticket. I took my son on my own so 10 pounds for an afternoon out for both of us is quite good value. However, it does add up if there are two or more adults going. Definitely worth a visit if you have a bus or train mad toddler.

They quite often have other activities for families and children (especially in the holidays) so its worth checking out their website before you go. These can include storytelling sessions and make and take activities.

Inside a tube train at the LTM Photo by Samuel Mann

http://www.ltmuseum.co.uk/

This is the perfect small zoo for toddlers. Animals include monkey’s, miniature Shetland ponies, lemurs, pygmy goat, giant rabbits, birds and mice amongst many others. Crawl through a tunnel to be find yourself in the middle of the meerkats. As well as the more exotic animals there are farm animals too. Check out their website for times to see the animals being fed before you go so you can plan your day.

We took our son at 2 years old and spent about 3 hours there which included looking at all the animals, an ice cream and drink in the cafe and time on the playground. It is a small zoo but perfect for young children as there isn’t lots and lots to walk around to wear out little feet but just enough to do before they get tired. My son enjoyed the playground especially sitting in the fire engine. A good option for a morning or afternoon visit.

Where to eat and drink?
There is a small cafe called the Lemon Tree Cafe which serves snacks and light refreshments.

The Zoo is based in Battersea Park so you can visit the park and the zoo on the same day if you wish. Battersea Park is in South London, check out the website for more information and details of how to get there.

http://www.batterseaparkzoo.co.uk/

The Euro Hotel have a number or 3 & 4 bed rooms with ensuite bathrooms, that are perfect for families. It has a central location which is centrally located in Russell Square, Bloomsbury London, near the tube so you can get to all the attractions you want to see quickly and easily. Despite being centrally located it’s set in a quiet location so your children will be able to have peace and quiet at night. The room rates are competitive too.

http://www.eurohotel.co.uk/index.html

Premier Inn Hotels

There are a number of Premier Inn Hotels situated in London and these tend to be on the cheaper and more basic side but they actually aim to cater well for families and children. Some of their pledges include  offer spacious family rooms at no extra cost and two children under 16 can stay and eat breakfast for free. Their hotels are situated around the country and they were awarded Tommy’s Parent Friendly Award for Best Family Travel Facilities in 2007 and 2008. They offer cots for babies and have free kids’ activity packs will keep them busy. Each pack contains a story book, activity book, colouring sheet and pencils. Many of their hotel restaurants have a children’s menu offering food that’s packed with natural goodness but tastes great too.

There is a Premier Inn located at London County Hall which is a really central location, right next to the London Aquarium, Millenium Wheel, Westminster Abbey and Big Ben. They have family rooms and you will be in walking distance to a lot of attractions.

There’s also a Premier Inn located at Euston, St. Pancras, Southwark and more. Check out their website to check locations and prices.

Other budget hotels in London that cater for families and children include the Novotel and Travelodge.

The Athenaeum Hotel

If you’re looking for 5 star luxury for your family, the Athenaeum hotel is a great choice. They provide different options for of rooms for  families  including adjoining rooms, suites connecting to another bedroom and spacious family apartments. The hotel is located in Mayfair which is near the Green Park and Hyde Park, and the West End. The hotel provides a kids concierge who will contact you before and after your stay to see what you need for your family including help with booking tickets to special shows, sorting out itineraries to suit your families  needs, asking what your children love to read, watch and eat – and doing the best to stock up ready for when you arrive.

Photo by Samuel Mann

Pushchair Access
London Wetland Centre is buggy friendly throughout. There’s even lift access to the top of the Peacock Viewing Tower.

Website
London Wetlands Centre

Photo by silverfox09

Corams Fields, 93 Guilford Street, London, WC1N 1DN
Contact details and location map

It’s said the best things in life are simple and free, which is so true. And there are so many free, great things to do in London with small children. You never need to spend much money. Just make sure it’s something you’ll both enjoy. Relax and simplify.

London parks

The best thing about London is it’s parks. There’s one near everybody. They are brilliant whatever the season to let your toddler burn off energy. In spring look at the flowers, in Summer, have a picnic, in Autumn take a box and collect leaves, in Winter wrap up warm and run about with a ball to keep warm. Take some bubble solution, blow bubbles and pop them. If you get bored of your local park, go to another one.  Go into Central London and visit one of the Central parks. There is lots to explore and enjoy.

Feed the ducks

Feeding the ducks and spotting the wildlife (squirrels, insects etc) are brilliant toddler activities. If you fancy going into Central London check out Duck Island in St James’s park where you can also see black Swans. (Please note the lake is currently being drained and cleaned but will be refilled by May 2009 – in time for the Summer)

Playgrounds

At nearly every park there is an accompanying playground. One of the best one’s in London is Diana’s Memorial Playgroundwhich has a huge pirateships surrounded by a huge sandpit. It’s being refurbised for Summer 2009 with sound walls, wobble platforms, play tunnels and a see-saw. Sounds like it’ll be fantastic!

Libraries
There’s normally so much going on at London libraries. I take my toddler to a baby singing session at Lewisham library on Thursdays called Baby Bounce. It’s free and very enjoyable. Check out your local library. Many have story telling, singing and of course books all for the under 5s.

Museums

If it’s raining, there’s lots of free museums that cater for the needs of babies and toddlers. The Science Museum has the basement with activities for the under 5s. Then there’s the soft play at the National Army Museum, the free aquarium at the Horniman museum, the dinosaur exhibit at the Natural History Museum and play areas at the V & A Museum of Childhood

City Farms
Toddlers are intrigued by animals and London is full of free city farms which have lots of different animals to look at. I love Mudchute Farm but check out your local city farm

Go for a walk
Toddlers love doing just that toddling. Take them on a walk. It doesn’t matter where, just around the block or to the local park. I always walk to the post box with my son and he loves it. He stops to look at the smallest things, the leave on a hedge, a wall!! Then at the end he has the magic of posting a letter! The awe of being so young. If it rains it’s brilliant because you can put them in their wellies and let them splash in the puddles.

Visit the shops
You have to be a bit imaginative with this one and think of shops your toddler might like. Go to a pet store, they will love looking at the animals. Go to a toy store, although maybe not always the best place if your trying not to spend money. There is of course Hamleys Toy Store in Central London which always has lots of toys your little one can look at and get their hands on. Many Early Learning Centre also have toys set up where your children can try out the toys and play. My son currently loves going to the Supermarket. He sits in the trolley and I pass him the items to put into the trolley. We say what they are called and what colour they are. I do give him something to eat as we go around but he enjoys the supermarket and the other day was disappointed when we weren’t going in there.

What is there for toddlers?
The first thing Ethan wanted to do was chase the piegons. He currently loves doing this and managed to scare away all the piegons where we were sitting. My husband and I bought ourselves a cup of coffee and sat down on a bench in the warm sunshine while our little one burned off some steam and scared all the piegons away. We then went to look at the lake which is normally full with ducks and birds, including black swans and pelicans. Unfortunately it is being drained in March and April as they are cleaning the pond for the first time in 20 years! It was a shame as it’s normally great to see the birds. (If you’re interested normally they feed the pelicans at 2.30pm everyday). However, he loved looking at the machines which were doing the work. There was still a couple of white swans on the remaining small strips of water and a few birds hovering around.

We then headed for the playground. The playground has a lovely sandpit which is extremely popular with the babies and young children. Ethan (who is now 2 and 3 weeks) loves making sandcastles at the moment.

The playground also has swings which are great for babies and small children and a slide which is probably best suited for about ages 20 months and up. There are also wooden caterpillars which you can sit on, a seesaw and a bridge to walk over.

Overall, a great little playground.

We then had an ice cream and made our way back through the park. We actually spent an hour and a half in the warm sunshine of St James’s park.

Toilets and babychanging
There are toilets which are only opened for small children and babychanging right next to the playground. There are some more toilets for adults about 5 minutes away from the playground.

Eating and drinking.
There are lots of kiosks dotted around the park selling tea, coffee, snacks and ice cream. There’s also a restaurant called Inn the Park.The main restaurant is open from 5pm but there is also a self service cafe open throughout the day which is family friendly and serves sandwiches, drinks, snacks and all kinds of refreshments.

Website
St James’s Park

There is a kid’s zone which is free for 0 to 10 year olds but also has a baby soft play area. There is lots to do for toddlers including dressing up as soldiers and exploring the construction zone which includes music and building activities for toddlers. There is also a reading tree where you can look at books and there’s also a space for art activities.

There’s a limit to the number of children allowed in the kid’s zone so you have to pick up a free ticket for a set time at the reception desk. On average the time slots are for about 50 minutes although the first one of the day is a bit longer. Also sometimes the kids zone is closed due to a birthday party so it may be worth telephoning before you go to double check it’s open.

Food and drink
The Zone has direct access to The Great Escape, which is a cafe that caters for children with Hungry Jeep Meals. At weekends, you can also bring a packed lunch to eat in the cafe.

Getting there
The nearest train station is Victoria Station.
If you’re coming by tube get the district or circle line to Sloane Square.

Pushchair access
There is pushchair access to all the museum galleries and buggies can also be left at reception.

Toilets and babychanging
Baby changing facilities are available in both the female and male toilets.

Website
National Army Museum