Taking babies and toddlers to events and attractions in London can be overwhelming but I’m here to help. As a London mum of two boys (aged 6 and 2), I’ve got a lot of experience and I’ve tried and tested many of the best experiences around London. Here’s a comprehensive list of the best things to do in London with babies and toddlers.
Best Indoor Attractions
Museums – Noah and I love London museums and many are accessible for under 5s with specific activities tailored towards preschoolers.
Young V & A – An incredible museum which features interactive galleries, called Design, Imagine and Play all of which contain an extensive collection of objects relating to childhood including over 2000 toys. There’s an under 2s space known as the Mini Museum which was a sensory explosion for babies and toddlers. The museum runs classes such as Sound Explorers and Mini Play for babies and toddlers.
Location: Cambridge Heath Rd, Bethnal Green, E2 9PA. Nearest tube Bethnal Green.
Price: Free
Science Museum – London’s famous museum dedicated to science also caters well for little children. The Garden in the basement (open Tues – Sunday) is an interactive space where children can discover construction, water, light and sound through play. The Pattern Pod is great for light exploration, sensory and interactive fun. We also love the science themed afternoon tea.
Location: Exhibition Road, South Kensington
Price: Free
Discover Children’s Story Centre – We love visiting the Discover Children’s Story Centre in Stratford. There’s two floors of immersive play space known as the Story Worlds as well as the Story Garden playground. The museum hosts Baby Storytelling plus crafts and singalong time for babies and toddlers.
Location: Stratford
Price: £10
London Transport Museum – Find out about the origins of London’s transport. Enjoy the All Aboard play area, suitable for 0 – 7 with a fleet of mini vehicles of trains, boats and even a Emirates Air Line cable car. There’s also a Baby DLR for infants including an interactive wall and building blocks. Singing, stories and craft sessions are run for under 5s run throughout the year.
Location: Covent Garden
Price: Adults £24.50, children, Free
Natural History Museum – The museum takes you through 4.6 billion years of the planet’s history. Brave little ones can get up close and personal with dinosaurs as well as exploring the museums gardens. Noah and I loved the Adventure Babies classes – perfect for under 1s.
Location: Cromwell Road, South Kensington
Cost: Free
Postal Museum – The history of the Royal Mail including a mini underground train where you can ride through preserved mail tunnels. Little ones will love SORTED a postal themed soft play area where child can act out the role of the sorting office. Post and Play weekly sessions for under 5s.
Location: Nr Farringdon
Price: Adult £18.50, Child £11.
The Musuem of London Docklands – Based around the story of London as a great port charting history from Roman times until now. Noah loved the Mudlarks soft play, a dedicated gallery for children under 8 while I got to discover fascinating facts about my home city. As well as the soft play, there are various family trails around the museum for children to interact with. Tots at the Docks are the free monthly play sessions for under 5s.
Location: West India Quay
Price: FREE Mudlarks is £3.50 for babies and £7 over 10 months
Maritime Musuem – A free museum with one of the world’s largest maritime collection telling stories about sea travel, exploration, trade and navel history. The AHOY! Children’s gallery for age 0 – 7 is an immersive soft play space with a maritime theme. There’s also the Cove playground which is free entry. Play Tuesdays is a weekly session run for under 5s.
Location: Greenwich
Cost: Free entry. Ahoy is free during the week and £5 at weekends and holidays.
The Army Museum – The museum for the British Army explores the life of a soldier, the role of the army, battles and conflicts and the army in relation to society. There’s plenty of interactive exhibitions and family trails. Play Base is an immersive soft play for age 0 – 8 with an assault course, cook house, quarter master’s store and more.
Location: Royal Hospital Road, Chelsea
Price: Free. Play Base is chargeable at £7
Immersive Experiences
Paddington Bear Experience – Step into Paddington’s world with an adventure through London and Peru! We explored interactive sets with live performances, and themed activities inspired by everyone’s favourite bear.
Location: County Hall, Westminster Bridge Rd, London SE1 7PB, nearest tube Waterloo
Opening: Open daily from 10am,
Duration : 70 mins
Age: All ages, under 2s are free
Cost: Adult £34, children £24
Frameless – Immersive art experience where classic masterpieces are brought to life through projections and surround sound. Multi-sensory tots classes every Friday morning.
Location: 6 Marble Arch
Opening: Open daily times vary
Duration : Allow two hours
Cost: £18 or children and £28 for adults
Shrek Adventure London – A walkthrough experience that brings the world of Shrek to life with a series of live fairy tale-themed shows.
Location: Riverside Building, County Hall Westminster Bridge Road
Opening: Open daily times vary
Duration: 60 mins
Age: All ages under 2 are free.
Cost: From £24 for adults £18.50 for children
My two little boys love Peppa Pig and the afternoon tea was the perfect treat for Noah’s 2nd birthday. Most of the afternoon tea buses only allow children from age 5 but the Peppa Bus welcomes toddlers from age 2!
Location: Victoria Embankment / Somerset House
Opening: Daily times vary
Duration: 90 mins
Age: Childen must be over 2.
Cost: Adult £48 Children £43
See this post for my comprehensive guide to child-friendly afternoon teas in London.
Cbeebies Rainbow Adventure – An immersive theatrical experience with Cbeebies characters. There are SEN sessions and under 3s sessions.
Location: Level 0, Westfield, London
Opening: Open daily times vary
Duration : 55 mins
Age: 0 -6
Cost: £23 for children and £23 for adults
Galleries
Dulwich Picture Gallery – This South London Gallery features an ArtPlay Pavilion that is perfect for babies, toddlers and children under 8. There’s a sculptural slide created by Harold Offeh and a softplay inspired by the classic art at the gallery. The gallery also runs Mini Masterpieces art classes for under 5s.
Location: Dulwich Picture Gallery College Road, London SE21 7AD
Price: £9 for soft play
Tate and Tate Britain – Both museums run interactive exhibitions and workshops for children which are great ways to get creative and explore art.
Price: Free
National Gallery – The National Gallery runs Early Years story sessions at the The Roden Centre for Creative Learning (Welcome Space)
Location: Trafalgar Square
Price: Free
Portrait Gallery – Runs family trails to help discover the gallery. Little Explorers classes are run for under fives to introduce the gallery to children through stories.
Location: St Martin’s Place, London, WC2H 0HE
Price: Free
Other Indoor Attractions that Babies and Toddlers will Love
SEALIFE Aquarium – I remember taking Oscar here for his 6 month birthday. The London aquarium is the perfect sensory exploration for babies and toddlers.
Location: South Bank
Price: From £28
The London Eye – One of London’s most iconic attractions is bound to please even small babes. The gentle motion of the wheel and spotting London buses and other landmarks will be no end of fun!
Location: The Southbank
Price: Starting from £29
Sky Garden – A visit to the Sky Garden (it’s free by the way!) is a great way to get a scenic view of London and the greenery and plants make it a sensory experience.
Location: 1, Sky Garden Walk, London EC3M 8AF (inside the Walkie-talkie)
Price: Free
British Library – The UK’s National Library is beautiful and awe-inspiring plus they run regular sessions for under 5s. Perfect for little bookworms.
Location: Near Kings Cross Station
Price: Free
Check out my post on London’s best child-friendly restaurants.
Best Soft Plays or Play Cafe
While I highly rate the museum soft plays above if you’re looking for an easy play cafe, these are my favourites.
Millie and Maisie – This Clapham-based cafe is perfect for under fives with Noah being at the ideal age. The ground floor is full of fun and educational Montessori-based sensory toys such as a busy boards, puzzles, shape sorters and stacking cups while downstairs is a mini soft play with a slide plus a ball pit. The play cafe runs different classes for under 5s.
Location: 76-78 Rectory Grove, London
Price: £10
Mome London – Mome London is an aesthetic cafe located in Angel. It’s perfect for kids 0 – 4 and combines soft play with a sensory, imaginative spaces with a space to eat. The play areas feature different themed zones like Kitchen corner and art garage workshop. Downstairs there’s a sensory room and cinema area. There are also creative classes for babies and toddlers.
Location: 408-410 St John Street, Angel, London EC1V 4NJ near Angel
Age: 0 – 4 years
Price: £10 under six months £16 over
Macaroni Penguin – Battersea and Kidbrooke – Macaroni Penguin is a great space with a two tiered soft play for climbing, sliding and crawling and a ball pit, With a little shop and costumes, there’s plenty of opportunity for imaginative play. Plus there’s construction area, ride on cars, rocking horses and train sets. T4 provides refreshment with Bubble Tea!
Location: Battersea Power Station and Kidbrooke
Price: off peak £13, peak £16
Apple Tree Cafe, Herne Hill – A play cafe for under 5s with role play, sensory spaces, soft play and of course a cafe!
Location 27 Norwood Road, SE24 9AA
Price : £8
Bella Boos – A cute candy land themed soft play with an added ice-cream parlour.
Location: 152 Fulham Palace Rd, London W6 9ER
Price : £8.50
Sheriff Centre – with a unique location in a church, this fun and colourful soft play is actually a registered charity.
Location: The Sherriff Centre, St James Church, Sherriff Road, London, NW6 2AP
Price : Under 23 month is £10 over 2 is £1
Best Outdoor Attractions
London Zoo – The Regent’s Park zoo is home to 100s of animals and immersive exhibits such as Penguin Beach and the Land of Lions. We love Zoo Town, the role play area designed as a mini town where tiny visitors can role-play different jobs tied to zoo work and conservation.
Location London Zoo, Outer Circle, London NW1 4RY
Price: £1 on top of zoo entry. 45 min duration.
Battersea Children’s Zoo – Located in Battersea Park, this smaller scale zoo is perfect for little ones who will love meeting the animals and playing in the adventure playgrounds.
Location: Battersea Park
Price: Adult: £15.95 Child (2 to 15 years): £12.95
Vauxhall City Farm – If you have city kids like me, a visit to Vauxhall City Farm is the perfect place to meet pigs, sheep and even alpacas. Children also have the opportunity to feed the animals.
Location: 165 Tyers St, London SE11 5HS
Price: Free
WWT London Wetland Centre – Is a serene nature reserve in Barnes where families can discover restored wetland habitats of birds, butterflies, otters etc. Little ones with love the multi-sensory playground and playing the mud kitchen.
Location: Barnes
Price: Adult from £16.29, children over 3 are £11.65
Kew Gardens (Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew) – London’s most famous botanical garden with over 50,000 plant species. Little ones will love the children’s garden and other family attractions like the treetop walkway and the hive. There’s also a children’s restaurant.
Location: Kew, Richmond, London, TW9 3AE
Price: Adult from £24, child over 4 form 6
Parks and Playgrounds
Every toddler loves a park and playground. The eight Royal Parks include:
Hyde Park – London’s most famous park has huge open spaces, the Serpentine lake for boating and playgrounds. The park is host to Winter Wonderland every year.
Kensington Gardens – A pretty park that’s home to Princess Diana Memorial Playground (temporarily closed)
Green Park – the small near Buckingham Palace. There’s no playground but it’s very quiet and good for picnics.
St James’s Park – London’s oldest park, you can see the palace, play with pelicans and enjoy the adventure playground.
Regent’s Park – Beautiful rose gardens and boating lake. It’s close to London Zoo and home to the open air theatre.
Greenwich Park – Home to deer, the Royal observatory and various playgronuds
Richmond Park – the largest Royal Park. Great for wildlife spotting.
Bushy Park – Home to fountains, waterfalls and a playground
We also suggest:
Battersea Park – A spacious park near Battersea Power Station. Home to Battersea Children’s Zoo, some lovely cafes, Go Ape and a few playgrounds.
Coram’s Fields & Playground – home to a huge outdoor play zone
Hampstead Heath Ponds & Playgrounds – One of London’s Iconic green spaces
Paddington Recreation Ground – West London Park with children’s playground and sport’s facilities.
Best Theatres
Polka Theatre – A venue dedicated to children with shows for babies up to teens. Productions are often interactive, imaginative and sensory. The theatre also has play spaces.
Location: 240 The Broadway, Wimbledon, London SW19 1SB
Little Angel Theatre – famous for puppetry and storytelling. Many of the shows are designed for under 5s. Oscar loved having a meet and greet with the puppets after the show.
Location: 14 Dagmar Passage, London N1 2DN
The Unicorn Theatre – Dedicated to shows for babies, toddlers and children up to teens. Many shows use physical theatre and story telling making them accessible for young children.
Location: London Bridge
The Southbank Centre – One of London’s creative hubs. The South Bank centre hosts children’s theatre and festivals plus music, dance and story-telling for under 5s. The National Poetry Library also runs toddler sessions.
Location: Nr Embankment
The Lyric Hammersmith’s baby sister, Little Lyric plays home to shows that babies and toddlers will love.
Location: Hammersmith
Royal Albert Hall – Whilst more widely known for large scale extravaganza shows, The RAH also runs a programme for little ones.
Classes
There are so many options for wonderful baby and toddler classes in London. Many will let you have a free taster session.
Monkey Music – Our absolute favourite, I took Oscar to these classes from when he was born up to 4 years old and I start Noah from about ten days old! With a pink monkey mascot these are gentle music classes with original that support baby’s early development and teach toddlers about music. Locations around London.
Mini Mozart – Introducing babies and toddlers to classical music. Locations around London.
Little London Music School – gentle classes that begin musical appreciation for little ones starting at 6 months old. Locations: Knightsbridge, Fulham, Notting Hill
BB Broadway – Inclusive classes with singing, dancing, musical instruments, sensory magic and to the hits of West End and Broadway shows. Starting from 3 months.
Amanda’s Action Club – A movement and play class focussed on physical development with the iconic Amanda. Classes are from 6 months old.
Hartbeeps – Gentle and imaginative sensory classes with music, storytelling and dressing up. I loved these classes for Oscar and Noah. Locations around London.
Gymboree – Babies and toddlers can move their bodies and explore sensory items, music and play equipment. Classes start from newborn. Locations around London.
Robot Reg – It’s never to early to learn phonics. Classes start from 3 months. Various locations.
Music and Concerts for Babies and Toddlers
Bach to Baby – Classical concerts for babies and small children. Locations throughout London.
Baby Broadway – Interactive family concerts with Broadway and Gospel themes. Locations throughout London.
Wigmore Hall Concerts – This music halls runs For Crying Out Loud – concerts for babies up to one year old as well as Chamber Tots for toddlers.
Candlelight Concerts for babies – timeless classical music at baby-friendly sound levels.
Tours
Little legs can get very tired and there are plenty of options for tours that don’t involve too much walking for example a hop on, hop off bus tour will tick all the boxes of the top sights. A London cruise on the Thames is also a sedate way to see the city or simply an Uber Thames Clipper which is one of my favourite ways to travel around London.
Just For You
There’s also plenty to do in London that’s more fun for parents especially when babies are young enough to come along for the ride.
Baby Cinema – There’s a few places that offer baby cinema. Basically it’s a film for you rather than your baby and they can sit on your lap and (hopefully) fall asleep while you get some time for yourself. I used to love the Electric Cinema for this!
Bring Your Baby – Bring your Bay run pub quizzes and walking tours, they a brilliant fun and a great chance to meet fellow parents.
Comedy – I also really enjoyed Bring Your Own Baby comedy sessions. Be warned make sure your babies are small enough not to understand and repeat rude words!
Fitness – I used to love mum and baby fitness classes as they really felt like a chance to get back to yourself! I recommend Mumhood at Frame. Also check out the classes run at The Notting Hill Club as there are options for the whole family plus baby massage and baby yoga.
As you can see there are so many things to do with babies and toddlers in London. What will you start with?
PIN IT!!
