Our Family Life – Life is hectic as a Mum of three, working part-time for the NHS and working as a Freelance Virtual Assistant. Not to mention keeping this blog going as well. Here’s a little insight into what we get up to……..
As a family, we like to be out and about with our dog, Charlie. We also love crafts, cooking, eating, and watching (Netflix for us and YouTube for the kids).
As well as this little corner of the internet, you can find us on Instagram and Facebook.
If you would like to work with us, then please drop us an email to mail@babynotincluded.co.uk or contact us through our social media channels
I know there’s huge debates going on with regards to whether the schools should be shut or kept open during this time, but given the current advice for non-essential contact to be avoided we’ve made the decision to keep Isabelle home from school.
Every parent knows that when you have to stay home with the kids due to illness etc, you start to get cabin fever pretty damn quick and crave getting out of the house more than anything.
Here are a few things that should keep them entertained and you from pulling your hair out. These range from educational recommendations to arts and crafts ideas for all ages.
Mystery Science – fun to watch and easy to complete step by step science experiments that can be completed with things you have at home.
Crash Course Kids – a fun selection of science based videos for kids.
Crest Awards – Challenging and thought provoking real-world STEM projects for young people of all ages.
iDEA – The Inspiring Digital Enterprise Award, known as iDEA is an international programme that helps you develop digital, enterprise and employability skills for free. Through our series of online challenges, you can win career-enhancing badges, unlock new opportunities and, ultimately, gain industry-recognised Awards that help you stand out from the crowd.
Tinkercad – Tinkercad is a free, easy-to-use app for 3D design, electronics, and coding. It’s used by teachers, kids, hobbyists, and designers to imagine, design, and make anything!
Oxford Owl – has loads of great Reading, English and Maths resources for primary aged kids.
Is January over already? On the other hand, Christmas feels like it was ages ago and now we’re on the verge of the first of many school holidays.
The weather has been absolutely appalling and I always think that February half-term is so hit and miss that you have to have several options dependent whether its raining or dry. Here are some suggestions, many of which we’ve tried and tested ourselves.
Formerly known as Football in the Community we couldn’t recommend these sessions enough. Ryan started playing football as part of a team when he was seven years old and from the edge of the pitch we lived and breathed football for many years. The all day sessions are for boys and girls and now also include a Multi-sport option which is a great introduction to new sports. Suitable for ages 5 – 14 running from 10am – 3pm in both Exeter
On Saturday 15th February you can take part in the Owl Trail. Pick up a map at the Welcome Desk and once you’ve found all the Owls go back to collect your prize. There are also some drop-in craft sessions from Wednesday 18th – Friday 21st which are great for if you’re in and around town and the kids are bored.
If you have adventurous kids then maybe a bit of kayaking, raft building or archery available at the Haven Banks Education Centre is up their street. Places are available for both 5 – 8 and 8 – 14 year ages groups running throughout the half-term week.
There’s loads of things to do at the World of Country Life. Take a stroll back in time with the museum section. Isabelle was particularly intrigued by the televisions through the ages, the nursery section and the clothes. Freddie really enjoyed the animal section and we all loved the outdoor play areas with the huge bouncy thing.
Crealy are hosting a Super Slam Wrestling week from 15th – 21st February. If you are planning a visit note that not all rides are open but at £12 per ticket this is still going to be a great day out.
Let the kids burn off some serious energy. There are different sessions available including Toddler Sessions and Disco Sessions. Always book in advance to avoid disappointment.
The Bear Trail re-opens for 2020 on Saturday 15th February and is even better if it’s been raining. There’s mud and wet mud and more mud! Make your way round the course by climbing, swinging and balancing. It’s a great way to leave being an adult at the gate!
Killerton House and Gardens is one of our firm favourites. This half-term is all about coming out of Winter and into Spring with a Tree Tales Half-term Garden Trail. Running throughout the holiday from 10am – 4pm and no need to book.
For all train enthusiasts the Devon Railway Centre is home to a whole host of indoor and outdoor fun to keep everyone entertained all day. Ride on the Miniature Steam Trains, play in the Play Shed and make your way round the Model Village.
Bicton
We’ve spent many a weekend at Bicton over the years and have never got bored of it. There’s loads for the kids to do with both indoor and outdoor Play Areas, a Nature Trail and Railway. Don’t forget to pop into the Orangery for a cup of tea and cake.
There’s loads to do at Wildwood Escot including Animal Talks (I personally recommend the wolves), visit the Saxon Village and take part in the Save the Species quiz trail around the park. For half-term week there are lots of additional activities including Marshmallow Toasting, Jewellery Making and Penny Stamping.
The Donkey Sanctuary is FREE to visit and dog friendly too. Take a walk around the Sanctuary and meet the lovely donkeys, and find out about the great work they do all over the world. Don’t forget to take part in the Donkey Tomp Trumps Trail!
I don’t think we could love this little boy any more than we do. He’s such a happy mischievous little thing.
I can’t even count the amount of time we say ‘Oh Freddie’ in one day. If it’s gone quiet you know he’s up to something whether it’s eating something he shouldn’t, rummaging in a bag that’s been left in his reach or he’s managed to drag something off the table. He always greets you with the biggest grin, knowing full well that he’s been busted.
New things
Talking – He’s adding new things to his repertoire all the time. He can say:
Uh-oh (for all the things he knows he’s not meant to do)
No (usually when he’s doing the naughty thing)
All gone
Wow! (This is the cutest)
Na-nah (night night)
Hiya
Beh (Isabelle)
Mama and dada
Whatsat (what’s that)
Whosat (who’s that)
Ta (for everything)
Up
Out
Down
Climbing on everything! He uses whatever he can including the dog, his shape sorter and his ride on car. He makes my heart leap into my throat several times a day with his antics. He doesn’t seem to have any fear at all.
Teething
He’s pretty much got a mouth full of teeth. There are still a few back ones that are either not through or only partially through, but these don’t seem to give him too much bother. He loves brushing his teeth which is great and one less thing to battle with him over.
Play
Freddie has just started to sit on his car that we got him for his birthday. He’s still not too keen to be pushed on it though. Oh and he loves to climb onto the seat to reach things!
Building blocks are definitely Freddie’s favourite things. He has stickle bricks, duplo and the bigger mega blocks and he spends ages building and knocking towers down. I don’t remember the other two being able to do this at this stage but we play with them daily.
Sitting in and on things – whether it be a basket, a box or a cupboard. He loves to empty his toy baskets out and climb in and out.
Climbing! – Jeez this is so scary!! He climbs on anything and everything. His most recent is using the sofa as a leg up into the coffee table. Thankfully he hasn’t fallen off anything yet but it’s going to happen at some point soon.
Growth
Freddie’s fully fitting into his 12 – 18 months clothes now with the waist being the problem not the height. Like Isabelle he has the height but we always find things don’t quite fit around the waist. It’s fine with it being shorts weather but trousers can sometimes be a problem.
We’ve decided to hold off buying his first shoes since he prefers to be barefoot and doesn’t even like wearing socks. We bought some little soft beach shoes to wear in the park and garden but even then he tries to take them off.
Weaning
I’m not sure how long it’s considered as weaning, but eating with Freddie these days is a lot easier. He has everything we have which makes dinner time much easier for me.
He loves to use a fork for everything including to pick up his sandwiches.
If I had to pick a favourite food at the moment I would say pasta. He seems to like it in every shape and with any kind of sauce.
Feeding
We’re still breastfeeding and expressing for the days that I’m at work. This seems to be working well. There is the odd day when he’s not satisfied with his bottle, but he just makes up for it when I get home from work.
I work Tuesdays and Thursdays and he definitely feeds much more at night on those days as well as having two expressed bottles during the day.
Sleeping
Pretty much the same. He’s feeding about three times at night which I’m so used to doing now that It feels normal. The problem we have now is getting him to sleep in the first place. He’s still full of energy up until nearly 9pm every night when Chris and I are knackered.
Family Bucket List 2019 – it’s a while since I wrote a Bucket List since the one that I wrote previously had quite big things on it which made it a bit unrealistic in terms of timing and budget. I’m going smaller, but small doesn’t always mean less quality. Chris works long hours so we need to make the most of our time off.
Here goes:
Have a BBQ on the beach
Crabbing
A picnic at the park
Ice skating
Take Isabelle dry skiing
Afternoon tea
Go to a Blogging conference
A family holiday abroad
A weekend family getaway
Declutter the house
A living room picnic
Go to a theme park
Get over my fear and get my front tooth fixed
Wear bright colours (I always wear black)
Visit a National Trust property
Start a yoga class
Have a Mummy Daughter day out
Have a Daddy Daughter day out
Be more sociable
Have some family pictures taken
Get Freddie’s bedroom sorted
Go dancing
Visit a Christmas market
A beach day
Visit somewhere new
A spa day
Learn to drive
Read a new book per month
Spend an evening binge watching a box set
Movie night
Date night
Cook something new
Make the garden more child friendly
Plant flowers/plants and hope the dog doesn’t eat them
Set up a You Tube channel for Isabelle
Vlog – even just once!
Make a photo book
Take more photo’s (more with me in)
Go to a zoo
Take the kids swimming
Learn something new
Do something out of my comfort zone
Take part in a charity event
Do a craft project
Go camping
Camp out in Isabelle’s room
Sign Isabelle up for a class
Have my nails done
Start to meal plan
Have some screen free days
So that’s our list. It’s not anything too big except maybe the dental work which is a massive deal for me.
I hope that we manage to get everything or most of the things listed and will blog about each one as they’re ticked off.
6 Month Baby Update – Happy half a year baby boy! We’ve seen a real change in Freddie over the past month. He’s got a cheeky personality and wants nothing more than to be involved in anything and everything.
Teething
He has his first tooth! This came through a couple of weeks ago after a few days of flame red cheeks, dribbling and chewing. He spends a lot of his day fiddling with his tooth with his tongue and has made it known by biting his sisters knee, daddy’s fingers and most excruciating me when he feeds. Ouch! We’ve been coping with the teething with lots of teething toys, calpol and teething granules. This past few days though he’s been spitting the calpol out which is an annoyingly new thing that he’s started.
Play
Freddie loves to play. He likes lights and sounds as well as music. His favourite toy is his car-car which was one of Isabelle’s by Playschool which I don’t think you can buy anymore. He’s happy to play on the floor for a little while, and now that he can roll around seems to be happy. We also bought a jumperoo which he can bounce like a pro in now. It’s a godsend when I’m trying to get dinner sorted.
Growth
He’s still got his adorable chunky baby legs and whilst he’s a big boy he’s quite long. He’s now at the in-betweeny size on clothes so size 3 – 6 months are getting too small and some he’s outgrown but the 6 – 9 months clothes are way too big.
Feeding
The feeding has been going well. We’ve ditched formula completely as it’s been really hit and miss for him taking the one remaining bottle that we were giving him so it’s breastfeeding all the way now. I’d like to go until he turns one, but he bit me the other day and pierced my nipple. It was excruciating and I’m hoping that it was a one off, but he is constantly scraping his tooth on my nipple as he feeds which is not very nice at all.
Weaning
We decided to wean him just before the six month mark as he was getting so cross and upset when we were eating and constantly trying to grab food out of our hands. He’s only having one meal a day which is mostly baby porridge, carrots and sweet potato. He does like a bit of toast in his hands as well as the Ella’s kitchen giant wotsit crisps (6m+). I think we’re going to do a combination of baby led and purées dependent on what we have in the fridge. So far so good with this. He loves sitting at the table with us, and is managing really well to feed himself. I think we’ll carry on like this for a few more weeks before we add in lunch and breakfast on a daily basis.
Sleeping
We’ve given up with trying to get him in his crib endlessly and are currently co-sleeping. I’m sure that a lot of people will have a lot to say on this topic but at the moment it’s working for us so that’s what we’re doing.
5 Month Baby Update – Our little Freddie is five whole months old today! He’s such a loving, smiley little boy. Of course he’s a total Mummy’s boy which I love, but equally the look of love on his face when Daddy comes home and calls him ‘Sausage’.
Teething
No teeth as yet but we’ve had lots of teething and dribbling. He has a couple of hard bobbles on his bottom gums at the front but nothing has broken through yet.
We’ve had so much dribble that he now wears several dribble bibs a day. It doesn’t help that he likes to blow raspberries which adds to the wetness.
We had a few days last week when he was chewing like crazy, had red flushed cheeks and would not settle enough to sleep. I used both Neurofen for babies as well as homeopathic teething crystals to try and give him some relief as well as having his teether permanently in his mouth. These have been the worse days we’ve had with him so far. The look in his poor red rimmed eyes as he had no idea what was going on.
Play
Freddie really loves playtime which we do several times a day. He likes to be able to grab things on his own so we’ve pinched one of Isabelle’s fabric boxes to put some of his things in so he can take them out.
All the nursery rhymes are now flooding back such as ‘this little piggy’ and ‘row your boat’ and he likes those. Luckily he isn’t able to complain about my singing yet.
Peekaboo is, I would say his ultimate fave. Whether it’s your hands, a muslin or the covers when making the bed. He loves it!
We had a pumpkin themed baby sensory session last week with inflatable pumpkins, ribbons, leaves, shakers and pictures which he loved despite it being the start of his few days of teething misery.
Growth
Well what can I say. He’s a scrummy boy with yummy baby rolls, chubby cheeks and the squishiest baby legs ever.
He’s really strong with a good grip, particularly on hair and my necklace. He likes to sit up but he’s not doing it on his own yet. Oh and he’s started doing that great thing of going completely stiff when your trying to put him in his seat which is always fun.
Much to my upset, he is now in the sitting up part of his pram. I had no choice but to do it. He was holding onto the bar trying to stomach crunch himself up desperate to see the world AND the bobble hat that we bought him made him actually too long to fit without the bobble squishing into his head.
He loves it! He can see me and he can see everything going on around him. The first time I took him out he didn’t know which way to look, and he just grinned at anything and everything.
He weighs 16lb 4oz now.
He’s wearing 3 – 6 months clothes and his every day clothes are fine, but I’ve noticed that his toes are right at the end of some of his sleep suits. We bought him a snowsuit which we had to change for 6 – 9 months which was sensible since it hasn’t been cold enough to wear it yet.
Feeding
Feeding is the same. We’re still breastfeeding with a bottle of formula at night. He has a good routine of timings for feeds during the day but night times are still hit and miss.
He’s started pulling at my clothes when he’s hungry which is a good indicator, but he is still feeding for such a long time which is quite restricting.
Sleeping
Argh we really need to work on this. He sleeps with me be it day or night. He hates being put down! I’ve tried, Chris has tried but he doesn’t last longer than an hour before realising that he’s in his own bed.
So we’re co-sleeping which I do and I don’t mind. I’m happy for him to sleep with me but if he’s restless or keeps snuggling into my armpit then I can’t sleep. Not to mention the fact that I’ve now started to go to bed with him just so that he will sleep which leaves me no baby free time unless you count my speed-wee breaks.
I need to get this sorted for all of our sanity but mostly so that Freddie knows it’s ok to sleep without Mummy, and that he’s safe.
Relactation using Domperidone – Taking tablets to increase my milk supply was not something I’d considered or knew about so I was a bit apprehensive. However, little Freddie has started to refuse formula so what’s a mama supposed to do.
I was advised by a Breastfeeding Consultant through my Health Visitor to go to my GP and request this armed with the information from the Breastfeeding Network regarding dosage.
My GP is a reluctant prescriber so I didn’t feel particularly optimistic. I had to take an urgent slot at the surgery which, again I felt a bit uneasy about buts it’s almost impossible to get in any other way AND it’s pretty urgent when your baby is refusing to feed.
My usual GP was away so I was seen by a locum doctor who wasn’t that keen on giving me a prescription, but after showing her the info from the Breastfeeding Network and telling her it was on the advice of the Breastfeeding Consultant, I came out clutching the golden ticket (or green prescription sheet).
I was to take three tablets a day to start with for two weeks and then reduce down to two and then one a day until they were gone.
I’d read about Domperidone and had expected immediate increase in my milk which I didn’t feel was the case. I was still trying to force feed Freddie (not literally) formula after every feed for fear of him being hungry still.
The Outcome
After taking the tablets for a few days, the mornings were the most noticeable. Every morning I was drenched in milk and my boobs were engorged to the point of being ridiculously uncomfortable. Holding Freddie was uncomfortable and he was finding it difficult to latch whilst battling the letdown spray.
But during the day I still didn’t feel that he was getting enough.
I had to take a huge leap of faith that he was getting enough and stopped topping him up with formula.
What a difference it made. I fed him whenever and as long as he wanted to which felt like having a newborn again BUT I’m pleased to report that apart from his night feed he is boobed all day. At night he seems to quite like the faster flow of a bottle and that’s fine.
The tablets are gone now and we seem to be doing well. He’s still a chunk and having regular wet and dirty nappies.
It hasn’t done much for us getting into any kind of routine as he doesn’t have a set timing between feeds and naps (if at all) are sporadic cat naps during the day mostly on me or in the pram but he’s a much happier baby so we’ll keep on going until we hit the next hurdle which I fear will be teeth!!
4 month baby update – I’ve said it before, but I’m going to say it again. Time is truly flying away and Freddie is getting bigger by the day. He’s four months old now and is starting to form his own little personality.
He’s definitely a smiley happy baby and the only thing that makes him cry is hunger or fighting tiredness at the end of the day. Oh and he’s rather put out at being put down as well!
He loves to see everything! The trees when he laying in his pram, and I’ve just got a sling so that I can at least attempt to do things which he loves. He clearly likes to be upright and in prime position for absorbing everything going on around him.
He’s desperately trying to sit up. If we lay him down he stomach crunches so the his head and legs are up. Imagine an overturned tortoise!
Freddie smiles a lot which is always nice when you’re knackered. He has really ticklish feet and back and does a proper belly laugh when tickled.
Teething
Poor Freddie! As I said he’s a smiley happy baby, but his gums are definitely giving him troubles. He has flushed cheeks and a temperature at it’s worst, and his little confused face is so sad to see. There are no signs of any teeth cutting through yet though. He dribbles and chews on anything and everything, but he likes the teethers that you can put in the freezer and also his Squidge & Pip teether.
Play
Freddie is very inquisitive and loves to play with toys. He has quite good hand eye coordination and can pick toys up and move them around until he finds the right bit that he wants to chew on. His favourites have to be the Lamaze toys that you can clip to his chair or pram with lots of textures and dangly bits.
He also quite likes tummy time on his play mat. He has a tummy roll which he can push himself forward on.
We’ve just started Baby Sensory Classes which Isabelle did as a baby and the first week he just stared at all the other babies, but this week he was more interested. Who knew that an egg box and pegs were so interesting!
Growth
I’ve particularly been keeping an eye on his weight since I’ve reestablished breastfeeding to make sure that he doesn’t suddenly dip. I’m so pleased that he seems to be gaining weight at a steady rate with his last weigh in at 15lb 3oz. He’s in size 3 -6 months clothes which he fills nicely as well.
He had his last lot of immunisations last week which left him with a temp and feeling grizzly, but it’s nice to know that he’s done now until he’s a year old.
Feeding
This has been my biggest concern. Restarting breastfeeding has been so rewarding but also a major source of paranoia. Is he still hungry? Has he had enough? Am I making enough milk?
So I was offering him formula after nearly every breastfeed ‘just in case’ he was still hungry. He wouldn’t drink it so clearly he’s getting what he needs.
Sleeping
He’s not that great at it. He likes to be in my arms and not in his crib. We were lulled into thinking we had a bit of a routine going and then just like that it’s all over the place. I’ve been reading up on the four month regression. It’s just a stage which could be down to a growth spurt or teething, but either way we hope it settles down quickly.
Baby Days – 8 Week Update – I’ll probably start off by saying this every time, but seriously where has the time gone! Freddie is now eight weeks old and has fitted in like he was always here.
Growth
Boy this boy is growing! We’re packing away too small clothes at a ridiculous rate. He was weighed on Wednesday and now weighs 12lb 8oz and is quite long. He feels more sturdy in my arms now but still needs support for his head which he flings about.
Development
He’s smiling a lot now which is awesome. His little crooked smile makes the night feeds and tiredness all worthwhile.
He’s cooing a lot as he takes in his surroundings and I don’t think it will be long before they turn into little chuckles.
Obviously the TV is an attraction with the colours and sounds but he gets very excited when he hears voices but can’t quite see the person and is looking around to find them.
This morning he was getting very excited, kicking his legs and feet and waving his arms at Daddy’s dressing gown which was hanging on the bedroom door. I think he was waiting for daddy to turn around.
Play
We can now play with toys for around 10 – 15 minutes before he’s had enough.
We have a playmat with dangly toys, lights and sounds but I think his favourite things are bells. We have quite a collection of children’s instruments and shakers from when Isabelle was tiny which all the little ones that visit seem to love including Freddie.
He doesn’t mind tummy time which we do on our bed with his as he can hold his head up but again this is limited to around 10 minutes.
Feeding
Freddie is a hungry boy and likes his milk. He was breastfed and then infection struck so went onto formula, but this little boy never gave up on breastfeeding and so we’re currently restarting (did you know you could do that?) with a combination of expressing milk, formula and breastfeeding. It’s not going to be easy but I really didn’t want to stop breastfeeding and clearly Freddie didn’t either!
I think we’re lucky that we are receiving support to achieve this both from health professionals and local groups. Having watched the Channel 4 documentary on breastfeeding which has raised lots of opinions and highlighted the lack of support across the country was quite sad, but maybe something good will come off the back of it.
We seem to have just fallen into a sort of pattern particularly at night which is a feed at around 8.30-9pm and then he goes down until around 1 – 1.30am and up again around 4am.
Family Friendly things to do in London – London is the capital of our country and also a really interesting and fun place to take the family. However, like most days out in the UK it can be a costly business so I thought I would have a bit of a rummage around to see how you can experience London as a family which won’t break the bank.
Museums
The National History Museum – This would be one of the top things on my list of things to do whether it was a paid admission or free. Meet a T-Rex, experience an earthquake and take a trip to the centre of the earth. For a really special treat (not free) you can stay the night at the museum and experience a torch light tour which sounds absolutely amazing.
The Science Museum looks like it would be a really fun place to visit with loads of interactive activities. Some of these are paid and need booking in advance, but if you pop over to their website there is more than enough to keep the little ones and the big ones busy.
London Motor Museum – If cars are your thing then this is a must see exhibition. They even have the likes of Herbie the Volkswagon Beetle, the original Batmobile and the Ford Gran Torino used in the Starsky and Hutch TV series.
The V&A Museum of Childhood, Bethnal Green houses the UK’s national collection of childhood objects, all dated as far back from the 1600’s to the present day. There you will find toys, dolls and games. They also run lots of events and workshops so make sure you check their website before your visit.
Horniman Museum & Gardens – They have lots to see including animals (real live ones), an aquarium, butterfly house, 16 acres to run around and discover wildlife, a hands on base where you can touch and experience various things, a music gallery, a natural history area packed full of taxidermy, skeletons and fossils, a nature base and nature trail. There is a small entrance fee for this but it’s definitely up their in the budget friendly category.
Take a trip to Grenwich to see the Royal Observatory, the Astronomer Royal’s house and stand on the Meridian Line. The best way to see all of these is by getting a Day Explorer Ticket where you will have access to all sorts including The Royal Observatory, the Cutty Sark, the Meridian Line and Museums.
The Royal Academy of Art – Run free family workshops and activities so do check their website to see what’s on. Once you’re done you can go and have a play in the fountains outside!
London Zoo – Meet the Majestic King of the Jungle, enter the Gorilla Kingdom and get up close and personal with the Lemurs in their walk-through exhibit. There’s loads of things to see and do at the Zoo. If you’re lucky you may get to experience Zoo Nights on selected dates.
Changing of the Guards at Buckingham Palace – It’s definitely something you don’t see everyday and is a definite must-do if you haven’t already done so. Once you’re done it’s nice to take a walk through St James’s park.
Spot the Deer at Bushy Park near Hampton Court Palace before wandering through the gardens of Hampton Court Palace. There is a fee to enter the palace but you can wander through the gardens free of charge.
Clapham Common – There is loads of open space to play and run around as well as three ponds, a fishing pond, a duck feeding pond and a model boat pond. There are also two playgrounds, a huge paddling pool and a bandstand café for refuelling.
Film on a Farm – Watch a film across many venues and dates.
Visit Vauxhall City Farm which is completely FREE where you can visit Ducks, Rabbits, Pigs, sheep, alpaca and more. They also have an ecology area, herb and dye garden and a picnic area.
Staying on the farm theme you could also visit Madchute Farm which is also FREE – spread across 34 acres where you can meet farm animals, horse ride and stop in at the tea rooms.
Hackney City Farm – Entry is Free although they do appreciate donations. Here you can meet all kinds of farm animals and they also support lots of community projects and workshops.
Visit the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Playground and climb aboard the Pirate Ship in Kensington, complete with it’s very own beach.
Timber Lodge and Tumbling Baby Playground at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. There you will find rock pools, sand pits, treehouses and wobbly bridges as well as slides swing and plenty of space for running around or having a picnic.
Coram’s Fields – In Central London is a definite pit-stop. They have Playgrounds, a small Farm, a Café and Sports Pitches. Lots of room for the littles to burn off some energy.
Brockwell Park – Apparently one of the best parks in South London it has a great playground with zip wires, climbing frames and tunnels as well as a sandpit and paddling pool (be warned with water jets).
Centre for Wildlife Gardening – Here you will find mini-habitats, ponds to explore, a chalk bank, woodland copse, herb gardens and lots of bug sanctuaries and hotels.
Golders Hill Park Zoo – Hampstead Heath. Explore and visit their collection of rare birds and animals before heading off for a splash in one of the swimming ponds and lido.
Dukes Meadow Park, Chiswick – With it’s own beach and adventure playground! There are also lots of sports that take place, a kiosk for food and it also hosts the Fine Food Market.
Tours
Open Top Bus Tour – A must do when you visit London, but do look out for deals as these can be particularly pricey. Groupon are currently offering a family Open Top Bus Ticket for £49 which may seem pricey, but it’s definitely one to tick off your bucket list.
Windsor Duck Tours – Am I the only person that wasn’t aware these things even existed. Basically it’s a boat with wheels so you start the tour on land, and then it drives into the water and becomes a boat. So cool!
Camden Town Market, Spitalfields Market and Portobello market are definitely worth a visit. Be warned though as it will be extremely busy.
City Cruises – Down the River Thames for the ultimate London sightseeing experience including Big Ben, The London Eye, Tower Bridge and more with various pick-up and drop-off points along the way.
Markets
Borough Market – near London Bridge where you can find an array of fresh and organic produce including fruit, veg, meat and cheeses as well as baked treats, condiments and scrummy street food.
Brick Lane Market – Have a good old rummage through vintage clothes, shoes, furniture and bric-a-brac with Sunday being the best day to visit.
Broadway Market, Hackney – here you will find local artists and craftspeople selling unique and unusual clothing and gifts as well as locally produced foods, furniture and more.
Maltby Street Market near London Bridge Station is a foodie heaven with lots f street food on offer including New York Style Sandwiches to authentic Mexican Street food.
Hamley’s Toy Store – Here you will find over 50,000 toys spread out across seven floors to indulge your inner child. Whilst it’s free to go in, you may not be able to get out without spending a penny or two.
Take a stroll along the many areas where you will find some pretty cool Street Art including Banksy. Head to Camden Town where you will be in for a colourful treat, and Shoreditch is up there for ever changing artwork, and there’s even an organised Street Art Tour you can take to ensure you get the full experience. The tours aren’t free but you could navigate through the areas yourself.
If street Art is something that you’re interested in then head to The Rise Gallery in Croyden where they house an array of cool artwork. They also do organised tours of the local Croyden Street Art.
Lewisham hosts over 60 public artworks which you can find listed on the Council Website or you could follow The Line which is a self-guided walking tour linking The O2 and Queen Elizabeth Olympic Part where you will discover artists such as Damien Hirst, Alex Chinneck and Eduardo Paolozzi.
Take a walk along Regent’s Canal where you will see an array of colourful narrowboats overlooked by the aviary of London Zoo you can take in the scenery and chill away from the hustle and bustle.
London Stadium Tour – Take a walk around this fantastic multi-purpose venue which is home to West Ham United and UK Athletics. The tour includes panoramic views into the stadium, a look around the changing rooms, visit the indoor running track and walk down the Players Tunnel. You could also pretend that you’re the Manager from the Managers dug-out.
A self-guided Treasure Trail – Discover a local area and all it’s hidden gems. Either downloads and print or have one sent to you in the post. The trails are full of clues, facts and information on lots of areas including London. Pack a picnic and off you go.
This is just a handful of the fun things that you can see and do in and around London BUT before you go booking or paying for any attractions, have a look at sites such as Groupon to see what Family Friendly things to do in London you can take advantage of.
This also applies to where you stay when you go. If you have children below school age, I would recommend visiting outside of the school holidays as these times will be less busy and you may get off-peak prices as well. However, school holiday deals are also available so it’s always best to check beforehand to make the most of you money.
Lisa x
*This is a collaborative post.
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