London for Babies

The majority of London museums and many tourist attractions have lots of facilities in place to ensure your visit with a baby is as easy as possible. Many have great pushchair access, baby changing facilities, areas to feed your baby and family friendly cafes. In the attractions where the pushchair access isn't great there is normally a place to leave your pushchair.

One top tip is to check the attraction's website to see if you can book tickets in advance online. This is sometimes very worthwhile as you can often save 10% by booking online and you can also fast track the queues. Queuing is not a good thing to do with a baby as you can imagine. The London Aquarium and the London Eye both offer the facility to book online, saving 10% on the ticket cost and the perk of skipping the queues. However a lot of London's attractions are free so quite often booking is not necessary.

It may also be worth checking out the attraction's websites before you go if you are concerned about how baby friendly the tourist attraction is. I have had a look at some of the top tourist attractions and given a round up of how well they cater for the needs of babies and their parents below.

London Eye
You can take your baby on the London Eye. Pushchairs must be folded flat while waiting on the boarding ramps and while you are on the Eye. If you can't fold your buggy you can leave it in the ticket office. You can also borrow a baby carrier for the trip. It may be worth doing a little planning in advance and booking the trip online before you go so you can skip the queues. Check out this article for a review of taking a six month old baby on the London Eye.

Tower of London
Parts of the tower aren't pushchair friendly but there are places to leave your pushchairs around the tower at the owner's own risk. You can then carry your baby around. There are baby changing facilities and a baby care room. There are also family friendly cafes with highchairs.

Science Museum
The science museum is very accessible to pushchairs. There are baby changing facilities. The cafes are very child friendly although the only one I saw with highchairs was on the ground floor. There is also a play area for younger children called The Garden

British Museum
Is fully pushchair accessible. There are baby changing facilities, baby feeding rooms and a very child friendly cafe with pushchairs.

Tate Modern
The Tate Modern is pushchair accessible. Pushchairs can access through the river entrance and through the cafe entrance situated next to the main entrance. There are baby changing facilities and a baby care room. The cafe is very baby friendly with highchairs. There is also a play area for very young children.

National Gallery
Again the gallery is very pushchair friendly. There are baby change facilities and highchairs at the cafe.

If you're looking for attractions with things for babies to do too, The National Army Museum has a kids zone for children between aged 0 and 8.

Discover in Stratford, East London is aimed at children between 0 and 11 years, although I'm not quite sure what there is for young babies. There's a story trail, a story garden, puppet shows, dressing up, books and more. I've never been but check out this detailed review of somebody who has.

Photo of London Eye by Jimmy Harris / Flickr

If your baby is a bit older they may appreciate looking at animals in London. There are lots of attractions that feature animals in London including aquariums, zoos and farms. Here is a list of a few of them.

London Aquarium
We took our son here when he had just started toddling around and he was just big enough to look into the fish tanks and he loved it. It's a lovely big aquarium with all kinds of fish including sharks! You can save money on this attraction by booking online in advance.

City Farms
There are lots of city farms in and around London, most of which are free. Coram's Fields is a particularly nice one in Central London which has a pets corner with ducks, sheep, goats and hens. There's also a playground. Mudchute Farm is one that I visit regularly based in the Isle of Dogs, East London. Check out for this website for a list of London city farms.

Aquarium and animals at the Horniman museum
The Horniman museum is a great family museum which is free. It features exhibits from around the world to seek appreciation of different cultures, people and environments. There is a lovely small aquarium on the basement (there is now a small charge for the aquarium, although at the time of writing under 3s are free and you can get free access on the first Tuesday of every month from 4pm to 5.30pm - check website for details). There is a free animal corner with goats and rabbits which would be suitable for older babies to look at. There is also a family friendly cafe, great baby changing facilities and lots of green space for picnics. It's based in south east London and is a train ride out of the city centre, but great if you are in the area or live nearby.

London Zoo
Older babies will enjoy looking at the range of animals at London zoo including penguins, giraffes, tigers and zebras.

Up until Ethan was about 8 months I used to spend every Friday morning at the Picture House Cinema in Greenwich (pictured opposite), watching the latest films on the big screen. The Picturehouse chain of cinemas run sessions called The Big Scream. Mums and Dads can come with their baby under 1 and sit in a cinema full of other parents with their babies and watch a film. This is great because you don't have to worry about your baby crying as there are lots of other babies there. The lights are raised slightly and the volume is lower to create a calmer environment. However, even though there are babies crying it isn't loud enough to spoil your viewing of the film. You can breastfeed or bottlefeed your baby during the film and hopefully they fall asleep after this. Some cinemas even offer bottle warmers.There are places to leave your pram outside the theatre and baby changing facilities too.

Other cinema chains that run similar sessions including Odeon and Vue (see below for a list of all the sessions I could find in London). It's a great thing to do because once they are mobile you never get the chance to watch a film at the cinema. I stopped going when Ethan was eight months as that was when he started crawling and just wanted to explore the cinema which isn't as much fun.

List of cinemas in London with baby and parent session

Clapham Picturehouse
Gate Picturehouse at Notting Hill Gate
Greenwich Picturehouse
Stratford East Picturehouse
Ritzy Picturehouse at Brixton
Odeon Newbies have sessions in cinemas all over London. Click on the link to find out the locations.
Everyman Cinema in Hampstead.
Electric Cinemas in Portobello Road,
Rio Cinemas in Dalston
The Lexi Cinema in Kensal Rise

If you've still not found a baby and cinema session also check out the mini et moi movie map which lists several baby and parent screenings and has plotted them on a map too.

I would try and get to the cinemas early as sometimes these sessions can get very busy.

As well as the baby screenings, many cinemas will let you take in babes in arms to morning or afternoon matinees as long as they are not X rated. Check out a cinemas website for more details.

Photo by KhE

There are quite a few soft play facilites around suitable for babies once they're sitting up and mobile. Firstly check out The Kids Zone at the Army Museum
The website says the kids zone has something suitable from children from 0 to 10 and in the case of baby's there is a soft play area dedicated specifically for them.

Many leisure centres in London run soft play sessions or have soft play areas specifically for babies centre.
Ones that I know of include:

Talcre Treetops,Camden
Taclre Treetops is suitable for babies from six months and goes up to children aged 11 years. It is based at the Taclre Leisure Centre in Camden. They have a specific play area for under 2s and run sessions for under 5s every Monday to Friday during term time.

Peckham Pulse Soft Play
The soft play at Peckham Pulse Leisure Centre has an area for babies with a ball pool and soft play shapes. If you're interested in going check out my review of Peckham Pulse soft play

Toddler World at the Arches Leisure Centre, Greenwich
Many leisure centres in Greenwich run soft play sessions for children under 5. I used to go to the Arches Leisure Centre in Greenwich on Friday mornings between 9.30am and 11.00pm with my then two year old but some babies went there too. It is probably best from when they are mobile and crawling around. There are balls, soft play shapes, slides and a bouncy castle. Check out the website for more information.

If you're looking for a soft play area in your part of London check out this website which lists all the soft play areas within London and the M25. It also gives details on whether there are a toddler play session for under 5s.

One of the greatest things about London is that you are never far from a park. This is great especially when the weather is good. Smaller babies can enjoy the fresh air from their pushchairs or by lying on a blanket. Older babies will enjoy looking and feeding the ducks, crawling or toddling on the grass, watching the wildlife and the birds and of course going on the swings at the playground. Here is a brief overview of my favourite parks to take your baby to in London.

Regents Park
Regents Park is the home of London Zoo. There's lots of green space for picnics and a lake which is home to quite a few ducks.

Holland Park
One of the lesser know parks in London but it's famous for its peacocks which strut around the park. There are also many friendly squirrels which are extremely tame. Also enjoy the beautiful Japanese garden with a waterfall. Check out this article for some lovely pictures and description of Holland Park.

Kew Gardens
Kew Gardens is lovely. Adults have to pay but under 16s are free. I took my son when he was about seven months and I remember him sitting down while we had a picnic and trying to get to the birds who were nearby. There are lots of cafes with baby changing facilites.

St James's Park
Right in the centre of London and right next to Buckingham Palace, St James' park has duck island, a large lake full of duck, geese and pelicans. It also has a nice playground with a lovely sandpit in it for babies who are able to sit and play in the sand. Don't forget to bring your bucket and spade.

Hyde Park
This is one of the biggest green spaces in London so there's plenty of room to picnic and have a nice long walk around with the pram.

Greenwich Park
Greenwich is one of my favourite parks. It has a big playground with swings and a sandpit suitable for babies. Walk to the top of the hill at the park and there are tremendous views of the River Thames with visible landmarks including Canary Wharf and St Paul's Cathedral.


Hampstead Heath is a few miles north of London but once there its like being in the middle of the country. Walk and see the million pound houses in Hampstead village and then stroll across the heath. There are eight different playgrounds on Hampstead Heath and for those with older babies in the area check out the one o clock club, with toys and a play area for the under 5s.

Check out this Time Out article on playgrounds in London to discover more playground ideas.

Here is a more extensive list of London parks.

There are lots of classes in London where you get fit by walking or running around a park with your pram with lots of other new mums. It was something I did after having my son and I would really recommend going to a class. It was one of the best things I did to meet other mums and the bonus was I started to regain my fitness at the same time. I did a class at Ladywell Fields in South London, the instructor was qualified in post-natal fitness and really knowledgable. You could go at your own pace, so you could walk or run. I started the classes about 12 weeks after I had my baby but you can start as soon as you've had a clear six week post natal check up. Here are some links to classes.

Powerpramming These are classes run over South London. I used to go to one of the powerpramming classes.

Buggy Fit They have classes all over London including ones in Hyde Park

Baby Boot Camp in Holland Park

Pushy Mothers have a lot of classes in London. Check out this review of pushy mothers

London also has numerous mum and baby yoga classes to help keep you fit after having a baby.

Also check out this directory of mum and baby fitness classes including mummy boot camps and other mummy fitness sessions.

As long as you are discreet there should really be no problems breastfeeding in public in London. I didn't breastfeed but among the Mums I met and became friends with I was pretty much the only one. Nearly every Mum I knew breastfed in public, in cafes, in parks and wherever was necessary. As far as I know there were no negative reactions from anybody.

A lot of the museums provide rooms where you can feed your baby if you wish to. There are also shops like Mothercare which sometimes provide rooms to breastfeed your baby.

Here is an article about breastfeeding in London

There are lots of breast feeding friendly cafes and places in London.
Check out these articles for some ideas of some good places to breast feed:
Is London a Breast Friendly City? This is a good article which gives a guide to breast feeding in the city with lots of places which are particularly breast feeding friendly for babies in London.
Breast feeding friendly places.
Breast feeding friendly places in Greater London

Most cafes and many restaurants are baby friendly in London. You can't go wrong with many of the chain restaurants who normally have a decent supply of high chairs and baby changing facilities. Here are a few suggestions of baby friendly places to eat with branches over London. They tend to cater for children and have baby changing facilities, high chairs etc. It is probably best to ring to see if you should book a table at some of the restaurants before you go.

Giraffe
Giraffe cafes are very kid friendly and most have baby changing facilities and highchairs. There are a number of them situated around London. Check out their website for more details.

Cafe Rouge I've found cafe rouge restaurants to be very baby friendly. Many Cafe Rouge restaurants have baby change facilities and highchairs but not all, so its worth phoning before you go.

The Rainforest Cafe A fun rainforest themed cafe in London. Highchair and baby changing facilities available. (Photo above is taken inside of the rainforest cafe). Photo by MoonSoleil - Flickr

Sticky Fingers Bill Wymans sticky fingers restaurant is particularly family friendly at the weekend. and has highchairs and baby changing facilities available.

Gourmet Burget Kitchen

Pizza Express

Taking a stroller around London isn't always easy but it has to be done and you will see a lot of them about. I take my pushchair into London a lot and there are a few tips I can give you that may make your time in London easier. Also check out my lens on using a pushchair on London transport. You may also be interested in this online discussion about taking a baby on the tube.

1.) Avoid areas like Oxford Street (a very busy shopping street) especially at peak times. It's hard enough walking down there without a pushchair.
2.) Avoid public transport at peak times. Rush hours tends to be before 9.30am and between about 4pm and 7pm on weekdays.
3.) Buses are usually easier for pushchairs than the tube especially if you are on your own.
4.) Plan your journeys with your stroller before you go. For example, which tube station are you going to get off at? Are there steps? Would getting off at another tube station where there's an escalator or going by bus be easier? Check out my lens on using a transport in London and check out this guide to tube stations with step free access.
5.) Invest in a lightweight, easily collapsible stroller such as the McClaren Turbo. These are easier to fit on buses and carry up and down steps

If there are two of you to carry the stroller up and down stairs at tube stations etc, you shouldn't have many problems. If you are on your own, somebody will always help you out, just smile and ask if nobody offers. You could also consider another carrying option for small babies such as a sling.

If you're resident in London with your baby, (tourists to London would also be welcome) most London libraries have rhyme time sessions for babies under 2 years old where there are lots of songs and nursery rhymes. I used to go to an excellent session at Lewisham library with my son from when he was about 12 weeks old until he was about 19 months. The sessions were on Thursdays at 11.15am and 2.15pm and were free of charge. The librarians who ran the sessions were really lively, and energetic and I did enjoy taking my baby along. However the Thursday session at 11.15am did used to get very busy.

There are lots of libraries in London that run such sessions. Check out your local library or go to this website which gives details of lots of libraries in London that run rhyme time sessions for babies