Traveling to London Next Month with Almost-3 Yr Old Son

I lived in London for 11 years, but that was sometime ago.
The parks are wonderful. People are friendly so just sit near a playground.
Brent Cross Shopping center had a play ground and it is a great mall.
There is a museum of children or something like that which was somewhat
to the south.
There are over a hundred public swimming pools in greater London many with sports centers attached.
The Tower of London is fun.
The zoo is always great. I went many, many times with my kids.
Have a great trip.

I'm visiting London right now while my husband (professional poker player) is playing a zillion different tournaments. We've been here for almost 2 weeks now. I found a book at WH Smith called London Unlocked, A Guide Book for Kids. It's got a lot of different things to do that are sorted by the area of town you're in. There are some really awesome parks here that you should know about. Kensington Gardens (by the palace) has the Princess Diana playground and it's wonderful. It's gated and only adults with children are allowed in. Children are not allowed out without a parent so you can feel a little safer giving your little one more room to explore. I still watch my son like a hawk but he thinks he's got more freedom. There is a pirate ship and a fort along with all of the regular playground stuff. There is another playground on the other side of Kensington that's full of sand. It's for the smaller ones and they just love it. Don't take him with his good clothes on though because he's going to get DIRTY!!
I also highly recommend the Zoo. Go early and plan to spend the day there. It's the oldest zoo in the world (at least that's what they say). There is a monkey park for some of the tiny monkeys and they aren't caged. You can look in the bushes and see dozens of them. They don't let you get close enough to touch but they will zip across the path in front of you. My son went nuts. There are also a lot of other wonderful exhibits.
You have to go to Harrods to the toy section. There is a whole floor dedicated to toys that's great. Downstairs they have a candy bar and an ice cream bar. The food hall will make your mouth water!
There is also a Legoland near by. We haven't been yet but probably will since we'll be here until October 6th.
There are so many things to do here. If you go to one of the parks early in your stay you can probably hook up with a couple of nannies who can also make good suggestions. London is a lot of fun!

Coming from London and just visited this summer with my then almost 3 yr old, 6 yr and 12 yr old. I can tell you London is huge, and the traffic is really bad. There are lots lots different things to do, but you don't want to be spending all your time traveling on the buses or the Tube.
I would definitely take a trip on the buses and the tube is the best way to travel around but avoid rush hour, ( 7-9.30am and 4.30-7pm). In fact the cheap day travel cards start after that time in the morning. My boy was scared by the amount of people rushing about on the Tube.
Make sure you bring your stroller there is a lot of walking to do in London, sometimes it is easier when things are so close together.
London Zoo is a great place to visit, Hyde Park, Regents Park and Hampstead Heath are good and big parks to Visit. A visit to Trafalgar Square so he can chase all the pidgeons! We did an open top tour from Trafalgar Square, the good thing is you can get on and off as you like, which is a good thing as he won't tolerate being on the bus for the 2 hours it takes to go around, ours didn't! We did the London Eye which we enjoyed, but I'm not sure how much he remembers. Madame Tussaud's is another that can be done.
All the museums are free. The Science Museum is probably the best at this age, my kids had a blast there. The only thing you may have to contend with is school trips! Convent Garden is also a fab place to visit and the have street entertainers there, he would love that and there are shops there for you to indulge yourself!
Can't think of anything else at the moment but if you want to email me with any questions, please feel free to do so. Bring your camera and take loads of pics. Enjoy your trip, writing this is making me feel homesick!

S.,

I did not see anyone mention the travel guide my husband and I always buy for where ever we go, called "DK Eyewitness Travel Guides." I am looking at my London one now. They have them for cities all over the world. They are very discriptive of all there is to see and do in a particular city. They cover transportation, hotels, restaurants, pubs, entertainment listings, theatres, music, films, children activities, maps and discriptions of all the tourist places that it will be your own personal tour guide from an information standpoint. Some of our traveling partners study them before we arrive so we know where and what we want to see. We actaully carry them in our purses while moving around the city as a guide. They are one of the best. Not specifically only meant for just kids, but you will be able to desifer what you want to do that would be interesing for the kids and you and it will give you children activities (according to the cover.) Have a great trip.

C. D.

I went for a week with my daughter when she was 7 months (in March). We managed to do and see a lot but it was tough pushing a not so equipped snap-n-go stroller around such an old city. Thankfully for you, there's all the wonderful parks. And of course Harrods. We went on the last day of our trip and my husband said it was his favorite part. Covent Garden has a toy store.

HI there. You're going to have so much fun! London is a great city. Honestly, when we took our toddler, I didn't buy a guidebook, I mostly did research online. Here are a few of my tips. Find a hotel room with floor space! A lot of European hotels are really small. We stayed at the Marriot County Hall and it was great...lots of room to play. And right by the hotel is the London Eye which any kid will LOVE. Right next to that is the London Aquarium which is small, but still fun for kids. There's also the Tower of London which I find highly overrated as an adult, but remember loving it as a kid. The museum at Tower Bridge is also pretty cool for kids. My plan when we went was I planned two-three things a day and then I went online and researched restaurants nearby. I looked for ones that said they had kids menus or high chairs figuring those would be ok for kids. It worked great.

We also did a bus tour out to Stonehenge and Bath which was great...they were totally accommodating for kids too.

Have fun! Oh...and the one thing I totally forgot to account for...the time change! Our son was WIRED that first night we were trying to go to sleep and then was soooo sleepy the next morning.

-M

Oh I am so jealous. I went to college in London and I really miss it! Anyway, there is a great aquarium which I am sure he would enjoy. You can also go to Hyde park and feed the ducks and squirrels, do some paddle boating etc. collect fall leaves. I am sure he will get a big kick out of the double decker buses! Also at covent garden market there is usually some magicians or puppet shows etc. Plenty of fabulous things for you to look at too! I don't know if you live in a big metropolis right now but I am sure he will also enjoy the tube and maybe a day trip to Hampton Castle. Have loads of fun!

As a kid, my favorite part of my trip to London with my mother, was riding on the double-decker buses.

I would think a great stroller would be Key so he can always have a little rest, kick back with a snack and drink and be refreshed for next adventure and you're not fighting with a stuck wheel or bending over a tiny fold up umbrella stroler The stewards check them as you get on the plane and I dont think they count as carry on baggage.

Try Fodor's London for kids online. You can buy a guide book or view it there.Taxi rides are also fun because they are so cool looking (not like ours) clean too. You have to go into one of the phone booths of course:)on weekends they have flea markets . They have lots of nice things even clothes and shoes.Lots of fun. Also, some of the candy there is the same as ours with different names. And Smarties are like m&m's but come in a tube. Don't forget that kids can go to the pubs with you. It's a family place. Be sure to have a Cider and Black !
It's alcoholic cider with a splash of black currant flavoring. It is delicious. FYI they don't usually drink things as cold as we do so if you want ice in your pop you have to ask for it most of the time. You will have a great time . Everyone is very helpful and polite.Cherrio!

London aquarium and The Eye. Museum of childhood. If weather is nice open top bus tour, tower of London, Thames river cruise and the zoo. Outside of London - Windsor castle is good.

I always like Rick Steve's guidebooks in general, though I'm not sure if there are specifically things to do with kids, since I haven't traveled to Europe since my son was born. Might be worth looking at in the bookstore or something though, since he comes up with some fun/interesting things to do.

You can also look at tripadvisor.com for some really great tips.

Have a fun trip!

K.
http://www.discoverytoyslink.com/karenchao - need toys for the plane? Discovery Toys can keep your son entertained!