Please help - ideas of what to do in London nr Covent Garden w/ young kids!

[NewLifeOrNot]

Going into London tomorrow to watch Matilda and have left it way too late to start researching what else we can do!

Train arrives at 11am at Tottenham Court Rd. Show starts at 2pm at Cambridge Theatre. It will be me, DH, DCs aged 5, 3 and baby. Only DH and DC5 are going to the theatre, I will stay with DC3 and baby as they are too young.

So we have from 11-2 to spend with all 5 of us and then ideally need something for me and DC3 and baby to do while they’re in the theatre. Will have a buggy for DC3 and a sling for baby. I’d planned on taking a packed lunch which they’ll probably inhale on the train

I’d considered the hop on hop off bus but not sure if we’ve really got long enough to make the most of it. Had also considered London transport museum for me and the little ones but again not sure if it’s enough time.

Any/all ideas welcome! Thanks

Are you staying in London after the show? In all honesty if not I’d just send my husband and 5 year old and do something near home with the other 2!!!!

Not helpful I know but I can’t see London being a whole lot of fun with a baby and a 3 year old!

Covent garden has street acts and shows all around , both inside and out.
There is also two indoor markets to walk around
The transport museum is there and isnt very big, so easy to walk around in a small space of time

Kid-Friendly in London - Tripadvisor
27 Best Things to do in London with Toddlers and Babies - visitlondon.com
Best Things to do in Covent Garden with kids - Wandermust Family

I was just about to say the same! Stay home.

if you really have to go in them do something low key and easy. John Lewis cafe and a look at the toys. Cavendish Square park for a runaround if it’s nice. Hamley’s is hell but it’s a destination!

London Transport Museum! It’s in Covent Garden. Great for children (at least the 5yo). Lots of old of buses and trains and trams to explore.

I'd personally not take a packed lunch and then go to pizza express or something before the theatre. And then maybe find a park for you and the two youngest. You could walk down Piccadilly to Green Park or something.

My son loved the transport museum. And the tickets are yearly ones so you can go again in the future!! Perfect for killing a bit of time as there's interactive stuff for the kids to do too.

I just glanced at this list and Sealife Centre would be great for DC3 and baby ☺️ As a PP said, don't pack a lunch,, go somewhere nice for lunch all together then take the little ones to the Sealife Centre while DH and DC5 are at the theatre! That's what I'd do anyway. Enjoy 💖

My thought was ZSL or Aquarium. It will be bright and might be memorable for the 3 year old, who will probably be aware that the theatre is a big deal.

If you want to stay nearby so you aren’t navigating tubes and buses alone with a toddler and a baby, I would suggest:

Lunch in Covent Garden or the Arcade Food Court at Centre Point
London Transport Museum (the tickets are valid for a year so you can come and go as you please(
Street entertainers in Covent Garden
Outernet/Now building at TC Road has a free augmented reality butterfly trail
Coram’s Fields (fantastic playground)
Automaton Museum in Holborn
Twist optical illusion installation (Oxford Circus)
Pigeons in Trafalgar Square
National Gallery (we would pop in just to see Tiger in a Storm at toddler age)
Hamleys/Lego store/M&M store
Phoenix Gardens and playground behind St Giles (TC Road)
British Museum (pick out a few fun things to see from the kid’s trail)
Ice cream in China Town
Boat ride (on the river bus)

As toddlers, mine would have enjoyed a wander for a couple of hours while the play is on, stopping off for a short while here and there eg the butterfly trail at the Now building, 5 mins walk to the playground at St Giles, then a wander through Phoenix Gardens, 5 mins to China town to see the lanterns and lucky waving cats, get an ice cream, 5 mins walk to Leicester Square (M&M shop), Swiss glockenspiel clock, billboards at Piccadilly Circus, 10 mins back to Trafalgar Square and the pigeons, maybe pop into the National Gallery etc

Absolutely the london transport museum - it is right in the square at Covent Garden itself. As well as the displays of buses and trains there are lots of interactive things and play areas suitable which are perfect for a 3 year old. You could definitely while away the length of the show in there.

The Postal Museum (sounds dull, but really good, with excellent interactive stuff) and Corams Fields (playground, adults only admitted if accompanied by a child) are both nearby

Thanks for all the great ideas so far I’ll check them out. For various complicated reasons I won’t bother to go into, I do have to go with DH and DC5 and unfortunately the childcare we had planned for DC3 has fallen through. Originally I was just going to accompany them to London and back and I was going to take the baby for a wander round one of the galleries and maybe stop for a coffee. Now I have DC3 in tow!

I would rather avoid going on the tube with the toddler and baby alone but I had wondered if there were any random buses that we could get on that might enable us to see some interesting things on the way to/from somewhere else if that makes sense? For example I tried figuring out buses from the theatre to the sea life centre as DC3 would definitely enjoy that but I got a bit confused 😂 are there any normal bus routes that you can pootle on that take in a few of the good sights? I don’t think I’m gonna spend £££ for us to do the actual hop on/off bus tours they’re just too expensive and we won’t get enough use of the tickets.

Walk down to the Strand, down by embankment there is a park for a run-around. Then down to Trafalgar Square and down Whitehall to look at the horses on guard (can't remember what building there outside).
Also Leicester Square is a good place for a wandering with toddler.

Milk Train in covent garden does crazy ice creams with candy floss.

This is exactly what the London Transport Museum was made for. 3 year old will love it. You'll find it interesting. Loos and changing table readily available. Buggy friendly. In the dry if it tips down. Low risk of pickpockets. No need to go on tube or bus on your own with a buggy.

I'd definitely do the transport museum. It's great for that age group and has a play area etc so you can really kill some time there. Street entertainers are also a good way to kill some time (and you can sit and have a coffee while they watch!). Loads of places for lunch too. You don't need to leave Covent Garden. Just keep it simple.

Agree with all the others that say do the transport museum! Easy and fun option.

No 15 bus passes Tower of London, St Paul’s etc . Best seen at top of the bus - maybe a bit hard with buggy though ,

As per other posters transport museum is good and has small play areas the 3 year will enjoy. There’s a small play park in Victoria embankment gardens near to Waterloo bridge end. Or another one near Lambeth bridge (with pretty decent public loos)
its only a ten min walk over the hungerford bridge from the strand to the south bank, if the timings work (and it’s not pissing it down) there is the beach by the oxo tower, if you head further east towards millennium bridge (about 5-10 min walk) on the south bank there’s normally the bubble blokes doing huge bubbles that kids enjoy popping.

The 88 bus from Oxford Circus ( outside Nike on the corner) goes down Regent St, Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar sq,Horseguard, Westminster Abbey, Tate Britain. You’re getting on it towards Clapham. Don’t get on it going towards Parliament Hill Fields unless you want to go to Camden.

Or, even easier as it’s from Tottenham Crt Road-the 24. Similar sort of route Leicester Square, tradalger square then all the government/royal bus as the 88

With a sling and a buggy to contend with I have to echo everyone else who has recommended the Transport Museum. After the trip to get to London, it’ll be a relief to stay in one place, with everything you need for very small children. You can easily spend several hours there, the 3-year-old will love it.

London transport museum and the moon in store in Covent Garden.