to wonder what on earth to do with my toddler at weekends?

[Crazycatlady]

OK, so we've just come back from a week in St Ives where is was dead easy to keep DD (20 months) entertained. Plenty of fresh air, the beach, paddling, space to run, wildlife to explore etc...

Back in London and she's tantruming and miserable. Our house is small and has a garden the size of a car. She hates it. Am totally depressed by tossing a coin to decide which London park we'll wade through ten tons of litter to walk to, all the while breathing in the sweet aroma of traffic fumes and KFC, to arrive and have her tantrum at the playground because it's so packed with kids she can't get near the swings.

Am desperate for ideas of what to do with her at the weekends within easy striking distance of home. We live in SW16 and have done all the local parks to death. And Lido season is over. She's bored, we're bored. So far on my list I have Horniman Museum...Help!

Another wet weekend idea for when you're stuck indoors: washing up. Someone on here tipped me off about it when DS was around 20 months and he loved it and would do it for hours. Fill up a washing up bowl with warm foamy water, get some unbreakable items and away she goes. Just remember to put some towels down beforehand

Washing up sounds great! DD loves to 'clean' so I reckon she'd go for that...

We've done all the local parks literally to death (mainly because they are free and we're skint...). I'm so bored of them, and so is DD. She knows exactly how to get to the playground in each one of them, then tantrums her way round them because they're so busy and she's still learning about sharing/waiting etc... So we need a break from parks for a while I think.

Polka Theatre is expensive . Maybe for a special treat though, it looks like they do some brilliant stuff, even for the tinies.

True - it is expensive.

You sound a bit as if you have post-holiday blues.

I do, you're right Blu. It's been a very grumpy day in our house. It'll pass...

What about:
Dulwich Park
Tooting Common
Merton Abbey Mills/Deen City Farm/Morden Hall Park (+ garden centre)
Wimbledon Common
Richmond Park
Wisley
Bocketts Farm
Horton Farm Park

All done many million times Mirth, with the exception of the last two. In fact if I ever have to sit at the cafe at Tooting Common again, dodge dog poo round the duck pond, or pin DD down while we wait for the swings I might have to eat my own hair in frustration! Tooting Common is 5 mins walk so it's been our default option for a while...

Thanks for all the ideas though, lots to work with now.

Water tray or sand in the garden? Sorry if someone has said that I am dopey today. What about classes? I think gymboree do classes on a Saturday. A lot going on walking along the South Bank. Greenwich has quite a lot going on. My 19 month out loves charging up and down the turbine hall at Tate Modern.

It sounds as if the swings are a big issue.
Could you get one of those indoor swings that hangs from a beam, and which you can hook out of the way when not in use?

The children's zoo at Battersea park isn't far from you and great (not expensive either). There is another one that I only know as 'Bunny' Park in Ealing which is free (though a bit further from you). Syon Park has a small Tropical zoo which is nice for that age, an aquarium bit where they sell fish and mine are sometimes even happy looking at plants and 'water features' - also a nice cafe.... (In fact big garden centres sometimes offer unexpected entertainment)

Science Museum is a good idea and they have a play area in the basement with sand and water play for kids and mine both love it in there. And for really miserable days, a soft play area with a cafe can be ok. Most of them are fairly hideous but if you can find a smaller one with a decent cafe attached (Eddie Katz in Putney is only medium hideous and not millions of miles from you) you can go with a friend and toddlers can muck about in the play area while you have a coffee and an attempt at a chat...

And in a month or so you can start trawling round the 'Christmas Shops' at Harrods etc. Apart from feeling sick every time they grab a bauble, it's actually amazing for them to see all that colour and sparkle

I know the feeling though, so you are not BU to feel a bit desperate at times. It will get easier x

Oh and I second the suggestion to 'wash up'. DS 3 loves washing up and will do it for hours if we let him

Could you go out for a walk with a ticky-box list of things your LO has to spot - so for example, 3 blue cars, 2 different types of bird (crow and pigeon would do!), 3 trees, etc etc...

Oh, and a list of things to collect - so tree leaves, conkers (well, it is coming to that time of year), pine cones or something?

Sorry, I don't know what kind of things you could put on the list in London (I live near Inverness!!)

If you become a member of London zoo you get unlimited entry to both Whipsnade and London Zoo.

I have only been to London zoo once and it and both my children loved it. A lot of London zoo is inside so great for wet days.

We tend to go to Whipsnade as its nearer to us and it has a children's farm and a lovely big playground.

Oooh yes Toy Shops. We spend hours in our local Mothercare Extra the other day. They have a huge ELC with loads of toys out to play with and a sofa for me to sit on. DS didn't care a jot that we didn't actually buy anything.

And also - obvious and I am sure people have suggested it but playgroups, toddler groups etc. They are usually pretty cheap - £2 or so a go....

I think much of this is about you not her. By which I mean, I have one weekday free with my daughter a week (same age as yours, 21 months) and we do exactly the same thing every time, and she loves it.

Park, coffee, storytime at library, bus home, nap, drawing/painting, baking, housework, daddy home. That's it. I live in a much less cosmopolitan area than you, and I have no car and thus no way to get to kindergym/other classes (public transport awful around here) so my options are limited. But honestly, she adores it, and I think at this age doing the same thing every weekend is a plus.

You just have to not go insane in the meantime, of course.

I can strongly recommend the Wetland Centre in Barnes and Kew Gardens, There is a city farm in Mitcham which is good. Also Morden Hall park is nice (National Trust).

We also like Kidspace in Croydon although it's not everyone's idea of fun.

Down the A3 is Esher Common which is great for long walks - lots of blackberries to be picked at the moment.

You're right tortoise it is about both of us, and DH. It's easy during the week (I too have one day at home with her, sometimes two), and we head out to meet friends/playdates etc, feed the ducks, softplay, swimming - all the usual stuff. The week days are easy.

There's two things at play:

1. our expectation of what our weekends should be like is out of kilter with her needs now she's a toddler not a baby, and

2. we don't plan ahead well enough so we all end up bored and cross (particularly DD) by about 10am and not knowing what to do with ourselves except go to the park again.

So now we have this brilliant list of ideas, I sat down with DH last night and ran through them all, we've got a few things planned for the coming weekends and are feeling much, much better!

Thank you so much - and whoever said Christmas shops is a genius - the Selfridges one has just opened and is really magical. DD will love it, and it means I have an excuse to go to Selfridges

Does she have a three-wheel scooter? A tricycle?

i know how you feel. it might be because shes hit the age where she needs stimulation from her peers. i imagine if she found a good friend shed play for hours with a box where you could play differnt activities all day with her and shel be bored. I dont live in london, but the countryside gets boring too eventually and you can be miles away from any activities. there are less groups to go to aswell.

Not yet Bonsoir but it's being purchased for Christmas. We'll have to take her to the park to ride it of course, but should be fun!

Wheels are great! Keep them busy for hours in the park going round in circles while you sit down!

That sounds just the ticket. Particularly as by Christmas I'll be 8 months pregnant...

I would second Crystal Palace Park, loads to do there; the big lake with the dinosaurs, ducks to feed, the maze, playground, big sand pit, nice farm (which is free!)

Hornimans museum also a great day out, lots to do and huge grounds perfect for a toddler to run about in.

Have you had a look at your local Netmums site? They have a big list of local events, places to go, indoor activities etc.