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!

for at home - a making box full of old containers, loo rolls etc is really popular at this age. It's amazing how long they can spend rummaging around.

Science museum (as a few people have said) is surprisingly good for this age, and they have an indoor picnic area.

Going for a 'nature walk' (i.e. letting her pick up mucky leaves and sticks and carry them round for a while)

a few ideas anyway...

Yes what is it about loo rolls?! DD spent a good 30 minutes tearing pieces off one the other day, wiping the kitchen floor then throwing each piece one by one into the recycling bin. Most odd...

So glad that lots of people recommend the Science Museum. I had picked it out as a place to try but then everything on their website seemed to indicate it was for 3 year olds and up. Obviously not the case, so it's on the list for first weekend in October. Haven't been since I was a child, can't wait!

We also sometimes take DS to Pets at Home for a look at all the fish/animals there (while we buy food for the chickens). And he loves B&Q - the new one in New Malden is great as there is lots of room settings. And if you're feeling brave there is IKEA.... DS loves running round all the rooms in the showroom...!

Also can you get an allotment - DS loves digging and pushing his little wheel barrow round ours - we also have a tiny garden :-(

And we go orienteering which is great fun for us all acutally - long walk in a new/interesting forest mostly no more than an hours drive from home - and sometimes nearer...

list of events here and let me know if you are considering going along and want to be shown the ropes!!

Where do you keep your chickens Knitter? We are desperate to get some, but had assumed we'd need more outside space.

Orienteering looks fun! DH would love it too.

DD loves to garden - she's a bit over zealous with picking our tomatoes before they're ripe though . I keep meaning to build her a little raised bed where she can grow stuff and dig about, might mean she'd stay out there with us for more than 10 minutes before getting bored!

As it goes we are very into days out, and having just had a holiday with in-laws we realised how much our toddler enjoys pottering round the garden/local park with a ball.

A couple of days ago we decided to take him to a wildlife park but we had a job getting him out the garden to leave the house. He would be happy clambering around the bushes, the day out is for us really.

However, gone are the days of him sitting in his buggy gazing around while I try on shoes. So our weekends and my days off during the week are changing shape.

We lived in Streatham. There is so much to do!
Central London - my DS is 22 months and he loves Trafalgar Square and Covent garden - they're not that busy if you go after 9am and the bus journey is part of the fun. Waterloo/South Bank is fab for children - the fountains, moving statues, exhibitions etc. So what if it takes an hour to get there? I'm assuming you're not restricted by a school run? And there's so many museums to choose from - Museum of London, Museum of Childhood, Imperial War, Cabinet War rooms, Transport Museum, Army & Navy (which has a fab play space) - nearly all are free and that's not including the Science Museum, Battersea Zoo etc.
And what about all the parks? ANd there's lots of allotments near you - you can usually join an allotment society for a pittance which lets you visit them when you like - if you're craving green space, they are lovely areas to hang out.
I would also recommend Greenwich for a day out (rain or shine as there's the market/maritime museum etc) or Dulwich to the picture gallery. Make a list of all the things you'd like to see and do - with a 20 month old they can usually manage an hour or so in a buggy if you give them a run around after, eg, I take my DC to the Wallace Collection behind Selfridges to see the art stuff I like and then a run around the garden squares.

I don't want to spend an hour commuting into the centre of town at the weekend when I've done that all week! Especially while PG.

Thanks though, Greenwich is a great idea.

Ah, I don't commute so enjoy going into central London. Battersea Zoo is quite close, as is Deen City Farm in SW19 - it's not fantastic but ok for very little ones and is a change of scene. Plus there's Vauxhall City Farm. Though I agree, Streatham can feel a bit grimy, especially with children - we moved west to be nearer the river and the parks and will probaly move out of London now.

Science Museum is fab - go to the basement for the under-threes stuff (water play etc). It's better for children than the Natural History Museum IMO. The Army & Navy on the Kings Road has a very good children's area. The wetlands centre in Barnes is beautiful and has excellent things for children and is nearer to you than Kew. And there's Richmond Park if you're craving space and wildlife.

Don't know if it's been suggested yet as I've not read the whole thread, but there's a Wildfowl and Wetlands trust place in London - DD loves the one in Gloucestershire - watching all the ducks and geese.

• raid the recycling box to make a rocket / robot / house
• collect leaves at the park or seeds and make a leaf print picture or 3D picture with the seeds and lots of glue
• our local cinemas run screenings for small children in the mornings on a weekend

When we were on holiday this summer in france we found loads of local stuff to do via the sat nav - it lists local attractions / places to visit / places to eat - might give you some more ideas for things to do locally

why not
bake
playdoh
messy play
dress up
make tents
train or bus rides with runaround ticket
paint
colour
jigsaws
glue and stick
have indoor picnic
cars - draw roads on paper as a mat.
pretend with dolls
hide and seek
let her help with jobs
boat ride on thames (if you have the money)
read
dance and rhymes
swimming
soft play area if one local
collect leaves and flowers to stick later or even weeds!
Play happy birthday where they pretend to wrap things in a towel and give it as a present.
pasta in a tray with jugs
jellibaff
corn flour and water in a bowl to play with a spoon.
sand in a large bowl or baby bath with spade/rake etc.
water play same.
car boot sale if you can get to one- loads to look at.
Make shakers with rice and different empty bottles for music.

Hope this helps!

Do you have any outdoor space? If so have you got a sandpit? Ours is getting many times more use since we came back from the seaside...

Though I remember that feeling of being pregnant while having to entertain one (or two) toddlers...exhausting, and it got worse when I went on maternity leave!

Yes being pregnant seems to have done away with my imagination (and energy!)

We're leaving London too star, probably early next year once this baby arrives. Moving to the sea

I know you want ideas for things to do all as a family. Our family is just like that; we tend to do everything together at the weekends, even go to B&Q (incidentally there's another idea. Both my boys adore staring at the baths and loo for hours on end )

I suspect what you really need at this stage is a regular activity that your DH takes DD to while you rest. He could take her swimming every Saturday morning at the gym while you lie down and put your feet up, for example (or do park duty). Then you would also have a bit of regular routine in place for when the new baby comes and DD needs a bit of one on one (it will inevitably be daddy doing it to start with if you are breastfeeding).

You have two big open spaces near you. Have you tried Streatham Common (and the Rookery) rather than Tooting Bec? Instead of focusing on play areas, what about taking a picnic, books, balls etc to keep your daughter amused, rather than queueing for play equipment?

Ikea - is the Croydon one near you?

DD has loved it from an early age and still does - she sits on all the swivel/rocking/weird-looking chairs, plays with all the toys laid out in the Kid's department, visits all the rooms they have set up, bounces on the beds, loves the interactive bits they have scattered all over the place - she even likes the meatballs in the cafe (which also has play areas).

And there's then the outside playground and inside is Smaland, where you can offload her for 45 mins to run about with other children while you have a daim cake and a cuppa in the cafe - bliss! 35p ice cream cone on the way out and everyone's happy.

We can spend HOURS there (esp. if i take paper and crayons too) and she's as happy as larry.

Otherwise I'd second Greenwich Park and the Market.

Or if you could get on the DLR to Stratford (am a bit vague about south of the river, but I know it finishes in Lewisham - is that near?) they've got a brilliant place there called Discover - it's about £4 to get in, there's a massive outdoor playground but inside it's got tons of free craft activities, storytelling, interactive sensory stuff, events etc - it's wonderful!

The O2 centre is good for a wander too, they have events going on most weekends, weird installations that toddlers love to potter around, and there's nice places to eat/the cinema etc.

We live in Brixton, amused to see the sandpit featured on here.

Our weekends are spent in Brockwell Park, the Horniman Museum, Vauxhall City Farm, the Army & Navy Museum, the Imperial War Museum, Brixton Market, South Bank, Museum of Transport, the Tates...

I want to go to the Wetland Trust place in Barnes (10 mins from Clapham Junction!).

:) that you like my Christmas Shop idea and at being called a genius. I think that's a first.

And I would also like to second the Ikea idea

A little bit further afield you could get on a train (or drive) and go to Box Hill or Farthing Down (Coulsdon South- not far from Croydon). There are some lovely walks around there. I'm originally from the countryside and now live in SE23 so love to go there when my head is about to explode.

Though the Wetlands is a little walk from the tran station Iskra (I think Barnes Bridge would be closer than Barnes station). TBH it's one of the few places I drive to as it's got lots of free parking. It always has great free activities on in the holidays.

mrsgb that is so sensible! And DH would love it too. The gym is literally 5 minutes walk away and they have a family swim session on a Sat afternoon which is usually v quiet strangely...

I may be alone in taking DD to Ikea. I really quite like the place but DH seems to go into tantrum mode as soon as he enters the car park

fascicle I love the Rookery but have spent so many afternoons there that I know the shape of every blade of grass. I feel a bit sad that I'm now so bored of our immediate environment, but perhaps a few weekends doing other things will help.

Box Hill - love the place. DH has never been despite growing up in Surrey. Time to plan an autumn walk I think.

BTW, where are you going catlady? We also want the sea but put off Brighton by the school situation so are probably heading to Suffolk.