Fun things to do in London with a toddler

[gaiagirl]

Hello,
I live in Boulder, Colorado USA and am traveling to London and Norway in May. Are there any recommendations for fun toddler things to do in London?
Thank you!

where abouts in london do you intend to stay if you know? How old is your LO?

The South Bank is great - the London Eye, The Aquarium, Tate Modern, the Hayward Gallery, and nice child-friendly places to eat all very close. There's usualy quite a sprinkling of buskers - I really like the atmosphere - and it's all stuff that amuses adults and children alike. If you are staying for a while I would also do the museums in Kensington - Natural History, Science and V and A - though much of these may be lost on a toddler. Then there's the Zoo of course.

The basement area of the Science Museum is a MUST.
And the top floor with the planes did it for ours

For a wet day you can't beat \link{http://www.discover.org.uk/about.htm\discover}. You get there on the Docklands Light Railway, which are driverless trains, so you cans sit up the front and pretend to be the 'driver'.

Hampstead Heath is great and has a lovely cafe at Kenwood House. There's also a fabulous children's playground in Kensington Gardens - think it's the Princess Diana Memorial Garden - with a wooden pirate ship, teepees and wooden playhouses. Science museum and Aquarium good if it rains. Most child-friendly cafes are probably Wagamamas and Giraffe - think website is Giraffe.net - lots of branches in London including Hampstead and Kensington. Richmond is nice with park and river - go on a boat down the Thames. Have fun!

I would normally recommend the zoo (we've been members for years) but beware that at the moment there is a huge amount of rebuilding so a lot of the animals are elsewhere. There are no gorillas/chimps etc, the aquarium is shut, moonlight world is shut, area around the giraffes under construction. Just think theres quite a lot missing just now to make it a really memorable day out.
If the weather is good, the parks are always a nice place to go.
Boat trip, maybe the Tate to Tate.
Science/Natural History museum
Hamleys (mine have never been there!)

we had a nice time at the british museum today

Haven't been there in ages. Whats good for toddlers?
We had a nice day (well couple of hours) in Regents Park.

loads of space to run around! mummies. food is v overpriced though.

I second basement at the Science Museum - an absolute must.

May have to try that HC!

Tate Modern is the best! let them run around in the Turbine Hall then go for a lovely walk along the river

Many, many thanks for the great suggestions. We leave next week to cross the pond. I feel very confident that our daughter will have as much fun as we will.
Thanks again!

I went to Somerset House on the Strand (north side of the river)- for lunch today. They've got these fountains and jets of water in the courtyard middle of the galleries. When its nice weather as today there's always todlers running in and out of the water in nappies,knickers or swimsuits.

My DD loves it when we go there and especially when I run under the water as well.

It's easy to get to, it's free to use the courtyard and water
and a great space to run off excess energy.

gaiagirl. I'm english and living in Erie - just seen your post. What a small world. Listen when you're back how about a US Mumsnet meetup in Boulder??!?

Have great trip by the way. Would definitely recommend - boat trip on Thamses, Natural History Museum that's free and brilliant. London Eye. You'll have a great time. If you're going to Oslo there's a brilliant Thor Heyerdahl museum, by the fjord - always working so never visited that one.