London day out with five year old

[sarimillie]

Planning a day out with my five year old goddaughter. She wants to buy clothes for her doll, go to a museum and eat in a cafe. Does anyone have suggestions of especially good places in central London to do these? We'll just have between 10 and 2 on a weekday, so everything needs to be in a small area!

Try Covent garden - shops, cafe and London Transport Museum (plus lots of street performers to watch). Is her doll a build a bear doll? If so, the build a bear shop is right by the Royal Opera House and Piazza.

Thank you! The doll isn't a build a bear one - it's one of those old fashioned 18'' ones with a china head.

I suspect the best thing will be to look for a specialist doll shop (wonder if they exist!) and work from there re the museum and cafe. Hamley's site doesn't look very encouraging, but there must be possibilities out there?

There is a toy shop in the piazza - not sure if it does dolls clothes though. Don't think you'll find dolls clothes in Hamleys - is much more modern stuff

Not exactly central London but Westfield Stratford has a doll shop and loads of food outlets

www.mylondongirl.co.uk/Shop/Products/Dolls-Outfits.html - pricey though

Discover is a story themed children's centre place close by with a lovely garden/outside play area

Or the bethnal green museum of childhood is not far

Or buy doll outfit in advance by post then just spend your 4h at a m

Museum /lunch - less of a rush then

www.petalinadolls.co.uk/dolls-clothes/?filter_clothes-properties-for-american-girl_0=american-girl

I say that as someone who hates shopping
But going into a doll clothes shop might be a bit disappointing unless you want to spend about £100 quid in her!

Looking at the museum of childhood which has a cafe and a shop selling pocket money dirt if tots, and is close to the tube station, that would be my choice

They have various activities and trails

you could take her here where she'll see lots of china dolls No idea whether they sell clothes for china dolls, though.

snap, drowned!

I went there years ago and they had some of my work in there - I didn't know whether to be flattered or outraged that I was only in my 20s and my work was already in a museum. (It was a magazine I'd worked on.)

Thank you all so much! That Petalina site looks good. My London Girl fun but a bit out of budget! And museum and lunch certainly sounds more restful than doing shopping as well : )

The gift shop looks like a good place to get a pocket money toy or two