Inspire me with your cheap or free places to take mindees for the rest of the winter.

[mawbroon]

I have run out of ideas.

We regularly go to :

• library
• museums (Chambers st/childhood museum etc)
• park if it's not bucketing down or really freezing
• toddler groups (no longer though because DS is going to nursery and is a bit bored with toddlers now)
• Ocean Commotion at dynamic earth (but hey, it's shut for the winter
• on the bus, just for the sake of it

Hmm, doesn't look like many places, does it, I am sure we go to more than that!!

DS is 3, mindees vary from 2.5yrs to 6yrs.

Any ideas welcome.

Oh, and we live in South Edinburgh and travel everywhere by bus, so far away places are out really.

duck feeding anywhere?

Can you get an adult annual pass to the zoo? (£50)under 3's are free.

Edinburgh airport to watch the planes?? Train station to count the trains?? Anywhere by bus or train to go and have a drink and a biscuit and then home??

These are all good, thanks.

Trouble is as well that often I don't have a long enough stretch of time with one lot of mindees before having to go and pick up/drop off others, so the airport is a bit far away, and it takes an hour from here to the zoo on the bus (have a zoo pass already). But zoo would work tomorrow as I have stopped going to toddlers and have a longer day with 2.5yo mindee.

Botanics?

Ocean Terminal - to look at the boats (or Russian subs last time we were there) and the fish tanks.

Swings at the Meadows.

Portobello Beach although that's a bit far for you.

Gorgie City Farm.

Can't watch planes at the airport any more unless you're actually going on one (so not really a cheap option)

Waterstone's? (particularly West End - huge kids section. You don't have to buy anything. I worked there for years, people do it all the time.)

These are good too Barcode, but a lot of them weather dependant, brrrr.

DS and I do go to watch planes at the airport sometimes. If you go up to the top level of the multi storey car park, there is a covered bit with a wee bench beside the car park ticket machine. You can't actually see over the terminal building on to the runway, but you can see the planes coming in to land, taxi-ing and once they are a few feet up after take off.

Cramond on bikes/scooters/buggies? Local libraries to select some books??

Dobbies, Ikea.

There's a nice tea room in the church at the top of Kilgraston road with a play corner for kids.

Have just started going to Vogrie Park a lot but not sure if there's a bus runs past.

Thanks liath. How are you doing?

Dobbies and Ikea I have done before (buses a bit rubbish to Ikea) but should consider again as haven't been since summer.

Will maybe check out the Kilgraston Rd church.

I sometimes do a loop around the Meadows then stop for tea there then on to the Newington Library.

I'm fine, massed in-laws just left today so the house seems too quiet .

When you say Dobbies, do you mean Butterfly World which is next to it, my DD loves it, very good for warming up too as balmy and tropical inside

Have heard that Craiglockhart does tots tennis which could be quite fun?

Swimming? Haven't been to Leith Waterworld but hear good things... Am going to start taking DD to Swimeasy in Greenbank on Sundays

When we go to Dobbies, we just look at the fish and pets and stuff inside the garden centre and play in the playpark if it's not chucking it down.

Swimming is not possible with mindees as they are of an age where they need 1:1 with an adult.

Need any visitors liath? Get the kettle on