Places to go for mornings with 16mo and grandparents

[JustAboutGettingBy]

Me and my DS see his grandparents once a week for a morning. In the summer it was quite easy to find places to go - walks etc but we are struggling through the winter. DS still isnt walking much (just a couple of steps so far) and the grandparents arent able to do things like soft play.

We usually end up with a coffee somewhere but struggling now DS wants more entertainment and to get down from a highchair.

Any suggestions?

I’d try to combine it with a meal/snack and go to a low-key cafe. Otherwise is one of your homes an option? Playground with everyone wrapped up warmly?

Visits at home work might be best. Surely they want to get down on the floor and play with him. Can't do that in a cafe and like you say he has passed the age where he will sit for ages. Invite them over to yours?

Baby groups - local church hall type stay & play groups round here are cheap or free (like max £1.50) and loads of grandparents there with kids too so they won’t look or feel out of place, and the baby gets ‘socialisation’ (and a biscuit).

If you want to go out, is there a garden centre near you? Some have an animal section to look at and my little ones loved that, usually a cafe, sometimes a toy section. Just makes a change. If bad weather, I sometimes take my dog to one for something different!

We met up with DGP yesterday and went to a large garden centre and had a walk around then cake and coffee in the large cafe. There's one near to us that has a very small and usually quiet soft play next to the cafe. Would something like this be an option?

There's also a small petting farm near to us that has a nice cafe.

What’s the problem with soft play? Many of them have a place to sit and have coffees.

Places we’ve been include, garden centres, swimming, small animal farms, parent and toddler groups, groups at the local children’s centre, swing parks.

Are there any child friendly cafes. near us there is one with a play kitchen.
Or if you have transport a garden centre as you can walk round after or before.

It is always more difficult to find things in Jan and Feb to do when weather is dire.