London for the day with 7 month old

[AudsMama]

During the May half term, I will be catching the train to London and going with my husband and baby who will be 7 months by then.

We will be driving 45+ mins to the station (and back), then catching the train (just under 1.5hrs) and doing the same in reverse. Hoping to avoid the underground and catch the bus to where we will be going.
DD has been on the train but only a 30 minute journey and only twice.
We are coming home around her bedtime.

To me it almost sounds mad that we are even going to attempt this. It would be very easy to not go and avoid the hassle but I want to make it work as we have special plans and I haven't done anything for myself since she was born. Husband has been to football, gigs, cinema etc.
I am going to the theatre with friends for a matinee performance and husband will be with her while I'm doing that.This is also a limited production and doubt I will get to see it again. And the friends live the other end of the country so would love to see them, too.

Baby is EBF and refuses a bottle. She has just started weaning last week and I am trying an open cup to give her sips of water during meals.

I'm hoping someone can offer the following:

-Tips for train travel with baby
-Tips for travelling at baby's bedtime
-Tips for being in London with baby
-Tips for welcoming restaurants
-Where there are good changing facilities or family rooms near The Coliseum/National Portrait Gallery. I know you can breastfeed anywhere but she gets very distracted so a family room/quiet space is more successful for us.
-Tips for offering solid meals while out and cleaning up (not for anyone else's benefit more that she gets it all in her neck which can get very sore so I actually do her bath after her solids meal at the moment)
-Tips for taking homemade baby food with you when travelling.

Thank you in advance for any input,

A nervous first time mum.

You'll be absolutely fine.

At seven months presumably she's fairly happy just being held so the train shouldn't be too much of a problem. Take some books/small baby toys with you, but otherwise just play peekaboo/let her look out the window.

Traveling at bedtime probably not ideal, but either let her nap late and put to bed when you get home or do bath and PJ's before you leave the hotel and let her fall asleep on the train.

London with a baby is absolutely fine (quite a lot of people in London actually have babies!). Sling or lightweight buggy is best. I would avoid bringing a massive buggy.

All the chain restaurants are family friendly.

All of the big tourist hotspots (galleries/museums etc) will have changing facilities. Almost all will have a quiet spot to bf, even if they don't have dedicated family rooms. Look at websites of specific places in advance to find out what they each offer.

Don't bother bringing homemade food or fussing with solids while you're away. Give a pouch or a bit of finger food if you want but just don't bother with puree and all that.

What train station are you coming into? Central London is quite small and walkable. You may not need tubes or buses.

Ellas kitchen pouches and the spoons that attach to them directly are ideal for this. I’m all for homemade baby food at home but out of the house convenience wins every time and the small pouches that don’t need refrigerating are ideal. Wipe face with a baby wipe then dry with a muslin to avoid any skin irritation. You can feed in a cafe sat in the pram if she’s a bit little to manage a restaurant highchair yet. I’ve never found anywhere not welcoming, unless you mean like a swanky mayfair restaurant that only permits kids before 7pm or something like that! Make sure you’ve got your changing mat so you can change wherever. IDK about breastfeeding or quiet spaces but hopefully others do. Have a good day!!

We went with DD all the time to Central London, it's actually quite easy.

Tubes can be a nightmare with a pram, unless the stations show the wheelchair sign, it is very difficult on your own. We took busses, had patience and walked a lot.

All museums are really baby-friendly. Some have dedicated picnic areas and lockers, normally for school groups but open for other visitors as well.

Saying that, it will be busy.

I wouldn't worry about solids. For one day having only milk is perfectly ok. Otherwise bring some pouches or fingerfood. I remember sharing my jacket pototo with DD when she was 8 months (ordered it plain with a filling on the side).