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For Tiny Londoners & Their Adults

Bablands is a resource for Londoners who find themselves with a small creature to dress up and entertain. Part-magazine, part-guide, Bablands follows the adventures of Bab as she seeks out London's coolest kids' shops, best child-friendly hangouts and under-fives activities that won't make mummy want to gauge her eyes out with a weaning spoon.

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I'm bringing back my weekly roundup - at least for this week coz the baby kept me awake all night and I had a LOT of time to Google toddler activities 😑. So yeah, here you go: • Monday 18th: @heroic_knitting is running a knitting group at @yummyyummy.stokey . Learn to knit, make some lovely things and meet other parents while your baby or toddler plays. • Tuesday 19th: @punkmeupceramicscafe is hosting Cello Stories with @beanstalkarts at various times throughout the morning. You and your under-5s are invited to join in with interactive musical storytelling accompanied by live cello and ukulele tunes. • Wednesday 20th: @whitechapelgallery is offering a Crib Notes tour of its Is This Tomorrow? exhibition for parents and carers with little ones aged four and under. Enjoy a special talk with curator Cameron Foote before joining other families for refreshments. • Thursday 21st: Head to @britishmuseum 's new Albukhary Foundation Gallery of the Islamic World for a special Explore Islamic Patterns Little Feet under-5s workshop. Explore the colours and sights of the gallery and then make an artwork to take home with you. • Friday 22nd: @letsactdrama is running a Mum & Toddler Drama/Musical Theatre session at @freshgroundlondon for those with children aged 1-3. Sessions are imagination-based and combine poems, games, songs and character creation. • Saturday 23rd: @pickledpepperbooks is hosting a special A Song for Bear meet-the-author event with Gabby Dawnay and Alex Barrow. This is an interactive storytelling and workshop event for 2-8s. • Sunday 24th: @britishlibrary is hosting a Family Takeover: Make and Create workshop for all ages. There will be a selection of children’s books available to read, as well as a range of materials with which to make, create and invent something to take home. Have a great week everyone 😀 #bablands #coolthingsfortinylondoners #thingstodowithkids #toddlersofinstagram #toddlerlife #mummyblogger #parentblogger #londonblogger #londonmum #blogger #londonparents #londonmums #parentingtheshitoutoflife #london #londonmum #letthembelittle #londonunderground #visitlondon #babylondon
Today we met up with a friend from the job I left to stay at home with Babu. I don't see her that often but when I do she always reminds me what a massive mum I've become with my heavy-duty mum parka, my well-washed mum leggings and my big, repeatedly vommed-on mum jumper (and obviously, y'know, the two small humans that follow me wherever I go), while she'll be dressed in proper clothes and look like an actual adult rather than someone who spends their life at soft play. Does anyone else find themselves trying really hard not to be really bloody boring when they're with their child-free friends? I become so conscious that I'm dull as shit now and almost want to make stuff up to make me sound more interesting. Anyway, she lives in Crouch End and when she asked what I fancied doing I said I was really keen to check out this playground in Stationers' Park, which tbh probably didn't help my case 😬 It is really good though. . . . . . . . . . . #bablands #coolthingsfortinylondoners #thingstodowithkids #toddlersofinstagram #toddlerlife #mummyblogger #parentblogger #londonblogger #londonmum #blogger #londonparents #londonmums #parentingtheshitoutoflife #london #londonmum #letthembelittle #londonunderground #visitlondon #babylondon #crouchend #crouchendmums #stationerspark #n8
Still dreaming about the magical pastel pixie party last weekend, although I'm glad the whole pushing out a baby followed immediately by Babu's birthday thing is over and we can return to some vague semblance of normality. Having a relatively chilled one this weekend because Adam's on nights/24hrs all of next week and I need to conserve my energy or I'll expire (also sooo skint rn 😭). What's everyone else up to? . . . . . . . . . . #bablands #coolthingsfortinylondoners #thingstodowithkids #toddlersofinstagram #toddlerlife #mummyblogger #parentblogger #londonblogger #londonmum #blogger #londonparents #londonmums #parentingtheshitoutoflife #london #londonmum #letthembelittle #londonunderground #visitlondon #babylondon #archway #messyplay
Every time we have a day at home I remember why we don't have days at home. Babu's actually been great today and we seem to be back on track with the sleep routine but God have we had a tedious afternoon. So tedious I ate a whole packet of milk chocolate digestives out of boredom and spent about an hour down a Wikipedia rabbit hole that began with Ralph Fiennes and ended with Kim Jong-un, while Babu demolished the contents of her snack shelf and watched so many episodes of Paw Patrol it made me want to kick puppies. In other news I finally reviewed @discover_story 's new immersive exhibition, The Tiger Who Came to Tea & Mog the Forgetful Cat. It's up on the site in case you haven't been yet and fancy a read. We thought it was great but I wish Discover would extend the sessions to at least an hour; there's so much to see and do in this one and 40 minutes just doesn't feel like enough time to cram it all in. What did everyone else think? And which author should be featured in their next temporary exhibition? My vote's for Dick Bruna. . . . . . . . . . . #bablands #coolthingsfortinylondoners #thingstodowithkids #toddlersofinstagram #toddlerlife #mummyblogger #parentblogger #londonblogger #londonmum #blogger #londonparents #londonmums #parentingtheshitoutoflife #london #londonmum #letthembelittle #londonunderground #visitlondon #babylondon #stratford #discoverchildrensstorycentre #thetigerwhocametotea #mogtheforgetfulcat #eastlondon
Ugh. I used to totally judge people who let their kids get away with being little shits at playgroup, kicking all the smaller kids and generally being a knob, but now I'm totally that parent. Another mum told Babu off at this drop-in in Holloway this morning and rather than getting pissed off as I would have done a few months ago I was just glad not to be the one telling her to STOP IT for the seven billionth time since breakfast. It's like dragging around a badly trained rottweiler at the moment. Bloody threenagers. . . . . . . . . . . #bablands #coolthingsfortinylondoners #thingstodowithkids #toddlersofinstagram #toddlerlife #mummyblogger #parentblogger #londonblogger #londonmum #blogger #londonparents #londonmums #parentingtheshitoutoflife #london #londonmum #letthembelittle #londonunderground #visitlondon #babylondon #islington #holloway
I'm crap at taking Babu to the park - it's just so... outside-y. It's a massive source of guilt actually because she'd happily spend all day every day in one and never do anything else, but I get so cold and bored and neurotic about her falling off stuff. Ditto taking her swimming. And scooting. I'm crap. But yesterday we found an awesome playground a short(ish) walk from home that was (almost) worth freezing half to death for. Anyone else know of any good hidden playgrounds in their neighbourhood? . . . . . . . . . . #bablands #coolthingsfortinylondoners #thingstodowithkids #toddlersofinstagram #toddlerlife #mummyblogger #parentblogger #londonblogger #londonmum #blogger #londonparents #londonmums #parentingtheshitoutoflife #london #londonmum #letthembelittle #londonunderground #visitlondon #babylondon #islington
Auntie Zaza goes home today and operation return-to-some-degree-of-normality commences. Thanks for all your messages about naps and sleep regression; it's obviously to do with the baby but we really need to nip it in the bud because I really can't handle late nights on my own with a screaming toddler when I'm this sleep-deprived 😑 Now to figure out how to keep her awake... . . . . . . . . . . #bablands #coolthingsfortinylondoners #thingstodowithkids #toddlersofinstagram #toddlerlife #mummyblogger #parentblogger #londonblogger #londonmum #blogger #londonparents #londonmums #parentingtheshitoutoflife #london #londonmum #letthembelittle #londonunderground #visitlondon #babylondon #highbury #highburyfields #islington
Babu napped from 4-6.30 and has been screaming solidly for the last hour. Adam nuked Margot's fish and set off the fire alarm and now the flat is full of smoke and smells of turds. The baby's just been sick out her nose and I've just sucked out all her snot through a tube. What even is life right now? . . . . . . . . . . #bablands #coolthingsfortinylondoners #thingstodowithkids #toddlersofinstagram #toddlerlife #mummyblogger #parentblogger #londonblogger #londonmum #blogger #londonparents #londonmums #parentingtheshitoutoflife #london #londonmum #letthembelittle #londonunderground #visitlondon #babylondon
It's worth a trip to @godsownjunkyard with kids for the 20p-a-go ride-on "rarf" alone but believe it or not this incredible neon-sign graveyard isn't short of child-friendly amusements, from the amazing Rolling Scones cafe with its toddler-pleasing menu to its colouring table piled with enamel mugs full of felt tips and a massive guest book for them to scribble in. And if all that fails then there are plenty of pretty neon lights to distract them - obviously just, y'know, be careful 🌩️😬 There's also a gin palace next door and a microbrewery round the corner in case you need something to soothe your frayed nerves afterwards 🍷 . . . . . . . . . . #bablands #coolthingsfortinylondoners #thingstodowithkids #toddlersofinstagram #toddlerlife #mummyblogger #parentblogger #londonblogger #londonmum #blogger #londonparents #londonmums #parentingtheshitoutoflife #london #londonmum #letthembelittle #londonunderground #visitlondon #babylondon #godsownjunkyard #walthamstow #e17
It's all fun and games being an auntie until your sister decides she's going to kidnap and enslave you as her full-time nanny 🙂 (I may or may not be joking). I love this little corner of the @morrisgallery with its puppet theatre, dress-up box and building blocks, and it kept Babu entertained for ages. There are a few more toddler-friendly interactives dotted around the museum and of course there's the amazing Lloyd Park next door for when you've exhausted those. We're loving Walthamstow right now - who knew there was so much to do?! . . . . . . . . . . #bablands #coolthingsfortinylondoners #thingstodowithkids #toddlersofinstagram #toddlerlife #mummyblogger #parentblogger #londonblogger #londonmum #blogger #londonparents #londonmums #parentingtheshitoutoflife #london #londonmum #letthembelittle #londonunderground #visitlondon #babylondon #williammorris #williammorrisgallery #walthamstow #e17
I'm probably a bit biased but this was hands down the best children's party ever. It looked amazing and the kids had the best time decorating Babu's magical castle, making flour fairy pies and crafting fairy wands. Taking no credit whatsoever because I did bugger all - the amazing @afinemessuk took care of everything, building us a bespoke Pastel Pixie wonderland and cleaning up the whole thing afterwards in no time at all. If you're looking for something a bit different for your kid's birthday party then I can't recommend their Messy Parties enough. Massive thanks to Helen and Tina - and of course all of Babu's magical little mates for coming ♥️ . . . . . . . . . . #bablands #coolthingsfortinylondoners #thingstodowithkids #toddlersofinstagram #toddlerlife #mummyblogger #parentblogger #londonblogger #londonmum #blogger #londonparents #londonmums #parentingtheshitoutoflife #london #londonmum #letthembelittle #londonunderground #visitlondon #babylondon #archway #messyplay
Babu loves her new sister so intensely it's terrifying and she often comes quite close to literally suffocating her with love, but she's still not very pleased with me for having her and so this is the face I generally seem to be confronted with at the moment. I thought the hardest thing about having another child would be losing our daily excursions across London, because they (along with the blog) have been the thing that's kept me sane for the last three years, but getting out and about has been easier than I'd imagined and we're still managing to do a fair bit of THE STUFF, which I'm so pleased about. But no, it turns out that the hardest thing about having a second child is how hard it is on the first. Babu is clearly struggling a lot with the divided attention and I feel so awful about the whole thing. I'm struggling with feeling like she really hates me (which I know is ridiculous but when you're horribly sleep-deprived and your formerly sweet, joyful little three year old starts spitting in your face you just want to cry... and I have). We made it to our absolute fave Project Light with @startingwithart at @parasolunit on Thursday and I had some lovely chats with other mums who've struggled with this and it made me feel so much better (thanks @jennymcintosh and @infant_art_club ♥️), and I know I need to stop expecting Babu to deal with things like an adult (INFJ thing) and remember how tough it must be for her, and that *everything is just a phase*. In the meantime we'll just keep doing stuff as normal. It's her birthday party today so it's all about Babu and we've planned something we know/hope she's going to love, fingers crossed 🤞 . . . . . . . . . . #bablands #coolthingsfortinylondoners #thingstodowithkids #toddlersofinstagram #toddlerlife #mummyblogger #parentblogger #londonblogger #londonmum #blogger #londonparents #londonmums #parentingtheshitoutoflife #london #londonmum #letthembelittle #londonunderground #visitlondon #babylondon #parasolunit #islington
Top day out in Walthamstow with Auntie Zaza and Uncle My ♥️ . . . . . . . . . . #bablands #coolthingsfortinylondoners #thingstodowithkids #toddlersofinstagram #toddlerlife #mummyblogger #parentblogger #londonblogger #londonmum #blogger #londonparents #londonmums #parentingtheshitoutoflife #london #londonmum #letthembelittle #londonunderground #visitlondon #babylondon #walthamstow #walthamstowvillage #godsownjunkyard
Happy 3rd Birthday to our magical little Babu bean ♥️♥️♥️
This time three years ago she was getting ready to claw her way out of my fanny, aided by opioids and giant salad tongs. This painting is a pretty accurate depiction of the birth actually. . . . . . . . . . . #bablands #coolthingsfortinylondoners #thingstodowithkids #toddlersofinstagram #toddlerlife #mummyblogger #parentblogger #londonblogger #londonmum #blogger #londonparents #londonmums #parentingtheshitoutoflife #london #londonmum #letthembelittle #londonunderground #visitlondon #babylondon #parasolunit #hyongyon #islington
Babu taking charge of the mini-mart (no one else was allowed to play 😑) at @role2playuk , a newly opened role-play activity centre/play cafe in Walthamstow. Essentially it's a tiny (so tiny I kept whacking my head on everything) village that's run by small children and contains a diner, shop, vet, post office, garage, doctor's surgery, theatre, fire station and school - kind of how I imagine Kidzania but on a much smaller scale and not a total ripoff. Babu is all about role-play so this was, predictably, a big hit - although it was pretty terrifying imagining a world controlled by toddlers. Review coming one day... maybe. . . . . . . . . . . #bablands #coolthingsfortinylondoners #thingstodowithkids #toddlersofinstagram #toddlerlife #mummyblogger #parentblogger #londonblogger #londonmum #blogger #londonparents #londonmums #parentingtheshitoutoflife #london #londonmum #letthembelittle #londonunderground #visitlondon #babylondon #walthamstow #e17 #playcafe
Obviously not remotely toddler-friendly as a shop and everyone else in there probably really hated me and @ellejudge for taking ours in there but the new @conservatory_archives does an amazing cream tea with sesame and matcha scones that makes stressing about your child attempting to kill a giant £750 yukka totally worth it... kinda. . . . . . . . . . . #bablands #coolthingsfortinylondoners #thingstodowithkids #toddlersofinstagram #toddlerlife #mummyblogger #parentblogger #londonblogger #londonmum #blogger #londonparents #londonmums #parentingtheshitoutoflife #london #londonmum #letthembelittle #londonunderground #visitlondon #babylondon #hackney #clapton #greenupyourgaff #plants
Last week we became tourists in our own hood and did the London Waterbus Company tour of the canal from Camden Lock to Little Venice. Hands down one of the best things we've ever done and so insanely relaxing, which I was NOT expecting with a toddler AND a newborn in tow. Can't believe we've never done this before - we may have to make it a regular thing. Read all about it up here ☝️ . . . . . . . . . . #bablands #coolthingsfortinylondoners #thingstodowithkids #toddlersofinstagram #toddlerlife #mummyblogger #parentblogger #londonblogger #londonmum #blogger #londonparents #londonmums #parentingtheshitoutoflife #london #londonmum #letthembelittle #londonunderground #visitlondon #babylondon #camden #regentscanal #londonwaterbus

For Tiny Londoners & Their Adults

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