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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 Babu and Roro as they seek out London’s coolest kids’ shops, best child-friendly hangouts and activities that won’t make mummy want to gauge her eyes out with a weaning spoon.

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Live in Hackney or Islington and looking for something a bit different to do with your baby on a Wednesday morning? Then this one’s for you. Easy Rollerz from @hackneyshowroom is a weekly hangout for little ones and their adults, featuring squishy monochrome loose play parts, projections, bubbles, glitter-filled inflatable balls and a DJ set by Emilia Harmony from @discolocouk . It’s pre-walkers only from 10-11, with older ones welcome from 11-12, though when we went a lot of the babies stayed for the second hour. While it’s aimed at 0-5s, this did feel a bit on the young side for Roma, and could definitely have done with a bit more stuff to keep the older ones entertained, although the book selection is great. I’d also grab a coffee on the way in next time as there isn’t any, but I really loved the concept and the music, and how clean and aesthetically pleasing everything is. Brilliant if you’re local - and the King’s Crescent play street is just outside. Note that the last session before Christmas is on the 15th and the first one back in January is on the 12th. Booking is required but free, with a £3 suggested donation from January.

@ed_curtis__ ‘s Christmas tree at @londonedition is my favourite tree so far this year and I can’t see anything topping it (gerrit?). Always love an eccentrically decorated tree so much more than a traditional, perfectly manicured one. Head into The London EDITION on Berners Street any time to see it (thanks to my pal @bigfatsatsuma for bringing my attention to this one)🎄

Have been meaning to check out the French Dispatch exhibition at @180.studios for weeks. I only checked tickets because my Mum’s here and wanted to go to the reopened @courtauld so I thought we might as well combine since they’re next door to each other - then saw it’s only on until Sunday 😱 If you’re a Wes Anderson fan and you’ve got a spare 45 minutes between now and then, I really recommend you get down there. It’s not particularly interesting for kids (although Roma really liked the aeroplane model), but it’s very stylishly done, and afterwards you can grab a coffee and really nice cake in the Le Sans Blague cafe (like the one in the film, apparently, although I haven’t seen that yet). Tickets cost £10 per adult and are free for kids, and you get a free copy of The French Dispatch Magazine. I really want to see the film now.

Just here for the photo op, to the great annoyance of the staff tasked with making sure this display doesn’t get annihilated 🥴 I don’t think the kids were meant to play with the candy canes, but come on. If you’re not planning on dining at the Ivy then this is literally just a fun place to take photos (and not even really that fun given that you’re up against a billion other Instagrammers and a team of pissy staff), but if you fancy it then it’s a good one to combine with the @saatchi_gallery or Play Base at @nam_london . We went to Winter Wonderland afterwards, although I’m not sure I’d recommend that 😂

We couldn’t think what to do for my birthday with two kids in tow, then @christinarosebrown suggested we go for lunch at @peaceandriotco and let someone else play with them for a couple of hours while we drank wine 😃 Such ingenuity. We had obscenely good vegan cheese and kimchi toasted sandwiches and Roma barely spoke to me. The Peace Keepers looked positively knackered by the end 😂 I love this place so much. Massive thanks to Christina for lunch and for organising such a lovely day for us, and to @lebobsnare and the team at Peace & Riot for allowing us to have a complete conversation for once. I’ve had the best day 🥳

When I read that @lightopiafestival would see Crystal Palace reborn in light I fully expected a full-scale reconstruction projected onto the same site as the original building, on top of the ruins. That was apparently too much to ask 🤪 but I loved the way they ran with the park’s themes anyway. The trail is absolutely VAST, with hundreds of amazing lantern sculptures dotted around the park. Highlights include a Christmas zone, a kids’ zone, an interactive musical floor, mythical beasts, the ‘reborn palace’ complete with video projections to illustrate its story through time, and an animatronic dinosaur display that my two absolutely loved. My favourite bit though, was this: the original Crystal Palace dinosaurs and the surrounding trees all lit up with rainbow floodlights 😍 There are also lots of food and drinks stalls throughout and a few fairground rides, including dodgems, at the beginning, but these are all fairly pricy and that’s on top of what are pretty steep ticket prices to start with (from £19.50 for adults and £13 for over-3s or from £58 for a family of four). Babu has recently developed the attitude of a 15 year old and the day before she told me that she didn’t need to come to this because she’d already seen a picture 🙃 After about five minutes in here though she got really into it and even spontaneously announced that “that was really lovely” on the train home. Adam thought it was overpriced for what it was, but I actually thought it was worth it, if only for the sheer scale of the thing (and these views 🌈). Lightopia is on until the 2nd of January. Our tickets were very kindly gifted by Lightopia.

The Mayfair Tennis Ball Exchange is life. I love @davidshrigley so much he could exhibit a shit in the middle of the gallery floor and I’d still be impressed - but this really is great. The exhibition consists of two rooms lined floor to ceiling with shelves full of tennis balls. The idea is that you bring your own ball from home to add to the installation, swapping it with one of your choice from the shelves. We came on the first day so it was still mostly pristine yellow balls, but there were a few dirty, drawn-on and different-coloured ones that people had brought in that morning (you’re welcome to take one of these in exchange for your own brought-in one too, which ensures the installation is never ‘finished’ and could in theory go on forever). The @stephenfriedmangallery staff are always so relaxed, which makes it an excellent one for taking kids to. The guy on duty didn’t seem to care that ours kept grabbing balls off the shelves and bouncing them around. Visitors can also grab their own limited-edition Mayfair Tennis Ball Exchange pin badge while they’re there. The exhibition is on until the 7th of January and I can’t wait to return to see what it looks like in six weeks time. Free, no need to book, just bring a ball, and note that the gallery’s closed on Sundays and Mondays.

“With Lydia’s love of cartoons, she has created a frivolous world which she hopes will make people happy… the aim is that you will feel like a child again… this exhibition is for everyone…” - I knew as soon as I read the blurb for Your Ship Has Landed by @lydiaaachan on @nowgalleryse10 ‘s website we were going to love it, but I still wasn’t expecting to be told we could clamber all over it. Roma always says “no touching” whenever we go into a gallery, so be able to tell her that actually she COULD touch it was amazing. This is a show where the participants become the art - “our spaceship has landed in a new and provocative setting” - and we’re free to interpret it and experience it however we choose, including via a series of Instagram filters that you can download to your phone on arrival, adding an extra layer to the set’s already intricate aesthetic. NOW seems to specialise in these arty playgrounds - remember Walala x Play by @camillewalala , Harmonics in Space by @fredbutlerstyle and I Don’t Have Time for This by @hattiestewart ? Those who’ve been to these or any of their other brilliant shows will know their space is small, but it’s still always worth the trek to North Greenwich. Today we combined it with a Little Os toddler session at @oxygen_freejumping at @theo2london which was perfect, even if we only booked it because we thought they might not find the art that exciting. How wrong we were. Your Ship Has Landed is on until the 6th of March. Note that the gallery is closed on Mondays.

I love @saatchi_gallery ‘s policy on kids - it’s basically just “we trust you not to let your kids destroy everything”. There are never any gallery staff following you around and I think the only time a member of staff so much as talked to us was because Babu was crawling and they’d had a party the night before and were worried there might be glass on the floor. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate just being left the hell alone - especially in a sphere that’s traditionally reserved for adults, and where just being in possession of a toddler often feels so deeply uncomfortable. We really enjoyed London Grads Now the other week and I think this was mine and Ro’s favourite piece - a wobbling five-tier cake made entirely out of sponges (@kerri_and_sprog avert your eyes). London Grads Now is on until the 16th of January and entry is just £5 per adult (kids go free). Combine with a trip to Play Base at @nam_london .

@faoschwarz at @theofficialselfridges appreciation post ❤️ Babu has no idea what she wants for Christmas and I was just telling her about all the amazing pre-loved toys on offer at the @the_toy_project pop up there. There’s obviously loads more choice at their main store in Archway, but this is all the best bits: a light-up vintage 1970s dolls’ house, boy band dolls still in their boxes, a Playmobil camper van - actually there’s LOADS of Playmobil - and lots, lots more. We have crates of the stuff from when I was little and really don’t need to add to our collection, but it’s still really tempting. I said I’d take Babu with her camera and she could take some photos of the things she likes to send to Father Christmas, but I’m secretly hoping she just wants stuff from this section. I did some stories recently about how much better Selfridge’s is than Hamley’s and I’ve never had so many messages of agreement. The selection is just so much more thoughtful, inclusive and interesting, and the space is a pleasure to visit with its numerous invitations to play, including the giant floor piano like the one from Big. Sometimes when we’re in central we just go there to play, whereas we had such an unpleasant experience at Hamley’s the last time we visited I don’t think we’d go back to shop. Their Santa’s Grotto is good though. Speaking of which, I’m excited to meet The Selfridge’s Santa in December! Not sure what day he’s arriving yet but @claire_tei says he’s the best 🎅

We’ve been to a billion baby music classes but I’m struggling to think of another one I’ve enjoyed as much as Listen & Play from @schoolofnoise . If you’re bored of generic rhyme-time sessions, uninspiring teachers and repetitive formats then this one is for you. Listen & Play is packed with interesting facts, mesmerising projections and genuinely good music. It really felt like they’d thought about what the adults get out of these sessions and not just the little ones, but obviously there’s plenty for them too: musical instruments, cool visuals and loads more bubbles than you’d get at your average singalong. I’m also completely obsessed with the 1981 omnichord that Dan brought out for his rendition of twinkle twinkle little star (and might have to find myself one on eBay). The class is aimed at 0-2s and Roma was the oldest one there by some way (she’s 2 and 9 months), but it didn’t matter at all and she still got a lot out of it. I just wish this had been around when Babu was a baby so we could have enjoyed it for longer. Classes run on Tuesdays in Stoke Newington, Thursdays in Walthamstow and Fridays in Bow. This was the Stokey one at Soma Lab, which is such a beautiful space. I’ll try and do a long review or maybe some kind of music class roundup on the site at some point, but you know how woefully behind I am with that. Thanks for a great class Dan!

Did you meet Santa when you were little? I didn’t. I don’t think I even knew what a grotto was to be honest. Father Christmas was a sacred concept and I was absolutely TERRIFIED of meeting him (right up until my brother @milesofthefilms told me that “Mum is Father Christmas” when I was six 😂😭). My kids, on the other hand, have no fear whatsoever. We often end up visiting multiple Santas because mummy is very extra, and they don’t seem to care that they all look different from one another and have casually set up shop inside their favourite museums and toy shops.

Every time I go to @ribalondon I think about the brutalist playground by @assembleofficial and get annoyed with myself for not having had children earlier (for those who haven’t read my endless, obsessive rants about it, it was an indoor playground made of foam that drew inspiration from three iconic London estate playgrounds and took over RIBA’s exhibition space in 2015). The current Lived in Architecture: Becontree at 100 with @veritykeefe exhibition might not be quite so child-friendly, but it also focuses on another iconic London housing estate - the sprawling Becontree in Barking and Dagenham, where Yinka Ilori’s flamingo playground is about to open. I love that the exhibition’s set design features housing facades inspired by actual houses on the estate (and Roma really enjoyed picking at the pebbledash 😬) but beyond that it’s not interactive and Roma found it really boring, so I had to give her her tablet while I read the things and watched the film. It’s small, but if you’re interested in modern architecture and urban planning (I’m obsessed) then it’s worth seeing. It’s on until the 12th of February and it’s free. You’re meant to book but they didn’t check my booking so I wouldn’t worry too much. Combine with the Paddington Street Gardens playground (and Sophie Tea) if you have to drag a small person with you.

I’m always equally sceptical of and a complete sucker for these kinds of made-for-Instagram art exhibitions. We went to @sophieteaart last year when it was just around the corner on Kingly Street and it was cute but very small. I saw via @thehardlifeoflily that she’d opened a new, bigger space on Carnaby Street, so I thought we might as well swing by as we were in Central visiting Adam on a shift this afternoon. I’ll be honest, this really reminded me of the Selfie Factory (which I have paid to go to twice because I’m ridiculous). It’s set over two floors and there are two mirror booths that you can literally lock yourself inside; several very Instagrammable backdrops - including a tea-party setup complete with a real china tea set and this laundrette scenario; a dressing-up box filled with colourful wigs, dresses and props; and and a Pac-Man game that Roma refused to accept wasn’t touchscreen-controlled, because she was born in 2019 and has no idea what a joystick is. All of this is a giant, selfie-friendly backdrop for Sophie’s copious nude paintings. Tbh I couldn’t work out the connection between the paintings and the backdrops, other than that the latter is really good publicity for the former since it ends up all over Instagram, but I don’t think it matters really. Roma genuinely enjoyed it, it’s free and the fact that it’s interactive means it’s one of the only art exhibitions in London that you won’t feel on edge taking your toddler to (although I was shitting it a bit when she started playing with the tea set 😬). Open every day, no need to book.

We’ve been coming to Skate for three years and until now I’ve managed to get away with never actually going on the ice thanks to Roma either being in me or strapped to me. This year, however, she’s big enough to skate herself, which meant I had to brave it too 😭 Honestly, I’m such a wimp. Thank God for the red plastic Zimmer frames and being able to use having small children as a pretence for needing one.

We finally tried out the Wednesday playgroup at @old_school_rooms this week. The main space plays host to a traditional playgroup setup with ride-ons, slides and tunnels, a play kitchen, lots of baby sensory stations and a craft table, but the thing that got us really excited was this: an experimental sensory play space in the adjacent room that’s set up and run by @playbuildplay - the people behind the original Barbican Blocks! If you’ve followed us for a long time you’ll know we were huge fans of Barbican Blocks, a collection of stackable materials and fabrics that @barbicancentre would wheel out a few times a week in the current @squish_space space, enabling endless creative play opportunities for 0-5s and their adults. We loved rediscovering it at a Barbican family day a couple of years ago when Roma was a baby, and even followed it to Holborn Library when it briefly accompanied the @holborncommunity playgroup when it was being held at Holborn Library, so it was a lovely surprise to meet the team and reintroduce Roma to this brilliant concept. Play Build Play will be at the playgroup for the next four weeks, and are hoping to secure funding for a more permanent space or regular session, which would be amazing! Very excited to see what’s next for them - follow @playbuildplay for updates. The Round Chapel playgroup runs every term-time Wednesday from 9.30-11.30. It’s free but you need to book via eventbrite and it sells out quickly so make sure you get on it first thing on Monday morning if you want to go that Wednesday. Cash and card donations are welcome on the door (£5 suggestion), and there’s free tea and coffee available. You can also grab a homemade vegetarian lunch immediately after the session for just a few quid.

I can’t remember which Winter Olympics it was, but I recall being equal parts baffled and mesmerised the first time I saw curling being played on TV. This evening we tried it for ourselves and, while I was a bit disappointed that there were no curling brooms on offer, we all really enjoyed it. Club Curling at @coaldropsyard uses a synthetic, iceless rink and rollered curling stones in lieu of the real thing. We got told off for chucking them down the rink like bowling balls at first, but by the end of our session I think we were just about getting the hang of it. Sessions run for 45 minutes between 12 and 8pm daily, and cost £5 per person (under 12s go free). They accept walk ups but online booking is advised, with lanes designed for teams of up to four people. Cocktails and mulled wine are available to buy at the rink-side bar, and you can check out the @coaldropsyard Christmas Tree while you’re down there (it’s got mirrored tunnels and looks really cool). On now until the 30th of December.

Steep soft play! I’m so in love with this amazing squishy situation at @themarkfieldproject and absolutely livid with myself for not managing to get there until the last 35 minutes (and they close this bit for cleaning half an hour before the end, so we literally got five minutes in there 😭). The soft play is just a small part of the under-5s stay-and-play session that runs at Markfield Park Community Centre on Thursdays between 12 and 2.30pm. Entry to the session is free (though a suggested donation of £3 is very welcome) and includes access to the brilliant and very toddler-friendly adventure playground while you’re there. The Markfield Project is an amazing charity that promotes the inclusion of disabled people and their families. We’ve been a couple of times before and there’s always such a lovely, positive community vibe - plus the staff are the BEST @dwicki 😉 Definitely going back next week and spending the full two hours sliding down this beast - I feel I owe it to Roma 😞

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