Skip to content

For Tiny Londoners & Their Adults
Main navigation
  • Home
  • London Guide
    • North London
    • Central London
    • East London
    • South London
    • West London
    • Shops
    • Hangouts
    • Activities
    • Current Events
    • Past Events
  • Europe Guide
    • Europe
  • Out-of-Town Guide
    • Out of town
  • Magazine
    • Monthly Round-Up
    • Q&As
    • Local Parents
    • Seven Things
    • Blog
    • ABC
  • About
  • Contact

Magazine

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Like this:

Like Loading...

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.

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Most Popular

  • 20 awesome things to see and do with your little Londoners in December 2019
    20 awesome things to see and do with your little Londoners in December 2019
  • Museum of Architecture's Gingerbread City at Somerset House
    Museum of Architecture's Gingerbread City at Somerset House
  • Seven London cafes with decent-sized play areas
    Seven London cafes with decent-sized play areas
  • Seven of the coolest independent children's shops in London
    Seven of the coolest independent children's shops in London
  • 100 cool things to do with babies and toddlers in London
    100 cool things to do with babies and toddlers in London
  • Cars: Accelerating the Modern World at the V&A
    Cars: Accelerating the Modern World at the V&A
  • Kick back in the Cubroom at Bear & Wolf, North London's coolest play cafe
    Kick back in the Cubroom at Bear & Wolf, North London's coolest play cafe
  • Take a break from shopping at Westfield's questionably named Playworld
    Take a break from shopping at Westfield's questionably named Playworld
  • Encourage curiosity with Science Museum's Experitots workshops
    Encourage curiosity with Science Museum's Experitots workshops

Bablands on Instagram

We went to see some cars! It was no Tim Walker: Wonderful Things but we had a nice time, especially considering three out of four of us don’t care about cars. Still holding out for the V&A doing another kids’ exhibition a la Winnie the Pooh: Exploring a Classic though. If you’re umming and ahhing about the car thing I’ve put a review up on the site that may or may not help you (prolly not tho) 🚗 . . . . . #coolthingsfortinylondoners #vandamuseum #carsacceleratingthemodernworld #londonwithkids #southkensington #carexhibition
It’s Babvent Day 10 and today we’re partnering with the excellent @florencemuseum to give one lucky winner a family ticket (two adults and up to four kids) plus a museum guide book as a souvenir of your trip. We had the best afternoon when we visited recently and the museum has got loads of fun stuff coming up in the new year - including a new temporary exhibition - to celebrate Florence’s 200th birthday. To win simply LIKE this post, make sure you’re FOLLOWING @bablands.london and @florencemuseum and TAG as many mates as you like (one tag = one entry). This competition ends tomorrow, 11th December, at 8pm, when I’ll be randomly selecting a winner. Good luck! 👩‍⚕️ . . . . . #babvent2019 #coolthingsfortinylondoners #florencenightingalemuseum
We NEEDED a good day today after what feels like 500 years of snot and vomit and misery and THANK GOD we managed to have one thanks to our bestest buddies @kerri_and_sprog who always cheer us. We went to see the very cool and very eccentric @leightonhousemuseum , the former home of the painter Frederic Leighton. There’s not really anything for kids here and I did have to change Roma on the floor of the toilet while she crawled away at 100mph and we did have to endure the usual dickish tutty eye-rolling courtesy of someone who clearly thinks culture isn’t for children and we should just be sitting in doing potato printing while we wait for our kids to turn 18, BUT this place is really good and the staff were kind and made us feel welcome, so that was nice. The house is also undergoing a massive multimillion pound renovation so hopefully at the very least they’ll stick a changing table in there (they also do family days and scavenger trails and stuff but they’re aimed at older kids). I’d love to come back here by myself and have a proper look round, although that said the museum’s proximity to Holland Park and its brilliant adventure playground (AND its sandpitted toddler playground) actually makes it a pretty good one to do with little ones if you’re cool with leaving your buggy in reception and not touching anything (which we are... for now 😬). . . . . . #kensington #leightonhousemuseum #coolthingsfortinylondoners #hollandpark #tiles #londonwithkids
COMPETITION CLOSED It’s Babvent day 9 (how?!) and today’s prize is one of my personal favourites. Brilliant boat-based children’s bookshop @tellingtalesshop is offering one lucky winner a three-month fixed book subscription that will be personalised and tailored to the child in question. I can think of very few presents as special as a book subscription and Telling Tales’ owner Daisy has such a good eye for a beautiful book, so someone is in for a real treat here. To win, simply LIKE this post, make sure you’re FOLLOWING @bablands.london and @tellingtalesshop and TAG some mates (one tag = one entry). THAT’S IT! This competition ends tomorrow, 10th December, at 8pm. Good luck! 📚 . . . . . #tellingtales #babvent2019 #coolthingsfortinylondoners
Filthy, filthy scenes from the brilliant @paintmisbehavinuk , Roma’s favourite arty, messy, sensory class. This is another review that’s been at the end of a very, very long to-do list for a very long time, but between the advent calendar and me getting flu then Babu getting flu and now Roma (probably) having flu I literally just caaaan’t 😭😭😭. Anyway, these classes are themed around a different artist or genre each month (this was last month’s Bauhaus 100 class). The upcoming Peter Doig-inspired snowscapes session is sold out and the January class hasn’t been announced yet but the Pop Art Hearts Valentine’s class is bookable on @hoop_app now. It’s so cool I kind of don’t want to share it, but here I am 😬 Full review and more details coming soon. . . . . . #paintmisbehavin #messyplay #coramsfields #coolthingsfortinylondoners #londonwithkids
COMPETITION CLOSED It’s Babvent day 8 and for today’s giveaway we’ve teamed up with London’s iconic Royal Opera House to offer a family of four (two adults, two kids) tickets to one of their excellent Family Sundays events on Sunday 12th January 2020, PLUS two amazing (trust me, they're AMAZING) goody bags for the kids. We’ve been to a few Family Sundays and can confirm they are absolutely magical, filled with one-of-a-kind opportunities to do incredible things like conduct a real-life string quartet, sing and dance with the professionals and so much more it would be impossible to fit it all into an Instagram post. To win this super-special prize simply LIKE this post, make sure you’re following @bablands.london and @royaloperahouse and tag a friend (or 10) who you think might be interested below (each tag = one entry). This competition is open until tomorrow, 9th December, at 8pm, when I’ll be randomly selecting a winner. Good luck! Family Sundays: https://www.roh.org.uk/tickets-and-events/family-sundays-dates ROH Shop: https://shop.roh.org.uk/?_ga=2.225307996.796090134.1574629016-812362562.1571784249 . . . . . #royaloperahouse #babvent2019 #coolthingsfortinylondoners
Silent Madness by @mowalola is an incredible immersive installation that makes you feel as though you’ve stumbled across some kind of underground gig only you’re in charge of the playlist, and the musicians and their instruments are covered in tar and have giant nails coming out of their heads 🤷‍♀️ The exhibition, which opened at @nowgalleryse10 yesterday, aims to “disrupt and question preconceptions of normality whilst challenging traditional discourse surrounding African sexuality, encouraging visitors to shed the pressures of convention and live life by their own terms” 💪 It’s on until the 19th of January and if you head there tomorrow you can grab a free Mowala tote bag and a copy of @thepeninsulist as part of @samplelondon , a pop-up Christmas market offering design-led gifts, yummy street food, a helter skelter and family-friendly craft workshops in collaboration with @ikeauk . (Forgot to do my weekend roundup again didn’t I 😐.) . . . . . #nowgallery #greenwichpeninsula #northgreenwich #se10 #samplelondon #mowalola #silentmadness #thepeninsulist #coolthingsfortinylondoners #londonwithkids #mylondon
COMPETITION CLOSED It’s Babvent day 7 and today I’m excited to be partnering with our favourite kids’ shop, the beautiful @niddlenoddleshop in Crouch End, to give away this stupidly cute @moulin_roty Apres la Pluie rabbit. The rabbit is called Mousse and comes with her own pink fleece leaf for your little one to wrap her in (she’s suitable from birth and she’s on my Christmas shortlist of things to buy Roma that she can then completely ignore). Niddle Noddle is the most incredible shop with the most beautiful range of toys, clothes and nursery decor. I defy you to venture to this corner of north London and not pay them a visit, particularly since they have an amazing yellow helter skelter in the corner. To win this little beaut simply like this post, make sure you’re following both @bablands.london and @niddlenoddleshop and tag as many friends as you like (one tag = one entry). This competition will end tomorrow, 8th December, at 8pm. Good luck 🐰 . . . . . #babvent2019 #coolthingsfortinylondoners
This year’s @museumofarchitecture Gingerbread City is utterly ridiculous. I mean I know the people who make it literally design houses for a living but how they create something so epic out of gingerbread is totally beyond me - I mean has anyone ever tried to make IKEA’s VINTERSAGA gingerbread house? Enough said. You can see this magical metropolis at @somersethouse until the 5th of January, and even take part in a transport-themed gingerbread house-making workshop while you’re there. All the info is up on the site now - link in bio 👆 . . . . . #pressevent #gingerbreadcity2019 #gingerbreadcity #somersethouse #museumofarchitecture #thingstodoinlondon #londonwithkids #coolthingsfortinylondoners
COMPETITION CLOSED It’s Babvent day 6 and we’re already a quarter of the way through! Today’s brilliant prize is a set of family tickets (x4) to see Thumbelina at @halfmoon_theatre on Saturday 11th January at 11am. This magical take on Hans Christian Andersen’s classic tale of a girl no bigger than a thumb features traditional glove, rod and shadow puppets and is aimed at ages 2+. For a chance to win, simply like this post, make sure you’re following @bablands.london and @halfmoon_theatre , and tag as many friends as you like (one tag = one entry). That’s it! This competition ends tomorrow, 7th December, at 8pm. Good luck 🎭 . . . . . #babvent2019 #coolthingsfortinylondoners
We love @actionspace , a London-based non-profit visual arts organisation that that does some absolutely amazing work with artists with learning disabilities. Their inclusive workshops are some of the best we’ve been to (remember Pop-Up Pardip at @tate last year?) and it’s the most beautiful thing watching these incredible, talented artists at work. On Wednesday we went to @britishmuseum for their Purple Light Up day of disability-led performances and workshops to coincide with the International Day of Disabled Persons. This is Mark Lawrence’s “Clever the Way It’s Moving”, an interactive, ever-evolving installation consisting of sculpture, film projections of Lawrence’s drawings and collage, and a variety of materials that we were invited to add to the work. Seriously though - how many artists do you know that would actively welcome toddlers coming in and helping to make their art with them? It was exceptionally lovely. Head to @kerri_and_sprog ‘s profile for a much better photo of this with the artist in shot ♥️ . . . . . #coolthingsfortinylondoners #parentingtheshitoutoflife #thingstodoinlondon #londonwithkids #mylondon #londonlife #purplelightup #britishmuseum #actionspace #internationaldayofdisabledpersons
COMPETITION CLOSED It’s Babvent day 5 and today’s prize might come from the only non-London organisation on the calendar (EDIT: they started in Walthamstow so it’s fine 😉) but they’re super awesome and are literally called BOSS BABS so they basically had to be involved. You’ve probably already come across the GALphabet, a pack of 26 beautifully illustrated double-sided flash cards showcasing kickass women in a range of occupations from A-Z. The GALphabet was inspired by Boss Babs owner Jenny’s little girl Nancy and Jenny’s determination that being a girl would never hold her back from realising her hopes and dreams. Today we’re giving away one set of cards for a very lucky Bab (I’ve already bought my one a set for her stocking 🤶). All you have to do to enter is like this post, make sure you’re following @bablands.london and @boss.babs and tag as many friends as you like (one tag = one entry). This competition ends tomorrow, 6th December, at 8pm, when I’ll be randomly drawing a winner. Good luck! 👩‍🚒 . . . . . #babvent2019 #coolthingsfortinylondoners
Obligatory annual Father Christmas photo courtesy of the brilliant team at @museumoflondon . It’s like Narnia down in the Victorian Walk grotto this Christmas and Babu was so spellbound she lost the ability to speak, although that’s true of most situations at the moment (really don’t blame her to be honest). Roro definitely had him sussed though and kept swiping at his beard, presumably in an attempt to pull it off and out him as a festive fraud. He gave them both presents though so I think he was their mate by the end of it. I wonder how I ended up with such sceptical children 😐 The Victorian Santa’s Grotto is running this Friday 6th-Sunday 8th (although it’s sold out all day Saturday and Sunday) then every day from the 13th-23rd. It’s suitable for under-7s and costs from £10 per child (including gift), with photography costing extra, and you can book your slot here: https://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/museum-london/whats-on/santas-grotto?id=23408&s=true&day=1575590400 🎅 Thanks for a lovely day MoL ♥️ . . . . #gifted #victorianwalkgrotto #museumoflondon #fatherchristmas #londonwithkids #coolthingsfortinylondoners #santasgrotto
COMPETITION CLOSED It’s Babvent day 4 and today we’re chuffed to be giving away tickets to the amazing SKATE ice rink at @somersethouse on either Saturday the 4th or Sunday the 5th of January 2020. We’ve been to SKATE for two years in a row now and it really is magical, from the rink-side @baileysofficial Treat Bar to the @fortnums Christmas Arcade and giant pine tree, not to mention the atmospheric ice rink (which I totally didn’t use my baby as an excuse to chicken out of getting on both years 😬). To win this incredible prize simply like this post, make sure you’re following @bablands.london and @somersethouse and tag as many mates as you like (one tag = one entry). This competition is open until 8pm tomorrow, 5th December, when I’ll randomly select a winner. Good luck! ⛸ . . . . . #babvent2019 #coolthingsfortinylondoners
We’re a house of ill over here. We all look and smell proper gross. Babu’s in the thick of it, I’m still not over it and Adam’s keeps fucking off and then mysteriously reappearing in weird mutated manifestations, although tbh I think he just feels a bit left out. Roma hasn’t had it yet so we’ll probably have to put aside another fortnight for that inevitability. Anyway the whole situation is very boring and it feels like we haven’t done anything fun in weeks, but it is what it is I guess. I’ve spent a lot of time rating CBeebies programmes in my head and have decided the worst one by far is Justin’s House. I just find the theme song really narcissistic and I feel like Robert the Robot definitely wouldn’t be there if he didn’t have to be. Really sad. Anyway here’s a massive throwback to Transformer: A Rebirth of Wonder at 180 The Strand, which you can still catch until Sunday, along with its sister show Other Spaces. If you still haven’t made it down there and fancy it then this is your last chance, plus if you go later in the week you can combine it with some cool mirrory lighty installationy stuff that’s happening at the @southbankcentre 👍 . . . . . #coolthingsfortinylondoners #parentingtheshitoutoflife #thingstodoinlondon #londonwithkids #timeoutlondon #mylondon #londonevents
COMPETITION CLOSED It’s Babvent day 3 and today we’re giving away this spectacularly squishy Sophie Home Mountain Range cushion, which has very kindly been gifted by our local heroes @insidestoreldn . We’re mega lucky to live just up the road from both of Insidestore’s beautiful locations and it’s one of my favourite places to buy gifts. Their second store just opened a month or so ago on Kentish Town Road and it contains a florist and coffee shop as well as THE BEST selection of homewares, plus the owner and everyone who works there is ridiculously lovely. This cushion has been designed for a kid’s room or nursery but would look just as lush in a more grown-up setting. To win simply like this post, make sure you’re following @bablands.london and @insidestoreldn and tag some mates (one tag = one entry). That’s it! This competition ends tomorrow, 4th December, at 8pm, when I’ll be randomly selecting a winner. Good luck 🏔 . . . #babvent2019 #coolthingsfortinylondoners
Bringing out a book of the best London playgrounds, curated by me. This one will be in the “full of posh people, felt poor here” section. Other sections will include “shit playground, great view” and “contains an obscene number of used condoms but handy for town”. Obviously I’m joking since there are nowhere near enough good playgrounds in London to make a book out of them. This one’s alright if you’re off to Harrod’s (which we were, believe it or not). . . . . . #londonplayground #hydepark #londonwithkids #coolthingsfortinylondoners #knightsbridge
COMPETITION CLOSED It’s Babvent day 2 and today I’m very excited to be able to offer one family ticket (two adults plus kids) for @wakeupgigsldn ‘s SOLD OUT show at @acehotellondon on Sunday 15th December. If you’ve been following for a while you’ll know Wake Up Gigs is one of our all-time-favourite activities. For the uninitiated, these gigs are basically like any other gig you went to pre-kids except your children will be there 👨‍👧‍👦👋 And if that sounds totally horrific don’t worry, the music will be a bit quieter to protect their tiny child ears there will be more than enough distractions to keep them occupied while you enjoy the show, from soft play and dress-up to album-cover colouring sheets and face paint. There will even be a selection of nappy-changing paraphernalia in the toilet. It’s almost like these guys are trying to make our lives easier or something! The winner can choose to attend either the 12.30pm or 3pm show on the 15th, when ACTUAL FULL BAND @yowlmusic will be playing after an as-yet-unannounced support act. It’s going to be great and all you need to do to win is like this post, follow @bablands.london and @wakeupgigsldn and tag as many mates as you like (each tag = one entry). This competition is open until tomorrow, 3rd December, at 8pm, when I’ll randomly be selecting a winner. Good luck! 🎸 . . . . #babvent2019 #coolthingsfortinylondoners
Create a website or blog at WordPress.com
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Europe Guide
  • Guide
  • Home
  • Magazine
  • Magazine
  • Out-of-Town Guide
Secondary navigation
  • Search

Begin typing your search above and press return to search. Press Esc to cancel.

%d bloggers like this: