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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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Most Popular

  • 100 cool things to do with babies and toddlers in London
    100 cool things to do with babies and toddlers in London
  • Seven of the coolest independent children's shops in London
    Seven of the coolest independent children's shops in London
  • Seven London cafes with decent-sized play areas
    Seven London cafes with decent-sized play areas
  • Get plastered in paint and showered in flour at A Fine Mess messy play sessions
    Get plastered in paint and showered in flour at A Fine Mess messy play sessions
  • Twenty awesome things to see and do with your little Londoner in February
    Twenty awesome things to see and do with your little Londoner in February
  • Read, paint, colour and play at Punk Me Up Ceramics' Little Punks drop-in
    Read, paint, colour and play at Punk Me Up Ceramics' Little Punks drop-in
  • Seven amazing independent children's bookshops in London
    Seven amazing independent children's bookshops in London
  • Drop the kids in the soft play while you grab brunch and a pint at Jam Circus
    Drop the kids in the soft play while you grab brunch and a pint at Jam Circus
  • 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
  • Unleash their creativity at Under Fives Explore the Gallery at Tate Britain
    Unleash their creativity at Under Fives Explore the Gallery at Tate Britain

Bablands on Instagram

♥️ R O M A O P H E L I A ♥️ Born early on Valentine's morning. We're all completely besotted 🥰
New on the blog today, @punkmeupceramicscafe 's Little Punks parent-led drop-ins for preschoolers. One of the best activities we've done recently and absolutely worth the probably quite ill-advised trip to South London at 39 weeks for 😶 £14 covers the cost of materials plus a hot drink of your choice, a babyccino and a mini doughnut. Now I just have to work out how and when I'm going to collect Babu's ceramic horse 😬 Link up here 👆 . . . . . . . . . . #bablands #coolthingsfortinylondoners #thingstodowithkids #toddlersofinstagram #toddlerlife #mummyblogger #parentblogger #londonblogger #londonmum #blogger #londonparents #londonmums #parentingtheshitoutoflife #london #londonmum #letthembelittle #londonunderground #visitlondon #babylondon #peckham #eastdulwich #littlepunks #punkmeupceramicscafe
New on the blog today, what to expect from @sciencemuseum 's new Experitots sessions for 0-4s. We just went along to one of the trials (pleeeease don't message me saying you can't find any info about the actual sessions, because there isn't any yet 💆), however you can read all about what you've got to look forward to from the real thing up here 👆 . . . . . . . . . . #bablands #coolthingsfortinylondoners #thingstodowithkids #toddlersofinstagram #toddlerlife #mummyblogger #parentblogger #londonblogger #londonmum #blogger #londonparents #londonmums #parentingtheshitoutoflife #london #londonmum #letthembelittle #londonunderground #visitlondon #babylondon #sciencemuseum #experitots #rockthatmuseumkid
Someone who currently lives in NYC messaged me the other day asking if I thought Peckham would be a good place to relocate to with kids. I find questions like that SO hard to answer, because really what makes an area good for kids? Good schools? Proximity to THE STUFF? Decent transport links? We recently moved back to Camden and while it inarguably has all three I still don't know if it's a great area to raise kids in - sometimes it's just a feeling you get about a place. For the two years we lived in Hampstead I was convinced it was the perfect spot to have children, but in hindsight we were living in an extortionately priced rented shoebox where the washing machine was in Babu's bedroom and the guy upstairs played Gold by Spandau Ballet at full volume at least once every day. What do you think makes an area family-friendly? A village atmosphere? Proximity to green space? Infrequent stabbings? . . . . . . . . . . #bablands #coolthingsfortinylondoners #thingstodowithkids #toddlersofinstagram #toddlerlife #mummyblogger #parentblogger #londonblogger #londonmum #blogger #londonparents #londonmums #parentingtheshitoutoflife #london #londonmum #letthembelittle #londonunderground #visitlondon #babylondon #peckham #peckhamlevels
New on the blog today, @museumchildhood 's new Movement Play sessions for 2-4s. We loved this and if you ever went to one of choreographer Aya Kobayashi's Under-5s Explore the Gallery sessions you'll have an idea of what to expect, as she devised them. They take place on the first Saturday of each month and you can read all about them here 👆 . . . . . . . . . #bablands #coolthingsfortinylondoners #thingstodowithkids #toddlersofinstagram #toddlerlife #mummyblogger #parentblogger #londonblogger #londonmum #blogger #londonparents #londonmums #parentingtheshitoutoflife #london #londonmum #letthembelittle #londonunderground #visitlondon #babylondon #towerhamlets #e2 #bethnalgreen #museumofchildhood
I was naughty yesterday and went to South London. Not quite sure what would have happened if I'd gone into labour there but I'm SO BORED of sitting around. Anyway, the baby didn't fall out and we got to try out this amazing ceramics cafe, Punk Me Up, in Peckham. We went along to their themed Little Punks parent-led drop-in session, where you get a book to read, colouring pages, a mini ceramic to paint plus coffee, babyccino and a tiny doughnut all for £14. The cafe is also stuffed with toys and does classes in its amazing llama-filled back room - and when they're not happening you get to dress up and run around like a headless chicken. So glad I broke house arrest for this. Review coming soon. . . . . . . . . . . #bablands #coolthingsfortinylondoners #thingstodowithkids #toddlersofinstagram #toddlerlife #mummyblogger #parentblogger #londonblogger #londonmum #blogger #londonparents #londonmums #parentingtheshitoutoflife #london #londonmum #letthembelittle #londonunderground #visitlondon #babylondon #peckham #littlepunks #punkmeup #ceramicscafe #se15
Really lucky to have my own personal obstetrician/deep-sea diver to make sure I'm ok. . . . . . . . . . . #bablands #coolthingsfortinylondoners #thingstodowithkids #toddlersofinstagram #toddlerlife #mummyblogger #parentblogger #londonblogger #londonmum #blogger #londonparents #londonmums #parentingtheshitoutoflife #london #londonmum #letthembelittle #londonunderground #visitlondon #babylondon #sciencemuseum
Last week we tried out Burghley Road Under-5s PlaySpace in Turnpike Lane. It's really one for the locals and we probably wouldn't return knowing that there are similar community-led stay and plays closer to home, but if you happen to be in the area they do a home-cooked kids' lunch for £1 and run a different craft activity every day. Check out my review for more info 👆 . . . . . . . . . . #bablands #coolthingsfortinylondoners #thingstodowithkids #toddlersofinstagram #toddlerlife #mummyblogger #parentblogger #londonblogger #londonmum #blogger #londonparents #londonmums #parentingtheshitoutoflife #london #londonmum #letthembelittle #londonunderground #visitlondon #babylondon #turnpikelane #northlondon
Currently worrying about all the activities we're going to miss while I poo out a human more than her imminent arrival. We went to a trial session for @sciencemuseum 's new Experitots 0-3 workshops two weeks ago but ended up being evacuated five minutes in (I totally knew I could smell smoke) and despite the museum's team of 'Explainers' promising to rearrange the session for a couple of weeks' time I was absolutely convinced I'd have had the baby by then and wouldn't make it. Anyway, we did and I was so pleased because the session was lovely - completely free-flow apart from the interactive storytime, plenty to play with, lovely staff and based right there in the gallery as opposed to some soulless learning studio in the basement. So looking forward to these sessions starting up properly and I'll be writing a review in the next few days to give you an idea of what to expect when they do. FYI @scienceandindustrymuseum in Manchester runs workshops of the same name and I know a few of you have booked them thinking they're the London ones, but they're not available yet so hold your horses - unless you fancy a day trip to Manchester, in which case be my guest ☺️. . . . . . . . . . . #bablands #coolthingsfortinylondoners #thingstodowithkids #toddlersofinstagram #toddlerlife #mummyblogger #parentblogger #londonblogger #londonmum #blogger #londonparents #londonmums #parentingtheshitoutoflife #london #londonmum #letthembelittle #londonunderground #visitlondon #babylondon #sciencemuseum #experitots #southkensington
Another day, another play cafe. Tonight on the blog it's the turn of Coffee & Crayons, a Finchley-based coffee shop and cafe boasting a downstairs play area AND a big playroom with soft play upstairs. The soft play is sadly only open on Mondays and Tuesdays, but the cafe has a kids' menu and even sells colouring books so I guess we'll let that slide. And yes I realise that isn't my child - Shrimp is very kindly standing in for Babu after my phone with all my photos of this place got nicked 😾 Link in bio 👆 . . . . . . . . . . #bablands #coolthingsfortinylondoners #thingstodowithkids #toddlersofinstagram #toddlerlife #mummyblogger #parentblogger #londonblogger #londonmum #blogger #londonparents #londonmums #parentingtheshitoutoflife #london #londonmum #letthembelittle #londonunderground #visitlondon #babylondon #finchley #finchleycentral #playcafe #n3
Routine: not something I'm crazy about, beyond the nightly (ok, every other night - she spends like an hour in there) baths, the exacting bedtime procedure and the specific combination of morsels with which I fill her snack bag each morning because otherwise going out just isn't worth it. We moved back to this area because we knew it would make life with two kids easier - we know it well, it's central, it's well connected with two step-free train stations nearby, we're near several of my mum friends, there are parks, there's a play cafe, there's the zoo, it has good schools, yada yada. And, thieving bastards on the 29 bus aside, it feels so good to actually like the place where we live again; to know we can leave the flat in any direction and find THE STUFF; to feel part of a community and even to build some semblance of a routine, even if that's just the local messy play on Mondays, the playgroup at the church round the corner on Thursdays and sitting on a friend's sofa caning milk chocolate Hob-Nobs on Fridays. Babu will be starting nursery soon, then the baby will probably want to nap and stuff sometimes, and I might even make some kind of attempt at returning to work. Life as we know it is about to change dramatically, but I feel oddly content and settled, and mundanity sounds quite appealing for once. Don't worry though, we've still got plenty of fun activities booked for before and after the baby gets here; I'm ridiculous like that. . . . . . . . . . . #bablands #coolthingsfortinylondoners #thingstodowithkids #toddlersofinstagram #toddlerlife #mummyblogger #parentblogger #londonblogger #londonmum #blogger #londonparents #londonmums #parentingtheshitoutoflife #london #londonmum #letthembelittle #londonunderground #visitlondon #babylondon
Ever tried the Little Draw at @wallacemuseum ? We had a lovely time making Babu a suit of armour inspired by the gallery's collection today, and couldn't believe that there was this amazing, free museum that we'd never tried, slap bang in the centre of London! Little Draw sessions are totally free, suitable for all ages and very simply designed to get kids drawing and looking at art. They're artist-led and run on the first Sunday of every month from 1.30-4.30pm - just drop in whenever. . . . . . . . . . . #bablands #coolthingsfortinylondoners #thingstodowithkids #toddlersofinstagram #toddlerlife #mummyblogger #parentblogger #londonblogger #londonmum #blogger #londonparents #londonmums #parentingtheshitoutoflife #london #londonmum #letthembelittle #londonunderground #visitlondon #babylondon #thewallacecollection #marylebone
Nothing like ice cream when it's -4° outside. To celebrate the Chinese year of the pig, @softservesociety in Shoreditch is offering I Like Pig Butts and I Cannot Lie cups and cones until the 17th February. They're available in a variety of flavours and have ruby or strawberry chocolate ears and snouts, and chocolate-covered pretzel tails. Anyone else have a pig-loving tiny soft serve fiend who'd be into this? 🐖🍦 . . . . . . . . . . #bablands #coolthingsfortinylondoners #thingstodowithkids #toddlersofinstagram #toddlerlife #mummyblogger #parentblogger #londonblogger #londonmum #blogger #londonparents #londonmums #parentingtheshitoutoflife #london #londonmum #letthembelittle #londonunderground #visitlondon #babylondon #softservesociety #shoreditch
Cute Movement Play for 2-4s workshop at @museumchildhood this afternoon. These new sessions, which will take place at 10.30-11.30am and 1-2pm on the first Saturday of every month, have been devised by choreographer Aya Kobayashi and are a lot like the Under-5s Explore the Gallery workshops she ran at Tate Britain before Christmas. Dress up as a pirate and tour the museum with other families before joining in with a creative movement workshop in one of the downstairs classrooms. Review coming soon! . . . . . . . . . . #bablands #coolthingsfortinylondoners #thingstodowithkids #toddlersofinstagram #toddlerlife #mummyblogger #parentblogger #londonblogger #londonmum #blogger #londonparents #londonmums #parentingtheshitoutoflife #london #londonmum #letthembelittle #londonunderground #visitlondon #babylondon #museumofchildhood #bethnalgreen #eastlondon #towerhamlets
Amazing cardboard castle pre-trashing at Messy Mondays with @afinemessuk at @hargravehalln19 yesterday. This is Babu’s favourite activity by far and we’re so lucky to have it a few minutes’ bus ride away from us every week. It’s only £6 for a two-hour drop-in session and Master Messy Makers Tina and Helen who run it are so lovely. Thoroughly recommend - and can’t wait to get Thing 2 involved. . . . . . . . . . . #bablands #coolthingsfortinylondoners #thingstodowithkids #toddlersofinstagram #toddlerlife #mummyblogger #parentblogger #londonblogger #londonmum #blogger #londonparents #londonmums #parentingtheshitoutoflife #london #londonmum #letthembelittle #londonunderground #visitlondon #babylondon #archway #n19 #messyplay
20 Awesome Things to See and do with your Little Londoner in February is now live and there’s SO MUCH good stuff on for under-5s next month, from immersive exhibitions and interactive theatre to cultural festivals and playful installations. Going to try and cram as much stuff in as we can before Thing 2 makes an appearance and I turn into a hollow, milky, sleep-deprived android🤱🏻 Anyway, enjoy! Link up here 👆🏻 . . . . . . . . . . #bablands #coolthingsfortinylondoners #thingstodowithkids #toddlersofinstagram #toddlerlife #mummyblogger #parentblogger #londonblogger #londonmum #blogger #londonparents #londonmums #parentingtheshitoutoflife #london #londonmum #letthembelittle #londonunderground #visitlondon #babylondon
I’m not a fan of the heat by any means but you forget how much easier having a toddler is in the summer, when you can just set them free in the local playground while you chill under a tree with a lolly. Why is it that toddlers have no concept of temperature and will demand to go to the park come sunshine, rain or snow? It was absolutely Baltic in Vicky Park yesterday but thankfully these little wooden houses provided some kind of vague shelter from the cold 🥶 Are you still braving open-air playgrounds or have you given up for the winter? I have to say, this one was pretty quiet for a Saturday. . . . . . . . . . . #bablands #coolthingsfortinylondoners #thingstodowithkids #toddlersofinstagram #toddlerlife #mummyblogger #parentblogger #londonblogger #londonmum #blogger #londonparents #londonmums #parentingtheshitoutoflife #london #londonmum #letthembelittle #londonunderground #visitlondon #babylondon #hackney #victoriapark #playgrounds
Favourite child-friendly London brunch spot? I don’t think Mare Street Market was really designed for kids with its wine bar, trendy-wendy record store and designer florist, but I love how every weekend basically all the parents and toddlers in Hackney descend on it anyway. . . . . . . . . . . #bablands #coolthingsfortinylondoners #thingstodowithkids #toddlersofinstagram #toddlerlife #mummyblogger #parentblogger #londonblogger #londonmum #blogger #londonparents #londonmums #parentingtheshitoutoflife #london #londonmum #letthembelittle #londonunderground #visitlondon #babylondon #hackney #marestreetmarket #marestreet

For Tiny Londoners & Their Adults

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