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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

  • 20 awesome things to see and do with your little Londoners in February 2020
    20 awesome things to see and do with your little Londoners in February 2020
  • Seven London cafes with decent-sized play areas
    Seven London cafes with decent-sized play areas
  • 100 cool things to do with babies and toddlers in London
    100 cool things to do with babies and toddlers in London
  • Meet Vincent Van Gogh Experience at South Bank London
    Meet Vincent Van Gogh Experience at South Bank London
  • Fairy Tales at Discover Children's Story Centre
    Fairy Tales at Discover Children's Story Centre
  • Spend a morning tumbling with your tot at Parent & Toddler Gymnastics
    Spend a morning tumbling with your tot at Parent & Toddler Gymnastics
  • 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
  • Guzzle Bloody Marys while the minis make mischief at The Corner House
    Guzzle Bloody Marys while the minis make mischief at The Corner House
  • Welcome to Picnic, the play cafe where tots can run their own town
    Welcome to Picnic, the play cafe where tots can run their own town

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I’ve popped a review of the Meet Vincent Van Gogh Experience up on the blog. For me the 3 year old + 1 year old + all-important audioguide combo didn’t work and I came away feeling more than a bit shortchanged, and definitely not like I’d just met Van Gogh 😆 It might be a better option than dragging handsy toddlers to see the actual Sunflowers, but that doesn’t mean you should do it - particularly if they’re over two and you have to splash out £15 on their ticket 😭Link to blog via bio🌻 . . . . . #coolthingsfortinylondoners #londonwithkids #meetvincentvangogh #vangogh #artinlondon #thingstodoinlondon #londonmum
Neon always looks so pap in (my) photos but this exhibition at @whitecube is honestly incredible. Immersive in the best kind of way, because it doesn’t call itself immersive then disappoint by being totally unmoving - in fact quite the opposite and somehow really low-key and almost spiritual at the same time. When I wasn’t panicking that Babu was going to get entangled in a broken-glass mobile it was so relaxing it felt like therapy with the low hum and soothing white light of the neon. I’ve heard a lot of people say they’ve been told to hold their kids’ hands so I preempted that by sending these two in already hand in hand and no one said anything. As other people have said, I completely get why they say it. Babu knows the deal with galleries but it would be really easy to have a horrible accident in here. Fun tip: get the Google Translate app and point it at the “Japanese Matrix” (you’ll know it when you see it) thing for endless wordy fun... unless you speak Japanese, in which case you can just read it 👍 No realm of thought... No field of vision by Cerith Wyn Evans is on until 19th April. . . . . . #coolthingsfortinylondoners #thingstodoinlondon #artinlondon #installationart #whitecube #whitecubebermondsey #cerithwynevans #londonwithkids #neon #neonart
Birthday babe snuck into the preview of the new immersive Fairy Tales exhibition at @discover_story this morning. She spent most of it throwing wish coins into the fountain in Once Upon A Time Square while her sister cooked up a storm in The Oven Door Cafe, danced the morning away at The Castle Club disco and hung out with Little Red in Grandma’s caravan. We always love exploring Discover’s magical story worlds and this one is such a beaut, with loads to do and explore even for babies, which is pretty rare tbh. Babu felt a bit short-changed that we didn’t check out the permanent story worlds while we were here (life’s hard when you’re three) so we’re planning a return visit in the next few weeks with another look at this because 45 minutes is never long enough 😭 I’ll be putting a more detailed review of this up on the blog in the next 24 hours so keep an eye out if you’re keen. Thanks so much for having us, Discover ♥️ Fairy Tales opens tomorrow! . . . . . #coolthingsfortinylondoners #immersiveexhibition #discoverchildrensstorycentre #fairytales #londonwithkids #thingstodoinlondon #london #stratford
New boyf, proper loved up. Punching, tbh. God though, can’t believe we went back to Gagosian after they were so extra about the big kids last time. We just had the babies today so they didn’t follow us around or tell us to hold hands or anything (although I think we should have held hands @candygreene 😭) but there was still such an atmosphere and, Koons or no Koons, I still think the half a dozen security guards in black suits and ties feel a bit overkill. Good show though, if somewhat disjointed. . . . . . #coolthingsfortinylondoners #artinlondon #londonwithkids #installationart
Roma was NOT feeling the @paintmisbehavinuk Roma’s Birthday special today. I bloody love this class but it’s on during nap time so she spends most of it looking at me like “mate, what the hell are we doing here?” It’s her birthday tomorrow (like I said, it was a Roma’s Birthday special) and I can still hear her jangling around in her cot at half nine all restless and too excited to sleep... or possibly she’s just not tired because she had a late nap 🤦‍♀️ Can I just say though I LOVE the effort Christina goes to with these classes, theming the whole thing around a movement or artist and then sub-theming each activity around an artwork that fits under that umbrella... AND THEN creating a laminated info sheet for each station with details about the art that inspired it and what materials and ingredients have been used. Just really, really excellent work 👏 (also deeply impressed by @candygreene ‘s Valentine’s-appropriate messy-play baby outfit styling ♥️). . . . . . #coolthingsfortinylondoners #paintmisbehavin #messyplay #coramsfields #londonwithkids #londonmum #hiddenlondon #thingstodoinlondon
When you get the Cubroom @bearandwolfcafe to yourself 🙌 I forget how much I love this place. We’ve been going since before Babu was Roro’s age and it’s only a 10-minute walk from our house but we definitely don’t use it enough. Their coffee is 👌 though and the girls had so much fun playing there today. They’re also literally next-door neighbours with the amazing @insidestoreldn . Could it get any more perfect? (I mean apart from if @eenymeenykid was still there 😭). . . . . . #coolthingsfortinylondoners #londonwithkids #londonplaycafes #playcafe #bearandwolf #bearandwolfcafe #tufnellpark #nw5 #secretlondon #hiddenlondon
I love that all the awful, ugly, homogeneous metal playgrounds are being replaced with beautiful apparatus that’s made from natural, sustainable materials and designed to stimulate imaginative play ♥️ . . . . . #coolthingsfortinylondoners #londonplayground #milnersquare #islington #londonwithkids #secretlondon #pocketpark
Went to see Bram Bogart at @whitecube a couple of weeks ago but I’m so behind with my posting it went straight in my drafts folder along with like 43 other things (not even an exaggeration 🤦‍♀️). Then today someone thanked me for posting about it so I took it as a sign I should probably actually post about it 😆Anyway, here it is in all its lovely, squishy, painty glory. Babu really liked this and wanted to know how she could paint like that. Also keen to see Cerith Wyn Evans at White Cube Bermondsey. White Cube is just the best tbh, even if we do always get told off for sitting on the floor👩‍👧‍👧 . . . . . #brambogart #coolthingsfortinylondoners #rockthatmuseumkid #artinlondon #whitecubemasonsyard #whitecube #londonwithkids #londonmum #secretlondon
It’s always a good day at @vamuseum (at least until the escalator at South Ken tube is broken 😭🤯). I thought the Filthy Lucre installation was BEAUTIFUL - basically it’s a kind of dystopian reimagining of James Abbott McNeill Whistler’s Peacock Room, which he designed for his friend Frederick Richards Leyland. Except Whistler totally ignored Leyland’s instructions and created something far more lavish, which Leyland flatly refused to pay for in full. The resulting feud inspired artist Darren Waterston’s reimagining, which comes complete with wonky shelves and smashed ceramics. Babu said it was too dark and scary, and obviously it wasn’t great for crawlers what with the shards of broken pottery all over the floor, so we spent about five minutes in here before making a beeline for the Clore Gallery and spending the rest of the afternoon building new designs for the Crystal Palace, trying on crinolines, playing puppets and sliding down that weird carpet slide thing 👍 . . . . . #coolthingsfortinylondoners #londonwithkids #southkensington #vamuseum #filthylucre #artinlondon #artinstallation #rockthatmuseumkid
If you’re in possession of an interest in film and a baby who isn’t crawling yet I urge you to make the most of baby cinema. I didn’t and now Roma is basically geriatric, so I guess my baby cinema days are over for this lifetime. We did, however, manage one last hoorah before she turns one and is officially barred, with a surprisingly chilled Babes in Arms screening of Little Women courtesy of @theofficialselfridges and their shiny new cinema. Seriously, if you’re coming to the end of your baby-activity run but fancy squishing in that big-name blockbuster then for the love of God do it somewhere comfortable. The Cinema at Selfridges has lovely helpful staff, plenty of baby-plonking room between the seats and such plush facilities you’ll feel like a film star, albeit one smothered in rusk. FYI if you fancied that Tom Hanks film about the Daniel Tiger guy there’s a Babes in Arms screening tomorrow morning. Full review of our frankly luscious experience up on the site now 🍿 . . . . . #coolthingsfortinylondoners #thecinemaatselfridges #babycinema #thingstodoinlondon #londonwithkids #secretlondon #mylondonlife #mylondon #londonmum
Brighton 🐋 I’m no Brighton expert by any stretch of the imagination (I mean we hadn’t even been to the Lanes until this visit 😳) but a couple of people asked what we did when we went, so here we go: 1. The @artbox_cafe (was Pusheen’s Snack Parlour, currently the Gudetama’s Lazy Lounge) is very cute but make sure you book in advance if you actually want to eat in the cafe, as it gets crazy busy - particularly on a weekend. We didn’t but were happy just to grab a take-out ice cream and check out the themed shop. 2. We went to @brighton_museums on @kerri_and_sprog ‘s recommendation and I’m so glad we did. The archaeology gallery in particular is incredible and there were loads of great family-friendly activities. Such a cool place. 3. I really didn’t rate the Upside Down House. The staff were lovely but it was so expensive for what it was, which was essentially a very gimmicky, badly executed photo op, and the photos were proper shit. The only good bit was using Roma to recreate that scene from Trainspotting with the baby on the ceiling. 4. The amazing A Room Full of Laughter installation by @andydoigneon made me well happy but that’s gone now so that’s no good. 5. My absolute highlight, other than just generally wandering the Lanes, was browsing round the ridiculously good @junioredition , my new second-favourite kids’ shop in the WORLD (after @bigenbelg in Amsterdam). There’s very little I wouldn’t buy from this beautiful little store, and I really regret finishing our day with a trip to the Upside Down House instead of heading back here for another look 👎 We were planning on doing a few playgrounds while we were there too but it was too cold and there was no time. What’s YOUR favourite thing to do in Brighton?
Babes on a plane. Loved this installation, Window, by Isa Genzken, at @hauserwirth , but it also gave me mild anxiety since I’m shit-scared of flying (and we’re going on a plane next week 😭). Really nice gallery staff though. . . . . . #coolthingsfortinylondoners #thingstodoinlondon #londonwithkids #artinstallation #installationart #isagenzken #hauserandwirth #rockthatmuseumkid #artinlondon
The Meet Vincent Van Gogh Experience: worth the hefty price tag? Hmm... I’m kind of on the fence about this one. I do slightly object to paying £15 entry to anything for a three year old, though presumably they do this because they don’t really want three year olds there. I kind of loved the exhibition. I declined an audio guide because children, but the member of staff handing them out seemed so baffled that I wouldn’t take one and told me I’d miss loads because there are no signs that I ended up taking one anyway, then not listening to it because children 🙄 The exhibition has been organised by the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam with the idea that, while it might be one of the most visited galleries in the world, not everyone can get there and Van Gogh’s paintings don’t travel well, so this place is designed to let people experience his art without having to do a day trip to the Netherlands. So what can we expect in place of original art? Well, there are a LOT of giant screens displaying projections of his most famous works, a chance to create your own Van Gogh-inspired drawings in the immersive studio, and even an invitation to climb into his bed in a real-life recreation of his Bedroom in Arles. If you can get over the ticket price it’s actually pretty good for little ones, with a fair bit of stuff to amuse them (including a kids’ audio guide and activity sheet, although the latter was aimed at older kids), and at the very least they could actually touch stuff for once. It did still kind of feel like something was lacking, which I think was less to do with the fact that I couldn’t hear my audio guide (which I eventually gave up on and gave to Roma to play with) and more that it just felt a bit shallow and empty without any actual Van Goghs. Yeah it was fun cool and really different, but still nowhere near the same as actually going to see his paintings. I’m going to be posting an ABC about this in the next few days but my backlog is insane so stay tuned if you’re keen to know more before you splash the cash 💸 . . . . #coolthingsfortinylondoners #vangogh #londonwithkids #londonculture #artinlondon #thing
Wanna get married in Fortnum & Mason? Well now you can. Ok so you already could, apparently, but now there’s an actual chapel, complete with bell. It says on the @fortnums website that anyone is free to enter as long as there isn’t a ceremony going on... well there was no ceremony going on but we got in trouble for going in there anyway, as per. Minutes before this happened some old woman muttered “CONTROL YOUR CHILDREN” at us because they were um... scooting down the street 🤷‍♀️ Bloody hate Mayfair. And I don’t want to control my children, they’re awesome ♥️ . . . . . #coolthingsfortinylondoners #londonwithkids #fortnumandmason #chapeloflove #fortnums #mayfair #thingstodoinlondon #londonpopups #secretlondon #mylondonlife #parentingtheshitoutoflife
Unlikely but brilliant kids’ activity alert! A few weeks ago we missioned to Greenwich to check out the newly(ish)-restored Painted Hall at @oldroyalnavalcollege . This was very much a me activity but I thought the kids could have a good run about in there regardless. Anyway, we were in for a treat, because not only was it absurdly beautiful, it was ridiculously good for kids! On arrival Babu was given an explorer bag filled with toys and equipment to help her engage with the paintings, as well as an absolutely brilliant activity book. And as for Roma - well, this is a crawler’s paradise! Such an amazing family day out and our tickets are valid for a year yaaaay. Full review now on the blog. . . . . . #coolthingsfortinylondoners #londonwithkids #thingstodoinlondon #greenwich #royalnavalcollege #paintedhall #parentingtheshitoutoflife #secretlondon #mylondonlife #artinlondon
THURSDAY THINGS. It’s a new thing. It happens on Thursdays. It’s basically the same as my old Top Three Thursday thing but hopefully less half-arsed and I’m going to try to think of FIVE things to do on the weekend instead of three. 1. First up it’s Meet Vincent Van Gogh @meetvangogh , a “magical, multi-sensory journey through the artist’s life”, opening tomorrow on the South Bank. Visit Van Gogh’s bedroom and be given an art lesson by the man himself during this immersive audiovisual experience; 2. @vamuseum is hosting one of its Under-Fives Play Sessions tomorrow. Step into the amazing world of Amy De La Haye and @emilysuttonartist ‘s Clara Button and the Magical Hat Day, taking part in playful sensory activities as you move around the museum; 3. Also tomorrow, @bringyourbaby_londonwalks is running an Oliver Twist’s Clerkenwell walk to tie in with Dickens’ birthday. Check out my review on the site for what to expect; 4. Isa Genzken’s new Window exhibition opens at @hauserwirth tomorrow and looks pretty epic, featuring an immersive environment that expands on the themes of travel through elements of an aircraft cabin; 5. And finally, also from tomorrow, Fashion Space Gallery presents The Real Thing, an exhibition exploring the disruptive power of fashion bootleg that will include an installation by ‘brandalist’ Dr Noki, who pioneered influential takes on brand appropriation. And when you’ve done all that there’s also this - Lars Fisk’s Wattle & Daub, featuring a spherical narrowboat amongst other ball-shaped things, at @marlborough_gallery (the staff are SO nice here). Have a good one guys ♥️ . . . . . #coolthingsfortinylondoners #thingstodoinlondon #parentingtheshitoutoflife #londonwithkids #londonculture #secretlondon #london #mylondonlife #installationart #installation
I know we’re meant to love this and yes it’s stunning and probably took her a while to do but I’m just not that into it. Ok so we’re the dickheads who went on opening day but it was so busy it was kind of hard to enjoy it (and get decent photos without people’s legs in them 😒). I don’t know why but I was expecting it to be much more immersive than it is but of course it can’t be because it’s so delicate - so much so they’ve put up a sign saying young children’s hands must be held. They didn’t make me hold Babu’s hand, which I did really appreciate since I think adults should be trusted to know their own child and whether or not they’re likely to touch stuff, but it’s still a bit poo that you’re only allowed to walk around the edge. I mean, I get it. Paper. Children. Rippy. I think what I’m trying to say in my usual long-winded fashion is it’s not great for kids, and I thought it would be more fun. And it wasn’t. Actually to be fair Babu did get to write her birth date on a piece of paper and stick it to a timeline on the front window, which was a nice bit of interactivity but it also felt a tiny bit stressful since it was so packed and there was so little room to move. Anyway, I love NOW, I just don’t think this is the one for us, and that’s ok... I guess 😬 . . . . . #coolthingsfortinylondoners #slicesoftime #emmanuellemoureaux #nowgalleryse10 #artinstallation #londonwithkids #thingstodoinlondon #londonculture #parentingtheshitoutoflife
Behold the boat art 🚢 This is another thing I’ve been meaning to see for THREE YEARS, but we never made it far enough round the back of the o2... until now. It’s called A Slice of Reality (though I keep thinking it’s called Slice of Life like Dexter’s boat 🤓), it’s by Richard Wilson (not the Victor Meldrew one) and it’s part of The Line, a sculpture trail (or ‘art walk’ 😉) that runs between Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and the o2. We only saw this, which consists of a sliced vertical section of a sand dredger, as we were pretty much just killing time until NOW Gallery reopened after lunch, but I was so happy to have found it after all this time. Also I was just reading about it and discovered it opens (or at least it HAS opened) for Open House, which is exciting! It’s so creepy! . . . . . #coolthingsfortinylondoners #londonwithkids #thingstodoinlondon #thelinesculpturetrail #thelinesculpturewalk #theo2 #greenwichpeninsula #asliceofreality #richardwilson
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