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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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    Immerse yourself in nature at Kew's new elements-themed Children's Garden
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    Spend a morning tumbling with your tot at Parent & Toddler Gymnastics

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Loved trying out the new Tiny Troopers session with @hollydabbs at @nam_london today. Lots of drawing and dress-up, and Holly’s enthusiasm at 10am on a Monday is just ridiculous - I was still basically asleep. It’s designed for under-5s and will run once a month with a new theme every three months - AND it’s timed so you can head to a Play Base soft-play session straight after! I think even the four month old enjoyed this one - lovely soft cushions 👌 . . . . . . . . . . #bablands #coolthingsfortinylondoners #thingstodowithkids #toddlersofinstagram #toddlerlife #mummyblogger #parentblogger #londonblogger #londonmum #blogger #londonparents #londonmums #parentingtheshitoutoflife #london #londonmum #letthembelittle #nationalarmymuseum #tinytroopers
Wishing a very Happy Father’s Day to Dadam, first of his name, the frequently burnt, king of the shoulder-carry, rescuer of small children from precarious adventure playgrounds, breaker of everything, Babu and Ro-Ro’s Daddy. Sorry you’re stuck on a 24hr shift making Frasier memes. We love you ❤️
Well I enjoyed the @royalacademyarts Summer Exhibition, even if it was mostly just because there was no one there demanding I feed them dairy products. Saw a few people there with babies and toddlers and they didn’t look like they were having a completely terrible time. Lots of animal-themed stuff. The creepy statue people were my favourite ❤️ . . . . . . . . . . #bablands #coolthingsfortinylondoners #thingstodowithkids #toddlersofinstagram #toddlerlife #mummyblogger #parentblogger #londonblogger #londonmum #blogger #londonparents #londonmums #parentingtheshitoutoflife #london #londonmum #letthembelittle #summerexhibition #royalacademyofarts #artinlondon
Saturday Spot: there’s a huge inverted globe outside LSE. Created by Turner Prize-winning artist Mark Wallinger (he designed a sculpture for Trafalgar Square’s fourth plinth in 1999 and also did those labyrinth artworks you see in tube stations), The World Turned Upside Down “reflects LSE’s commitment to global challenges... which often means seeing the world from different and unfamiliar points of view”. Your toddler is unlikely to understand the political implications of an upside-down globe, or even realise it’s upside down, but you can take photos of them pretending to hold the world up with their tiny arms, which is pretty cute. . . . . . . . . . . #bablands #coolthingsfortinylondoners #thingstodowithkids #toddlersofinstagram #toddlerlife #mummyblogger #parentblogger #londonblogger #londonmum #blogger #londonparents #londonmums #parentingtheshitoutoflife #london #londonmum #letthembelittle #markwallinger #londonschoolofeconomics #artinlondon #holborn
Forest school sessions can be a wonderful way to expose your poor nature-starved urban urchins to the great outdoors. Unfortunately they also tend to cost a fricking fortune, but you don’t necessarily need to fork out to go wild, as my buddy @kerri_and_sprog ‘s brilliant list of London’s best cheap/free nature drop-ins from Walthamstow to Walworth (technically Lambeth but that sounded better) proves. It’s up on the site now with seven great sessions to choose from. Thanks Kerri ❤️ . . . . . . . . . . #bablands #coolthingsfortinylondoners #thingstodowithkids #toddlersofinstagram #toddlerlife #mummyblogger #parentblogger #londonblogger #londonmum #blogger #londonparents #londonmums #parentingtheshitoutoflife #london #londonmum #letthembelittle #londonunderground #visitlondon #babylondon #forestschool #montessori #adventureplayground
Fun things to do this week 17th-21st: 1. @nam_london is running a posters-themed edition of its Tiny Troopers sessions for under-5s on Monday. This fun, sensory session will draw inspiration from the museum’s new exhibition of posters by iconic designer Abram Games (also I think @hollydabbs is running it and we love her 😀). 2. Season three of @squish_space at @barbicancentre is now open. Head to the space between 10-4 any day this week (ongoing) to discover, touch and play with the new sensory equipment for under-5s. 3. And finally, @susancianciolo ‘s exhibition God Life opens at @southlondongallery on Friday. The exhibition invites visitors into the artist’s unique creative world, which draws inspiration from craft, fashion and her life as a mother. Probably not hugely child friendly but looks cool so 🤷‍♀️ Enjoy ❤️ . . . . . . . . . . #bablands #coolthingsfortinylondoners #thingstodowithkids #toddlersofinstagram #toddlerlife #mummyblogger #parentblogger #londonblogger #londonmum #blogger #londonparents #londonmums #parentingtheshitoutoflife #london #londonmum #letthembelittle #londonunderground #londonwithkids #londonwithtoddlers
Trailed to Dulwich in the pissing rain to see a glorified gazebo. Pretty standard day for @kerri_and_sprog and us. Seriously though Colour Palace is lovely, and much more rainproof than expected, though you might still get a bit damp sitting under it in a torrential downpour. Fun value-wise... I mean like I said it’s a glorified gazebo but you can climb up it and run round in an almost-circle, and the slopes might be fun for scooting. We were going to go when Art Adventurers was on at the gallery but it’s sold out this month so we got the bus to @hornimanmuseumgardens afterwards instead. Still getting to know SE London and trying to join up all the dots in my head but I do really like Dulwich. Anyone Dulwich-based and got any other gems to share? We did House of Dreams last year and it was so weird and sad and beautiful 🌈 . . . . . . . . . . #bablands #coolthingsfortinylondoners #thingstodowithkids #toddlersofinstagram #toddlerlife #mummyblogger #parentblogger #londonblogger #londonmum #blogger #londonparents #londonmums #parentingtheshitoutoflife #london #londonmum #letthembelittle #londonunderground #londonwithkids #londonwithtoddlers #artinlondon #colourpalace #dulwichvillage #dulwichpicturegallery
Shop of the week: @roundtablebooks , a new Brixton-based bookshop specialising in inclusive children’s books. Round Table was founded by @_knightsof after a study found that only 1% of books published in the UK contain a BAME (black, Asian, minority ethnic) main character. It’s so refreshing to see so many beautiful books celebrating diversity in one place and this amazing shop is such a welcome addition to @brixtonvillage_ - let’s all go and buy loads of books there. . . . . . . . . . . #bablands #coolthingsfortinylondoners #thingstodowithkids #toddlersofinstagram #toddlerlife #mummyblogger #parentblogger #londonblogger #londonmum #blogger #londonparents #londonmums #parentingtheshitoutoflife #london #londonmum #letthembelittle #londonunderground #childrensbooks #booksbooksbooks #brixtonvillage #brixton #childrensbookstagram #roundtablebooks
Need some weekend inspiration? Here are a few ideas: 1. @museumchildhood is hosting a Montessori Play Day on Sunday. Design your dream children’s garden and experience hands-on learning and collaborative play in this fun-filled day that’s particularly suitable for 0-4s. 2. Head to @artsdepot_ldn on Sunday for @tuttifruttiprod ’s production of Yellow is the Colour of Sunshine. Suitable for ages 3+, this colourful show is told using words, signs, music and movement. 3. @ravertots is hosting an open-air summer party on the rooftop of the Prince of Wales venue in Brixton on Sunday. Suitable for all ages, this event is a drum and bass special and will feature confetti blasts, face painting and parachute fun. . And if you’re still bored why not check out @yinka_ilori ‘s Colour Palace pavilion at @dulwichgallery , the Summer Exhibition at @royalacademyarts , the BP Portrait Award at @nationalportraitgallery or Get Up, Stand Up Now at @somersethouse , all of which opened this week! . . . . . . . . . . #bablands #coolthingsfortinylondoners #thingstodowithkids #toddlersofinstagram #toddlerlife #mummyblogger #parentblogger #londonblogger #londonmum #blogger #londonparents #londonmums #parentingtheshitoutoflife #london #londonmum #letthembelittle #londonunderground #whatsonthisweekend #thisweekendinlondon #londonwithkids #londonwithtoddlers #artinlondon
These two. I’m glad they love each other and everything but wow. I always forget how feral they become when they’re kept indoors all day, like they’re reminding us we can’t cage them. Well we didn’t have much bloody choice today did we, RAIN? @imperialwarmuseums has got rid of the 1940s house bit which was my favourite, so that sucked. It was also predictably rammed and I always forget that the accessible entrance is down a rabbit warren somewhere in the basement and then get annoyed about it (the buggy park is upstairs 🙄). Pleasant day there otherwise. Nice tanks. . . . . . . . . . . #bablands #coolthingsfortinylondoners #thingstodowithkids #toddlersofinstagram #toddlerlife #mummyblogger #parentblogger #londonblogger #londonmum #blogger #londonparents #londonmums #parentingtheshitoutoflife #london #londonmum #letthembelittle #londonunderground #imperialwarmuseum #iwmlondon
Keith Haring: ICON. Not quite the same as seeing the retrospective at @tate Liverpool (opening on Friday, if you’re headed that way) but it’s something init. Love a bit of Keith. On at @rhodescontemporaryart until 3rd August. . . . . . . . . . #bablands #coolthingsfortinylondoners #thingstodowithkids #toddlersofinstagram #toddlerlife #mummyblogger #parentblogger #londonblogger #londonmum #blogger #londonparents #londonmums #parentingtheshitoutoflife #london #londonmum #letthembelittle #keithharing #holborn
This week’s playground of the week is... The Pond Biodiversity Playground at @westfieldstratfordcity because it’s just so pretty. Imagine a world where every playground was this cool (so basically one where @monstrum_playgrounds designed them all). Why are the majority of playgrounds so completely lacking in imagination hmmm? On this occasion whoever was in charge of unlocking the playground for the day had completely forgotten or got stuck down a well or something, so everyone was climbing over the fence to get in - such was the desperation to let the kids burn off some steam. . . . . . . . . . . #bablands #coolthingsfortinylondoners #thingstodowithkids #toddlersofinstagram #toddlerlife #mummyblogger #parentblogger #londonblogger #londonmum #blogger #londonparents #londonmums #parentingtheshitoutoflife #london #londonmum #letthembelittle #stratford #biodiversityplayground #westfieldstratford #londonunderground #londonplaygrounds
Top 5 small and inoffensive soft-play places: I hate soft play, I really do, but sometimes needs must. Here’s my pick of the least hideous options for poopy days like today. 1. The Idol, Barking. Q: When is a soft-play centre not a soft-play centre? A: when it’s a giant monochrome robot sculpture created by an artist called Marvin Gaye Chetwynd (now known as Monster). I say “giant” but it’s actually pretty small as soft plays go. Big for a robot though. 2. @abcstudiosoftplay , Forest Hill. Another lovely cosy option for cacky-weather days. Dinky, but probably the biggest ball pool I’ve ever seen (it takes up the entire basement). 3. I love @thesherriffcentre . Their soft play is small and admittedly nothing spectacular BUT it’s in a church. With a post office. And a cafe that serves six different flavours of hot chocolate. What the hell else do you want? 4. It’s not TECHNICALLY soft play but The Bee’s Knees at @batterseaartscentre is a playroom that’s soft AND it’s reserved for under-5s sooo 🤷‍♀️ Looks like Tinky Winky could emerge from a hole in the ground at any moment. 5. Finsbury Park’s The Play Spot is gaudy and a bit knackered around the edges but it’s big enough to keep your small person entertained for a couple of hours and small enough that you can pretty much park yourself in the centre of the room for the duration and still be within yelling distance. It’s pleasant enough and you get a balloon on your way out 👍 . . . . . . . . . . #bablands #coolthingsfortinylondoners #thingstodowithkids #toddlersofinstagram #toddlerlife #mummyblogger #parentblogger #londonblogger #londonmum #blogger #londonparents #londonmums #parentingtheshitoutoflife #london #londonmum #letthembelittle #londonunderground #dalston #secretlondon #eastlondon #hackney #dalstonchildrensfestival #dalstoncurvegarden #riocinema
Another brilliant Little Feet at @britishmuseum today. These sessions continue to baffle me with how wildly hit or miss they are but in general the Exhibition Explorer ones are excellent and it’s so great to be given the opportunity to see an exhibition that would otherwise cost £19.50 for FREE with your baby/toddler AND get a bunch of brilliant activities thrown in. All the little stations were Manga-themed and Babu made some really cool art, including a Manga comic, a Chi Kitten collage and a Princess Jellyfish wall hanging. In between activities we explored the whole exhibition (much bigger than anticipated), dressed up in Cosplay costumes and turned ourselves into a hilariously shit Manga artwork. If you missed out this time you can catch Little Feet Exhibition Explorers: Manga again on the 6th of August. . . . . . . . . . . #bablands #coolthingsfortinylondoners #thingstodowithkids #toddlersofinstagram #toddlerlife #mummyblogger #parentblogger #londonblogger #londonmum #blogger #londonparents #londonmums #parentingtheshitoutoflife #london #londonmum #letthembelittle #londonunderground #visitlondon #babylondon #britishmuseum #mangabritishmuseum #manga #mangaexhibition #artinlondon #littlefeet #artwithkids #bloomsbury #holborn
Five top things to do in Hampstead/West Hampstead with under-5s: 1. @camdenartscentre on Finchley Road runs a brilliant artist-led Family Takeover session every Sunday from 2-4.30pm. It also offers free family activity boxes for use when visiting exhibitions, and stocks an amazing selection of kids’ books in the shop. @jw3london is over the road and runs a packed weekly programme of children’s classes and events, as well as hosting Hampstead Beach every summer. 2. Go shopping. Local favourites include upmarket French kids’ boutique @maisonauguste for unique gifts, and @dauntbooks for its excellent children’s reading den. 3. West Hampstead’s @thesherriffcentre is housed in a functioning church and includes a post office, a soft-play centre with a separate under-2s area and a brilliant cafe offering six different types of hot chocolate. 4. @ntfentonhouse makes the perfect family day out with its quirky interiors and beautiful walled garden. In the holidays and on some weekends it hosts well-organised family activities - look out for Father’s Day kite flying on Hampstead Heath and its famous Apple Weekend in October. 5. The Heath, because duh. To be honest you could hang out on the Heath every day of your life and never get bored (I used to when Babu was a baby). Visit @kenwood_house , Golders Hill Park Zoo, the Hill Garden and Pergola, or just have a wander and visit a playground. . . . . . . . . . . #bablands #coolthingsfortinylondoners #thingstodowithkids #toddlersofinstagram #toddlerlife #mummyblogger #parentblogger #londonblogger #londonmum #blogger #londonparents #londonmums #parentingtheshitoutoflife #london #londonmum #letthembelittle #londonunderground #visitlondon #babylondon #hampstead #hampsteadheath #hampsteadmums #westhampstead #westhampsteadlife #hampsteadlife #nw3 #nw6
The Children’s Garden at @kewgardens is our new favourite thing. So much fun, so aesthetically pleasing and SO much better than the sweaty, lacklustre hell that is Climbers and Creepers. Probably worth getting membership for to be honest 👍 Review link in bio 🌿 . . . . . . . . . . #bablands #coolthingsfortinylondoners #thingstodowithkids #toddlersofinstagram #toddlerlife #mummyblogger #parentblogger #londonblogger #londonmum #blogger #londonparents #londonmums #parentingtheshitoutoflife #london #londonmum #letthembelittle #londonunderground #visitlondon #babylondon #kewchildrensgarden #kew #kewgardens
Saturday Spot: @yinka_ilori ’s Types of Happiness exhibition at @studio_rca in Nine Elms draws inspiration from the 16 ‘types of happiness’ incorporated into Ilori’s redesign of the nearby Thessaly Road underpass, an interactive and multi-sensory commission he’s named Happy Street. The exhibition touches on themes of hope, sexuality and social class, bringing Nigerian verbal traditions into conversation with contemporary design. It’s a tiny exhibition but we loved it and little ones (and big ones) are invited to add to a wall-mounted image showing the concept for Happy Street with a box full of coloured pencils and felt tips. The exhibition is open on weekends until the 23rd of this month, while Happy Street itself will be unveiled on the 22nd. Ilori also designed the Colour Palace pavilion which will open at @dulwichgallery on Wednesday. . . . . . . . . . . #bablands #coolthingsfortinylondoners #thingstodowithkids #toddlersofinstagram #toddlerlife #mummyblogger #parentblogger #londonblogger #londonmum #blogger #londonparents #londonmums #parentingtheshitoutoflife #london #londonmum #letthembelittle #londonunderground #visitlondon #babylondon #yinkailori #nineelms #battersea #typesofhappiness #happystreet #colourpalace
Top three things to do in London next week 10th-14th: 1. On Monday, @britishmuseum is hosting a free Little Feet: Exhibition Explorer session inside its new Manga exhibition. Under-5s can explore the exhibition, immerse themselves in a rainbow of colours and create a memento to take home. 2. The 2019 Dulwich Pavilion opens at @dulwichgallery on Wednesday. Created by @pricegore and @yinka_ilori , The Colour Palace will be a fusion of West African and European influences, with brightly coloured timber slats bringing the gallery’s grounds into technicolour life. 3. @royalacademyarts ’ 251st Summer Exhibition opens on Monday. Highlights will include an animal-themed “menagerie” in the Central Hall, a group of large-scale sculptural works in the RA courtyard and a colourful installation of flags on nearby Bond Street. . . . . . . . . . . #bablands #coolthingsfortinylondoners #thingstodowithkids #toddlersofinstagram #toddlerlife #mummyblogger #parentblogger #londonblogger #londonmum #blogger #londonparents #londonmums #parentingtheshitoutoflife #london #londonmum #letthembelittle #londonunderground #visitlondon #babylondon #whatsoninlondon #whatsoninlondonthisweekend

For Tiny Londoners & Their Adults

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