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Shop lush pieces from independent, family-run brands at Word Store London

By BablandsSeptember 8, 2019

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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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The copper room where inhabitants of the San San universe can shelter from the electromagnetic waves generated by The Smile, the first communication system built from a flowering bacterial colony 😐 Gonna go back and see this soon. The sheer scale and genius just blows my mind. Apparently this is the second instalment, with artists Jonah Freeman and Justin Lowe exhibiting the first “chapter” of this dark and trippy tale in Marlborough’s New York gallery last year. Wish I could go back in time (and go to NYC) to see that one. This one’s on at Marlborough’s Mayfair gallery until 19th October. . . . . . . . . . . #coolthingsfortinylondoners #thingstodowithkids #parentblogger #londonblogger #londonmum #londonparents #londonmums #parentingtheshitoutoflife #london #londonmum #thingstodoinlondon #thingstodowithkids #londonwithkids #londonmummy #timeoutlondon #mylondon #londonevents #colonysound #marlboroughgallery

@whitecube is always a good idea... unless you’re off to see Mona Hatoum’s Remains to be Seen with a toddler who really likes running 😬 Babu was knackered and pretty docile this afternoon after her first full week of nursery but they still told me to tell her not to run anyway. They’re probably just nervous about kids running into this thing and getting entangled and crushed by fragments of concrete, which is fair enough I guess. Anyway, it’s a cool exhibition. Every time we go down to Bermondsey Street we end up in the not-particularly-spectacular-but-actually-quite-nice playground at the end of the road. Babu LOVES this playground (I think it’s called Long Lane Park) but there does seem to be a bit of a dearth of good playgrounds in the area. We finished the afternoon with a cheapo Franco Manca dinner because Adam’s on a night shift and even pasta and pesto felt like an effort 👍 . . . . . . . . . . #coolthingsfortinylondoners #thingstodowithkids #parentblogger #londonblogger #londonmum #londonparents #londonmums #parentingtheshitoutoflife #london #londonmum #thingstodoinlondon #thingstodowithkids #londonwithkids #londonmummy #timeoutlondon #mylondon #londonevents #whitecube #bermondseystreet #se1 #londonbridge

Roma, Mummy and Gang Gang go to Sockland. This is the Uniqlo exhibition at @somersethouse that everyone’s on about. I didn’t think we’d have time to do this one and I wasn’t sure how much I cared about a Uniqlo exhibition, but then I saw @londonwithkids ’ photos and thought it actually looked pretty cool so we managed to shoehorn it in yesterday on the way home from the V&A. Aside from basically being a giant ad for a massive fashion conglomerate - albeit a supposedly ethical one - this is a really fun exhibition and it seems a bit criminal that it’s only on for six days, given how much work (and money 😬) seems to have gone into it. It’s laid out over three floors and is fully immersive (anyone remember a time when we could still just look at stuff without having to be IMMERSED? 😆). Expect a hangy curtain world, lots of little tent houses, a HEATTECH disco room (that we missed coz we’re stupid) and this amazing mirrored sock room that was baby sensory heaven, plus lots more. Closes Sunday 🧦 . . . . . . . . . . #coolthingsfortinylondoners #thingstodowithkids #parentblogger #londonblogger #londonmum #londonparents #londonmums #parentingtheshitoutoflife #london #londonmum #thingstodoinlondon #thingstodowithkids #londonwithkids #londonmummy #timeoutlondon #mylondon #londonevents #uniqlo #somersethouse

Tim Walker: Wonderful Things at @vamuseum was everything I dreamed of and more. I remember going to his Somerset House exhibition this time seven years ago and seeing the giant Shirley Temple doll from his Vogue Italia shoot of the same year, and completely falling in love with him and his imagined universe. For years my phone and laptop screensavers were Tim Walker compositions, and my work desk before I had Babu was plastered with his images of pastel-coloured cats and whimsical woodland scenes. No Shirley Temple doll today, but an absolutely magical, immersive exhibition in true V&A style, full of surprises and stories and symbolism. We loved Tim’s little descriptions of what was happening in each room, and his influences and thought processes. The exhibition is also a bit of a love letter to the V&A, which has clearly been a massive source of inspiration for Tim since childhood. We just took Roma today but we’ll be doing this again with Babu before it closes in March (it opens on Saturday). Basically, you’ve got bloody ages to go and see it, so go and see it. . . . . . . . . . . #coolthingsfortinylondoners #thingstodowithkids #parentblogger #londonblogger #londonmum #londonparents #londonmums #parentingtheshitoutoflife #london #londonmum #thingstodoinlondon #thingstodowithkids #londonwithkids #londonmummy #timeoutlondon #mylondon #londonevents #timwalker #timwalkerwonderfulthings #vanda

All the Mummies and Romas at @leebroom ’s Kaleidoscopia at his Shoreditch showroom yesterday. It’s actually just a few (ok, 17) lights and some well-placed mirrors but the result is mind-blowing. We just took the babies but obviously spent the whole time going on about how much the big girls would love it and how we should probably take them back before Sunday when it ends, along with most of the other awesome @l_d_f_official stuff that’s going on this week 😭 Let’s start a petition to make LDF last for at least a month? . . . . . . . . . . #coolthingsfortinylondoners #thingstodowithkids #parentblogger #londonblogger #londonmum #londonparents #londonmums #parentingtheshitoutoflife #london #londonmum #thingstodoinlondon #thingstodowithkids #londonwithkids #londonmummy #timeoutlondon #mylondon #londonevents #ldf19 #londondesignfestival #leebroom #shoreditch

@nowgalleryse10 wanted its summer exhibition to be something that everybody could enjoy and participate in, and with that in mind @kinska incorporated an interactive wall covered with individually themed empty sketchbooks into My Opera House, with the idea that visitors could write, draw and express themselves within the pages. There are just four days left to visit this beautiful exhibition before it closes on Sunday, and I really recommend it if you haven’t been. One of my top three exhibitions of the summer, along with Olafur and creepy eighties nightmare world 👍 . . . . . . . . . . #londonmums #londonparents #timeoutlondon #thingstodoinlondon #londonwithkids #rockthatmuseumkid #london #myoperahouse #kinska #nowgalleryse10 #thatsdarling #artwithkids #kidsingalleries #thingstodowithkids #coolthingsfortinylondoners #londoniloveyou #greenwichlondon #se10

Baby sister date with @candygreene at @citizenm in Shoreditch today. @emilyforgot ’s Never Lost installation for @l_d_f_official is awesome, taking the form of a beautiful rust, cobalt and mint green maze that will be on site until 30th September. Love a good folly, me. . . . . . . . . . . bablands #coolthingsfortinylondoners #thingstodowithkids #parentblogger #londonblogger #londonmum #londonparents #londonmums #parentingtheshitoutoflife #london #londonmum #thingstodoinlondon #thingstodowithkids #londonwithkids #londonmummy #timeoutlondon #mylondon #londonevents #ldf19 #londondesignfestival #shoreditch #emilyforgot

Throwback to rave girl with her disco buns at the now sadly departed Sweet Harmony: Rave | Today exhibition at @saatchi_gallery a couple of weeks ago. There’s so much going on at the moment what with @l_d_f_official and @openhouselondon I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed. You can do anything but you can’t do everything, as they say 😬Who’s planning on heading to Open House London? We have a couple of birthday parties this weekend so probably won’t manage very much, if anything, but I’m forever jealous of everyone who got tickets for Trellick Tower and Balfron Tower (I’m SO intrigued), and I’d love to have a nose around the Barbican flats, although the Barbican tour sadly only includes public spaces 👎 I’m all about the Brutalism though. If you were given the chance to snoop around around a London building of your choice what would it be? . . . . . . . . . bablands #coolthingsfortinylondoners #thingstodowithkids #parentblogger #londonblogger #londonmum #londonparents #londonmums #parentingtheshitoutoflife #london #londonmum #thingstodoinlondon #thingstodowithkids #londonwithkids #londonmummy #timeoutlondon #mylondon #londonevents #ldf19 #londondesignfestival #kingscross #martinogamper #discocarbonara

Disco Carbonara. Disco because... well, it’s a disco - a nod to Kings Cross’s not-so-distant past life as a clubbing destination, complete with bouncer and hand stamps. Carbonara because carbon, coal, Coal Drops Yard... also designer @martinogamper is Italian. Inside you’ll find the tiniest club you’ve ever been to: a plywood box containing nothing but the same song on loop and projections of spaghetti on the walls. The kids loved it. We decided we both needed one in our houses for when we all lose the plot. Kings Cross is a @l_d_f_official Design District this year and there are lots of cool things to see, with favourites including sensory fun with TouchyFeelySmellyTastyNoisy at @tomdixonstudio ; and Steuart Padwick at Design Junction’s Talk to Me figures, which offer uplifting messages and words to passersby in support of @timetochangecampaign . What’s the best LDF thing you’ve seen this year? . . . . . . . . . . bablands #coolthingsfortinylondoners #thingstodowithkids #parentblogger #londonblogger #londonmum #londonparents #londonmums #parentingtheshitoutoflife #london #londonmum #thingstodoinlondon #thingstodowithkids #londonwithkids #londonmummy #timeoutlondon #mylondon #londonevents #ldf19 #londondesignfestival #kingscross #martinogamper #discocarbonara

Here we are. Sometimes I feel guilty dragging everybody to all this stuff, especially when it’s little things like this that only take 20 minutes, but the other night when I was putting Babu to bed she - totally unprompted - said “Mummy, I love all the things you take me to” 😭😭😭 Anyway, definitely do this one if you can. It’s worth it, even if it is pretty tiny. . . . . . . . . . . bablands #coolthingsfortinylondoners #thingstodowithkids #parentblogger #londonblogger #londonmum #londonparents #londonmums #parentingtheshitoutoflife #london #londonmum #thingstodoinlondon #thingstodowithkids #londonwithkids #londonmummy #timeoutlondon #mylondon #londonevents #ldf19 #londondesignfestival #taketheplunge

Take the Plunge ♥️ My favourite @l_d_f_official installation so far and just as well really since today was the second day we went down to @oxotowerwharf in the hope of checking it out (it was unexpectedly closed yesterday due to maintenance issues 😭). We made it though and oh my God I want one. It’s supposed to depict a sunset under the sea but it just reminded me of Bettina and Max’s 1960s house in Absolutely Fabulous (anyone seen it? I was basically raised on it). This immersive cardboard dreamland has proved much more popular than creators @_volume_creative predicted so it’s now ticketed (bookable via eventbrite), but it’s still free and it just means you don’t have to queue or rush round when you get there. It’s on at The Bargehouse Oxo Tower Wharf until Sunday and definitely my LDF must-see for this year. . . . . . . . . . . bablands #coolthingsfortinylondoners #thingstodowithkids #parentblogger #londonblogger #londonmum #londonparents #londonmums #parentingtheshitoutoflife #london #londonmum #thingstodoinlondon #thingstodowithkids #londonwithkids #londonmummy #timeoutlondon #mylondon #londonevents #ldf19 #londondesignfestival #taketheplunge

Please Be Seated. @paulcocksedge ’s undulating installation for @l_d_f_official is designed to occupy Finsbury Avenue Square (the same site as Kellenburger-White’s Alphabet installation from LDF 2018) without blocking it, creating seating, shade and spaces to walk under. It’s made from scaffolding planks and will be in situ until 11th October, when a high-end interiors company will be repurposing the wood. Babu didn’t like this one as much as the Patternity one because there wasn’t much climbing space and she was frustrated that she couldn’t walk along it, but frankly I could have sat here all day (on my own, preferably 😬). . . . . . . . . . . bablands #coolthingsfortinylondoners #thingstodowithkids #parentblogger #londonblogger #londonmum #londonparents #londonmums #parentingtheshitoutoflife #london #londonmum #thingstodoinlondon #thingstodowithkids #londonwithkids #londonmummy #timeoutlondon #mylondon #londonevents #ldf19 #londondesignfestival #paulcocksedge #pleasebeseated

Walala Lounge by @camillewalala is street goals. I mean, why can’t every street be pedestrianised and feature a suite of colourful, geometric-patterned furniture with matching bunting? I can’t believe this is only on until next Sunday. It’s so beautiful it feels like it should be here for at least a month. You can find this “immersive corridor of colour” - part of @l_d_f_official - on South Molton Street near Bond Street tube until next Sunday, with 10 benches to find, plus planters. It’s also super-near the @marlborough_gallery exhibition, so why not combine and make a day of it? . . . . . . . . . . bablands #coolthingsfortinylondoners #thingstodowithkids #parentblogger #londonblogger #londonmum #londonparents #londonmums #parentingtheshitoutoflife #london #londonmum #thingstodoinlondon #thingstodowithkids #londonwithkids #londonmummy #timeoutlondon #mylondon #londonevents #artinlondon #mayfair #camillewalala #walalalounge #southmoltonstreet #mayfair #bondstreet

I love @l_d_f_official and the way it always manages to lead us to unfamiliar corners of the city. This year we began with a visit to Patternity’s Life Labyrinth, described by its creators as “a personal meditative walking experience that is proven to have both psychological and physical health benefits... bringing to life the healing powers of one of the most ancient geometric symbols on Earth”. Babu LOVED this and we spent almost an hour hanging out here (partly because we were waiting for Adam, who made us rush down to Victoria to meet him off his night shift and then rang as we got there to say he’d be another hour... and then took nearly two 🙄🙄🙄). Life Labyrinth is installed in the piazza in front of the beautiful Westminster Cathedral, the Mother Church for Roman Catholics in England and Wales, and draws influence from the building’s design. Babu asked to look inside the cathedral and we were lucky enough to catch the end of the Solemn Mass (sung in Latin) while we were in there, which was an incredible experience. Life Labyrinth will be in situ until next Sunday the 22nd 🏁 . . . . . . . . . bablands #coolthingsfortinylondoners #thingstodowithkids #parentblogger #londonblogger #londonmum #londonparents #londonmums #parentingtheshitoutoflife #london #londonmum #thingstodoinlondon #thingstodowithkids #londonwithkids #londonmummy #timeoutlondon #mylondon #londonevents #lifelabyrinth #londondesignfestival #londondesignfestival2019 #ldf19

I’ve tried and failed to describe this exhibition to a few people, and looked back at the many, many photos I took and decided that none of them even really begin to convey what the shitting hell was going on here. It was like someone had a really messed-up dream set in a batshit dystopian version of the eighties and then made an 11-room immersive exhibition out of it (and it really is immersive, complete with smells and weird noises - although we were told to maybe not touch anything quite a few times 😬). It all begins at the door, so from the moment you arrive you’re thrust into this totally nuts alternate reality/fiction that makes you question your consciousness. In fact I’m still not completely sure whether any of this actually happened. I read the press release three times and now I have even less of an idea of what was happening. It’s great though; go and see it if you can because it’s absolutely mind-blowing (I think). It’s called Colony Sound by Jonah Freeman and Justin Lowe, and it’s on at @marlborough_gallery until 19th October. . . . . . . . . . . bablands #coolthingsfortinylondoners #thingstodowithkids #parentblogger #londonblogger #londonmum #londonparents #londonmums #parentingtheshitoutoflife #london #londonmum #thingstodoinlondon #thingstodowithkids #londonwithkids #londonmummy #timeoutlondon #mylondon #londonevents #artinlondon #mayfair #piccadilly #marlboroughgallery

Were bitterly disappointed when they mistook our offer of ice cream for an invitation to get Mr Whippy from the fast food kiosk outside the Magnum store, as opposed to... a Magnum... from the Magnum store. Perked up a bit when we told them they could make their own. Poked the fancy topping a bit then made us break off the chocolate coating so they could just have the plain ice cream inside. Decided they didn’t want it two seconds later then spent half an hour playing hide and seek 🤷‍♀️🍦 . . . . . . . . . . bablands #coolthingsfortinylondoners #thingstodowithkids #parentblogger #londonblogger #londonmum #londonparents #londonmums #parentingtheshitoutoflife #london #londonmum #thingstodoinlondon #thingstodowithkids #londonwithkids #londonmummy #timeoutlondon #mylondon #londonevents #piccadilly #piccadillycircus #soho #regentstreet #magnumpleasurestore #truetopleasure

Such a treat to wander around the new Being Human exhibition at @wellcomecollection yesterday while Babu had a buggy nap. There’s some really interesting stuff in there, from a breast milk-scented sculpture to an interactive jukebox playing illness/epidemic-themed songs (it was less depressing than that sounds) and this beautiful and thought-provoking Refugee Astronaut sculpture. Babu woke up halfway through our visit and had fun playing with the light-up body and handling the air-dry clay sculptures created by children from GOSH’s Mildred Creak Unit, and there are actually so many interactive bits and things kids will like (check out the zebra fish tank placed at the perfect height for a three year old), but it was still lovely to be able to read all the descriptions for once. This exhibition is permanent and the gallery is open Tuesday-Sunday, plus it has a really nice shop and cafe, and excellent baby-change facilities 👍 . . . . . . . . . . bablands #coolthingsfortinylondoners #thingstodowithkids #parentblogger #londonblogger #londonmum #londonparents #londonmums #parentingtheshitoutoflife #london #londonmum #thingstodoinlondon #thingstodowithkids #londonwithkids #londonmummy #timeoutlondon #mylondon #londonevents #euston #kingscross #kingscrossn1c #wellcomecollection #beinghuman

The nursery blues have kicked in (for me, not Babu) and I’ve been crying at nothing all day (the teacher joking that Babu didn’t want to come home, the mean receptionist at the doctor’s surgery, a really beautiful cat we saw on the way home...). Obviously I’m less upset about what it actually is: less than 10% of the week where Babu’s not with me; and more about what it represents: my children leaving me forever 😭😭😭 but it all feels very strange and unsettling. I also have a trapped nerve in my back that keeps making me throw up and I’ve had a dickhead-heavy day so I’m generally just feeling a bit fragile and I’m going to crawl into bed and have a really good sob in a minute, but before I do that I wanted to tell you about this really great exhibition we visited at our local art gallery, @zabludowicz_collection , today. It’s the first UK solo show by American artist Shana Moulton and consists of a collection of video installations exploring the “psychic and aesthetic realm” inhabited by Moulton’s alter ego, Cynthia - who is fricking hilarious, btw. These films specifically focus on the idea of the trapped or imprisoned woman, and while I wouldn’t quite describe myself as such, for the most part (😬), this show really spoke to me at the end of this shitty, shitty day, and both kids were positively mesmerised - particularly by the last room with its trippy visuals, operatic score and big fluffy beanbags. Excitingly, Zabludowicz will be running a baby-friendly tour of the exhibition on the 6th of October, led by artist Lucy Stein and her baby. So few galleries seem to run stuff for under-5s and even Whitechapel Gallery’s Crib Notes tours seem to have basically dried up altogether, despite talk of new improved sessions last year. Zabludowicz have said if this session goes well they’ll look into running more, so please come along if you have a 0-3 and this sounds like your thing ♥️ . . . . bablands #coolthingsfortinylondoners #thingstodowithkids #parentblogger #londonblogger #londonmum #londonparents #londonmums #parentingtheshitoutoflife #london #londonmum #thingstodoinlondon #thingstodowithkids #londonwithkids #londonmummy #timeoutlondon #mylondon #londonevents

For Tiny Londoners & Their Adults