With temperatures set to hit 37 degrees this week, Londoners are bound to be cranky. And I’m not just talking about the adults.
The UK heatwave can be especially hard for babies and toddlers, who aren’t able to regulate their body temperatures as effectively as grown-ups and don’t quite understand what’s going on.
If your household is anything like mine, sleep schedules have already been abandoned for late-night buggy walks and everyone’s on a sugar crash from all the emergency ice-cream.
With things only due to heat up further, and nurseries reducing their hours, here’s a roundup of some air-conditioned spaces to cool down and cheer up little ones.
(But remember, parenting doesn’t need to be Instagrammable. Riding the escalator at Big Sainsbury’s for 20 minutes may also do the trick…)
The Young V&A
Museums are going to be your friend this week, but some of the capital’s older, famous instiutions don’t have aircon. The Natural History Museum, for example, can get very warm. Instead, look for newer buildings. The Young V&A is top of my recommendation list, with buggy parking and baby change making it a low-stress option. The free venue has lots of interactive bits, including a drawing station, dress-up and soft building blocks to clamber on in the under-twos area. If all else fails, enjoy the airconditioned cafe with plenty of high chairs.
Address: Cambridge Heath Rd, Bethnal Green, E2 9PA
Nearest Tube: Bethnal Green
Baby Club and Toddler Club, Everyman Cinema
With locations nationwide (including London), Everyman’s ‘Baby Club’ was one of my favourite maternity leave activities. The chain hosts special screenings for babies under 12 months on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, with reduced sound and low lighting, so you can see what you’re doing for feeds. Staff bring cake and drinks to your seat, and there’s a relaxed atmosphere, with nobody fussed by the odd baby gurgle.
My top tip: if you’ve got a wriggler who won’t sit still, book the front row and pack a couple of quiet toys. I did this when my son was on the cusp of crawling and we managed to get through the whole of Wicked. For older toddlers aged 1-5, there’s the Toddler Cub on Fridays and Saturdays.
Address: There are 13 London locations. See the Everyman website for your nearest.
Frameless
Frameless London is like Baby Sensory on steroids – and you’ll actually enjoy it too. The immersive art exhibition offers discounted ‘parent and toddler’ tickets on Monday-Friday mornings in term time, for a price of £21. Babies and toddlers are welcome to crawl/walk between the four rooms without a time limit. It’s not the cheapest activity on the list, but the colours, shapes and sounds entertained my one-year-old for a full two hours last summer. Alternatively, the venue hosts a 20-minute sensory class with live singalong every Friday from £14.50 for one adult and one child under three, and you’re allowed to explore the galleries afterwards.
Address: 6 Marble Arch, W1H 7AP
Nearest Tube: Marble Arch
The Army Museum
One of the lesser-known London museums, The Army Museum has a decent sized soft play that toddlers in their ‘vehicle era’ will love. Inside the Play Base you’ll find an army truck to ‘drive’, an assault course, a cook house and the ‘quartermaster’s store’. It’s big enough to keep them entertained for an hour, but not so huge that you have to clamber through the soft play yourself to keep an eye on them. A child’s ticket costs £7 (or £6.50 from 25 June under the new government scheme). And if they get bored, you can look at the big trucks in the main museum at no extra cost.
Address: National Army Museum, Royal Hospital Road, SW3 4HT
Nearest Tube: Sloane Square
Your local library
Not all libraries have air conditioning, but the handy government Cool Spaces map details the ones that do. Entries include Peckham Library, Catford Library, Woolwich Library, Hackney Central Library, Pancras Square Library, Kentish Town Library, Wandsworth Library, Grove Vale and Corbett Community Library. These spaces are all free to spend time in and most have at least one baby/toddler event this week for under fives, such as storytime or ‘Rhyme time.’ Check your local council’s website for timings.
The Postal Museum
I’ve not been to this one yet, but I’ve had so many recommendations for the Postal Museum that it’s definitely next on my list. The big sell for under 5s is the airconditioned play space, Sorted!, which includes soft play, dress-up and plenty of opportunities for imaginative role play. A 45-minute session costs £5 per child, plus £2.50 per accompanying adult. Reviews on Tripadvisor say the underground train ride in the main museum is also nice and cool on hot days, despite the lack of aircon in that section of the venue, but you’ll need to pay extra for that (general museum entry is £20.50 for adults, children under two go free).
Address: 15-20 Phoenix Place, WC1X 0DA
Nearest Tube: Farringdon
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