Last updated: February 2026. Written by a London local with extensive baby travel experience.
Whether you’re visiting London with a baby or an active toddler, this guide covers everything you need. From pram-friendly museums to toddler-approved playgrounds, step-free tube stations to baby changing locations, I’ll share the best things to do, a flexible 3-day itinerary, and insider tips from an ex-Londoner who’s visited London many times with my son throughout his first year and two toddler nephews.
👉 Don’t have time to read the whole article? Find best-rated London hotels or see my recommendations.
London with baby: essential overview
Baby essentials covered:
- Pram-friendly tube stations and routes
- Baby changing locations throughout the city
- Quiet feeding spots and family-friendly restaurants
- Indoor backup plans for rainy weather
- Nap-friendly parks and attractions
- Out-of-London day trip recommendations
👇 Scroll for detailed daily itineraries, transport tips, and insider London parent hacks
My 3-day London itinerary with kids
Exploring London with a baby doesn’t have to lead to a noticeably different itinerary than if you were child-free, but it does mean you’ll need to bake in a few more pit stops and importantly look at the best route if you have a pram.
You can mix and match the activities below to suit rainy days.
Day 1: baby-friendly museums and Hyde Park
- Morning: The Natural History Museum is truly magical for kids, and if you’re lucky you might be in the area when they have their Adventure Babies baby sensory classes on (although these book up well in advance). The Science Museum is next door and also very cool but I think the Natural Hustory Museum tops it and is pretty iconic.
- For lunch: Providing you’re up for the touristy things, then going to Harrods (a 20 minute walk) is always fun and there’s tonnes of food options inside including decent takeaway options. Or if a picnic is more your thing, grab some goodies from M&S Food or Deliveroo/Uber Eats a takeaway to the edge of Hyde Park park and take it inside with you.
- Afternoon: Walk up to Hyde Park Playground (7 mins walk from Harrods) and spend the afternoon walking the iconic Hyde Park. Here you can rent bikes, rent a boat or pedal on Serpentine Lake, and even go swimming at the Serpentine Lido. At the far west side you have Kensington Palace which is worth looking at (plus you’ll go past the Princess Diana Memorial playground in Kensington Gardens), and on the east side at Hyde Park Corner you can cross over into Buckingham Palace Gardens and walk towards the famed palace and down the mall to St James’ Park and Horse Guards. If you have little walkers with you, you’ll need to choose which parts of the park you want to see most (but a pram or carrier is ideal to see it all).
- Evening: Visit Covent Garden, see the street performers, do a little shopping, and eat in one of the many restaurants. Some family-friendly chains are Bill’s and Banana Tree (pan-Asian) and if you are feeling particularly brave I really like Dishoom (Indian), Balthazar (French), Ave Mario (Italian) and Hawksmoor (Steak). I personally love the quick but delicious food options at Seven Dials Market, which isn’t too far from Hamley’s toy store and Liberty of London, both known for their fabulous window displays and stunning interiors.
Day 2: sensory attractions and food markets
- Morning: start the day by visiting one of London’s many attractions like the Paddington Bear experience, the very cool Lifesize Monopoly game, the Crystal Maze experience, or the Sea Life Aquarium. If you have a baby, the Frameless sensory art immersion is really special (and do baby sensory classes sometimes), and they will love it! There really is something for everyone, and if none of these tickle your fancy then there’s the London Eye, The London Dungeons, and many more. My suggestion for babies and toddlers is either Frameless, or Vauxhall City Farm.
- Afternoon and lunch: Walk along South Bank to take in some more of London’s skyline, such as the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, and the London Eye, before ending at Borough Market for some fantastic food. The London Bridge Experience and Tombs is also here and is supposed to be good, but if that’s not your thing then you can keep walking and see the iconic Tower Bridge in all its glory, and even go up The Shard if you want to see more of the skyline – although my tip is don’t pay for the viewing platform, just book a table and have a drink at one of the restaurants a couple of floors below.
- Evening: If you’re staying centrally, I think there’s something quite magical about Chinatown and it’s an easy dinner, with tonnes of restaurants to choose from, always bustling (no early lacking atmosphere dinners here!).
- If you’re staying out in one of the boroughs I mention further below, then I’d recommend you explore the local area and use Google Maps’ search function to find somewhere decent. I usually filter by ‘open now’ and ‘top rated’ to find a shortlist, but you can search a phrase like ‘family friendly dinner’ to find restaurants with reviews that match what you’re looking for.
Day 3: historic sites and eats
- Morning: See London from the river on one of the many boat tours. One option is to take the River Boat (currently sponsored by Uber) commuter boat and head down to Greenwich for the morning. You can see cool sites like the Cutty Sark, as well as some gorgeous architecture, and if it’s a nice day go for a stroll around Greenwich Park and up to the Royal Observatory. And if you fancy making a proper occasion of it, we recently tried the City Cruises afternoon tea cruise which is a lovely and family-friendly way to see the skyline.
- For lunch: check out the historic east London pie and mash from Goddard’s, who’ve been serving it since 1890. The iconic dish is a minced beef pie with mash and liquor gravy – delicious!
- Afternoon: London’s famed West End has some brilliant kid-friendly shows, like The Lion King, Mary Poppins and Matilda – and if nothing else, a walk around Leicester Square is pretty mesmerising. You can usually get matinee afternoon tickets for these shows which is better with children, but if you have a baby then this one may not work for you.
- Another option if you have slightly older children and can afford to splurge, is to have afternoon tea at The Ritz. It is truly iconic and I’ve done it twice and know as a young girl I’d have loved it. But if you fancy trying this famed tradition with younger kids, this afternoon tea boat trip is worth checking out.
- Evening: If your baby will give you a bit of peace and quiet for an hour, then head over to Shoreditch and grab a curry from one of the many eateries on Brick Lane. Check out TripAdvisor for the latest reviews, but many of these curry houses have been around for years and years and they aren’t particularly fancy so perfectly safe for going with kids.
Other restaurants I love are Six by Nico (rotating tasting menus) and Dans le Noir (dining in the dark – definitely a novelty and not particularly child friendly!).
Best things to do in London with babies and toddlers: your checklist
Museums and galleries
- Natural History Museum (Adventure Babies do a great sensory class there)
- Science Museum
- V&A Museum of Childhood
- Transport Museum (toddlers love this!)
Parks and outdoors
- Hyde Park (good playgrounds, and boats to play with)
- Diana Memorial Playground
- Greenwich Park
- Regent’s Park
Indoor attractions for bad weather
- Frameless (sensory art – we absolutely love it here)
- Sea Life Aquarium
- Paddington Bear Experience
- London Zoo
Baby-specific / toddler activities
- Baby sensory classes
- Soft play centres and kids cafes (we love Mome)
- Thames boat rides
- Feed ducks in parks
Family day trips from London
Some of the best family-friendly day trips out of London include:
- The London Zoo is really good if seeing animals is something your children enjoy
- Harry Potter Warner Bros Studio Tour – train from London Euston to Watford Junction then taxi or bus
- Windsor Castle, Windsor – train from Vauxhall to Windsor & Eton Riverside or Elizabeth Line out of Paddington to Slough and change to Windsor & Eton Central. See my full guide to exploring Windsor
- Legoland, Windsor – train from London Paddington to Slough and taxi
- Kew Gardens, Kew – District tube line from central London
- Oxford – trains from London Paddington
- Cambridge – trains from Kings Cross
Baby-friendly day trips from London by train
For overnight stays, I recommend Bath (trains from London Paddington) and the Cotswolds (Kingham, Chipping Norton or Stow-on-the-Wold are good bases). Over on this blog article I share several Airbnbs that I visited that were child-friendly and very lovely! If you have longer in the UK, I can recommend Devon and Shropshire as two lovely areas to explore – quite the contrast to the big city!
And if you fancy doing something even more exciting, why not take the Eurostar? I recently did a day trip to Lille with my 5 month old and a few other mum friends, and it was surprisingly easy!
Getting around London with a pram
First things first, download two app:
- BubbaMaps, which shows 100s of baby changing locations across London. While we’re on the subject, department stores like John Lewis usually have really good changing and feeding areas too.
- Citymapper to easily get directions from A to B and set your route to step-free, as navigating the tube with a pram isn’t always easy. In London this can sometimes mean you need to travel a few tube stops longer to get a lift and then walk to your destination.
Pram-friendly transport options
- 🚌 Buses – roll straight on, cheap, frequent
- 🚤 River boats – scenic, pram spaces, unique experience
- 🚕 Black cabs – knowledgeable drivers, faster than Uber and prams allowed
- 🚇 Step-free tube – fast but limited station access
- 🚶 Walking – free, flexible, with great views along the Thames Path
Pro tip: Download Citymapper app and set preferences to “step-free” for automatic pram-friendly route planning.
Things to know:
- To buy a ticket on London transport, simply use contactless or Apple Pay to tap in and out on all of these options, so there’s no need to use an Oyster card anymore.
- Tube tips: not all stations have lifts. TFL’s full London transport route map but save their step-free map for handy pram guidance and plan ahead. Note in London there’s a few different tube like systems: the underground, the DLR and the overground, plus trains.
- The IFS Cable Car is also handy and pram-friendly for crossing the river near the O2 and London Docklands. It’s good fun, and offers fantastic views.
If you’re travelling in via Heathrow, you’ll want to get the Heathrow Express as it’s much quicker, but book in advance as it’s a lot cheaper (and you just pick the day, not the time). For Gatwick-bound trips, you can get frequent trains into London Bridge and other stations (you can buy these tickets on the Trainline app or from a machine at the airport/train station). London Stansted airport to the city is best done via the Stansted Express into Liverpool Street station.
Major tourist attractions: best step-free tube access
| Attraction | Nearest step-free station | Alternative step-free routes |
|---|---|---|
| Natural History Museum | South Kensington | Gloucester Road |
| Hyde Park | Hyde Park Corner | Marble Arch, Green Park |
| Covent Garden | Leicester Square | Holborn (short walk) |
| Borough Market | London Bridge | Bermondsey (10 min walk) |
| Greenwich | Cutty Sark DLR | Take riverboat instead |
| Tower Bridge | Tower Hill | London Bridge |
| Houses of Parliament / Big Ben | Westminster | St James’s Park |
| Buckingham Palace | Green Park | Victoria |
Family-friendly accommodation in London
The main question you need to answer is whether you want to stay super centrally, likely in a hotel, and cut on travel time. Or stay in a calmer and more family-friendly Airbnb with more space a bit further out, but with slightly longer travel times. My preference is the latter as I feel you see more of the real London then following the swarms at Buckingham Palace back to a city centre tourist hotel, and in this article I recommend an Airbnb in Poet’s Corner near Brixton, but there’s hundreds of options that would fit the bill. If hotels are your thing, I’ve shared 15 of the best, from budget to luxury.
If you’re just starting to look at locations, I particularly like the following areas for family-friendly stays that are packed with personality:
- South East London: Greenwich
- South West London: Clapham, Brixton, Herne Hill, Putney, Wimbledon
- East London: Royal Victoria and Docklands
- North London: Highbury and Islington, St John’s Wood
London with baby: frequently asked questions
Very! London has excellent baby facilities, pram-friendly buses, step-free stations, and most attractions welcome families. Department stores like John Lewis have dedicated baby areas.
Use the step-free tube map and Citymapper app set to accessible routes. When in doubt, buses are always pram-friendly and often faster for short distances.
South London areas like Greenwich, Clapham, or Brixton offer family-friendly accommodation with character, while central hotels provide convenience. Choose based on your priorities: space vs. location.
Yes – all major attractions have feeding areas, department stores have comfortable nursing rooms, and breastfeeding is legally protected in all public spaces.
London has excellent indoor alternatives: museums, shopping centers, covered markets like Borough Market, and attractions like Frameless or Sea Life Aquarium.
Babies typically get free entry to attractions and free transport. Budget £50-80/day for mid-range activities and meals, or £100-150+ for premium experiences.
verything! Boots pharmacies are everywhere for nappies/formula, Tesco/M&S for food, and John Lewis for equipment. No need to overpack.
Very safe. Tourist areas are well-patrolled, locals are helpful with prams on stairs, and emergency services are excellent. Standard city precautions apply.
3-4 days covers main sights comfortably with baby pace. Longer stays allow for day trips to Windsor, Bath, or the Cotswolds.
Best day out with toddler: Morning at Diana Memorial Playground (bring picnic!), lunch at nearby cafe, afternoon at London Transport Museum (interactive, they love the buses), evening ride on London bus (double decker thrills toddlers). Alternative: Greenwich Park morning (rolling hills!), Cutty Sark ship, riverboat back to central London. Toddlers need lots of outdoor space – focus on parks and playgrounds.
Loads! All major museums free (Natural History, Science, British Museum, V&A), all parks free (Hyde Park, Greenwich, Regent’s Park), baby changing free at museums/department stores, riverfront walks, Changing of Guard, South Bank, Greenwich, st Paul’s exterior, exploring neighborhoods. Budget £20-40/day for food – everything else can be free.
Partially. Use TfL’s step-free tube map and Citymapper app (set to accessible). Many central stations have lifts but some don’t (Covent Garden notorious!). Buses always pram-friendly and often faster for short distances. Best pram-friendly lines: Elizabeth Line, DLR, Overground. Avoid: very deep stations, rush hour, Circle/District in central London.
Also, under-5s travel completely free on all London transport (tube, buses, trains, DLR, trams, river boats). No ticket needed. Just walk on with child. 5-10 year olds get child fares. Adults use contactless (no Oyster needed anymore).
Use BubbaMaps app (shows 100s of locations). Best spots: John Lewis stores (excellent facilities), all major museums (Natural History, Science, British Museum have good changing areas), Westfield shopping centres, major train stations. Most central London cafes have changing but often small. Department stores = best facilities.
Have you tackled London with a baby? I’d love to hear what worked for you – drop your tips or questions in the comments below or on Instagram @LittleBritsAbroad.
As always – enjoy the adventure!
Allie, Jack and baby R x
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