Legoland Windsor with 3 year olds and a 9 month old

What can I say... The day was filled with smiles and excitement from the moment we left our house to the moment our chaps went to bed – a 3^rd birthday to remember! 

I had never been to Legoland, much to the distain of my now 26 year old! I never really understood what all the fuss was about and was always told it was just an expensive day out. However a new mummy friend went a few weeks ago and stayed in the hotel resort too. Her children were gushing with stories and so I decided to take our chap for his 3^rd birthday with his best friend to see what all the fuss was about and we weren’t disappointed.

The excitement began the moment we woke, as we were travelling in one car and so the boys were sitting together. There was a jam on the M4 – surprise – but we managed to only add ½ hr on our journey time and arrived in good spirits, the weather was favourable too.

As you enter Legoland you are faced with a few buildings housing shops, eateries and toilets and a few Lego figures to wet your appetite and then as you enter the world beneath you are greeted with two enormous dragons (which happen to be one of Freddie’s favourite animals at the moment) and they matched the boys coats too so they decided they had one each!

From then on the day became a whirlwind of fun and excitement. Our first port of call was the Dragons Apprentice. A smallish roller coaster just enough for little people to get a thrill. The boys couldn’t go on together as we had a baby with us but enjoyed watching each other and this was the first of many squeals of delight. (note riders have to be at least a meter tall for many of the rides and some 1.3). The queue was pretty long, there is a Lego table for the kids to play half way which kept them entertained for a while, but the thought of queuing for more rides with 3 year olds and baby wasn’t something we were looking forward to, so we made the decision to purchase a Q-Bot. This made the day a breeze. It costs £15 a head but really is worth every penny as you can pre-book a ride and it does the queuing for you– leaving you to explore the park – it took all the pressure out of the day)

Back to Legoland itself...

I could write a full essay but know that this wouldn’t get read so here are some highlights that our boys especially enjoyed:

Atlantis

This new underwater voyage is a must for everyone! Freddie didn’t stop squeeling, SHARK MUMMY! LOOK FISH MUMMY! LOOK STINGRAY MUMMY! MUMMY! MUMMY! LOOK!  You cannot book this with your Q Bot but the queue keeps moving so you shouldn’t have to wait too long..

Pirate play ground

Brilliant pirate play ground for older children with rope bridges, wooden climbing frames and more...

Miniland

A whole world of miniature cities, land marks, rocket stations. trains and more.

Driving School

There are two areas for your little ones to learn to drive 3-5 year olds and over 6. The concentration was intense!

Theatre

We didn’t have time to catch the 4D experience but did watch a lovely little theatre show, which gave us time to sit and have a coffee!

Orient Expedition

Great little train ride around the Legoland park area where you can get a good view of all the activities, rides and Lego dragons and dinosaurs.

Pirates Splash

Has to be one of my favs, a slow boat ride passing pirates, parrots and treasure with a big drop at the end – you will get wet!

We went on lots of other rides and took part in different activities but really only touched the surface. We decided that we wanted to finish the day with a big finale, The Dragon, a faster meaner roller coaster than our boys had ever been on, our Q-Bot came good, and our time slot was perfect just 10 minutes before the rides close. It was a brilliant end to a fantastic day and we will be back for more – our boys will make sure of it!

Tot Friendly rating

There is plenty to do for under 5s and good baby changing facilities throughout the park, there are also little buggies to use if you want. If you want to go on rides and have young children we would suggest a Q-Bot, it really will make your visit that much more enjoyable allowing you to enjoy the park between rides. Be warned that you will have to face a lengthy queue at the end of your day as there is only one road out. We made sure we had some snacks available and our little chaps were very contended.

Price: At the moment you can get 40% off on-line here  full price can be a little expensive - but no more than other attractions of the same quality, and there are so many offers now that if you search the internet or keep an eye out on products and supermarkets you will find 2 for 1 and discount offers that will bring the price down.

Legoland Windsor is aimed at families with children under 12 and for the under 5s we give it 4.5 stars out of 5 but with a Q Bot we give it a 5!

A Tot-tastic day out!
Visit the Legoland Website for more details.

The Bug and The Butterfly

A charming little production about an insect falling in love with a butterfly for toddlers.

This was little Freddie’s first ever theatre production and he was transfixed for the whole time. At just 30 minutes it had been especially adapted for toddlers from 18 months and it worked! The production fuses dance, music with English and Spanish text. The kids seemed to enjoy it but it perhaps lacked some of the cheesier elements of a children’s production. In a sense it was quite grown-up in style (so appealed to us parents too), being quite arty and clever in its delivery.

It was also our first visit to the Arts Depot and the small theatre this production was performed in is a perfect size for little people with only a few rows of seats. There is a little cafe and soft play area keeping the little ones entertained before the theatre doors open! The Arts Depot have regular productions for under 5s as do other theatres around the UK. If you want to visit a show take a look at what's on in the theatre section on Tot Friendly and remember we add new shows on a regular basis. Panto list coming soon!

What to do on a wet and cold Sunday with a toddler?

Museum of London Docklands and Baby Loves Disco!


Yesterday we were pleased to have planned a good day out which didn’t depend on what the weather decided to throw at us! We filled the slow cooker with beef, vegetables, herbs spices etc plugged it in and off we went...



Freddie hiding in Sailortown

 Our first stop was Museum of London Docklands (it took about 40 mins to get there from Hertford just enough time for Freddie to have his little toddler nap). The museum itself is free but it did cost £5 to park. We began our journey in the Mudlarks section, a great little set up for children. Freddie is only 17 months and so didn’t really understand what was on offer but had fun all the same.

There is a soft play area for toddlers under a meter tall and there are lots of hands-on activities for older children. To reduce overcrowding entry is via ticket only (sessions are about 40 mins) and are collected (for free) at the front desk as you enter the museum. Once your session is over, you are free to grab another ticket (space permitting) or as we did, enjoy the rest of the museum. There are some great things to see and Freddie enjoyed all three floors (and behaved!).

We all particularly enjoyed Sailortown, a life size reconstruction of streets around Wapping from the 1840s 50s. Stepping through the doors you are transported back 150 years to the dark, winding streets. ‘The gallery attempts to recreate the contemporary description of the area: “both foul and picturesque” – the area was a maze of streets, lanes and alleys catering to the men ashore from vessels from all over the world.’ MOLD

There are baby changing facilities (although the one on the main floor was locked, apparently due to the nappy bin being too full!). The whole museum is fully accessible and we had a lovely snack in the museum restaurant which has highchairs for little ones. There is a children’s menu on offer @ £4.95 a pop but this is free with an adult paying guest ordering from the main menu.

Following lunch we headed for a totally different vibe to Baby Loves Disco. Usually £9 for all walking humans we were lucky enough to get a complimentary family pass.

The music was a great selection of 70s and 80s disco, which I defy anyone not to tap their toes too! Freddie enjoyed it watch him here - sorry side ways on! There was, as you would expect, a DJ and dance floor with good acoustics and a few bubbles thrown in. A nice touch was the chill out area with soft lighting and plenty of toys, books, cushions etc to keep babies, toddlers and beyond amused, as well as free drink and food for the kids. The whole event lasts for 3 hours and so makes the £9 per head not sound too bad...

An ideal place to go with a group of friends where you can let off some steam on the dance floor with your little ones, or sit on the periphery and catch up while the children tire themselves out...

Go Freddie! First club and you managed to get on the guest list!!!!

Tired out by the days excitement Freddie had a little cat nap on the way home and we were greeted with the smell of our dinner as we walked into the house, whoever said rain stops play!?

Duxford Museum - great for young children!

My little chap can’t contain his excitement when he sees an aeroplane flying high in the sky, with an excited pointed finger he grunts and squeals and is in toddler heaven. What better place to visit then I thought, than Duxford Museum on America Day. It didn’t disappoint obviously with planes galore and to feed his boyish addictions there were cars too – he also loves wheels and makes ridiculous brrrrr brrr sounds even when he sees a wheelbarrow at the allotment! There was a delebelela (dog in toddler talk) display and birdman showed off his skills with his owls and hawks – so all in all my 15 month little chap had fun. If you haven’t paid Duxford a visit it’s a must to put on your list of things to do, even if only to marvel at the grounded planes and tanks and enjoy the vast space – great toddler and kiddie energy buster!


If you want to visit on display day check out their website for details of what’s coming up or keep visiting the Tot Friendly calendar.

West Wittering Beach - West Sussex - perfect for toddlers!

Last week we decided to take a last minute break in the UK and leave Hertfordshire and London behind! We were fortunate to know a couple who had just renovated their lovely barn in West Sussex and were happy to rent it out to us at short notice. Located in West Sussex we were unsure what we were heading for as neither of us (hubby or I) had ever been here for a holiday. We were pleasantly surprised; the beach at West Wittering was absolutely amazing! Perfect bucket and spade sand with a safe sloping beach front ideal for toddlers and small children. Little Freddie’s first visit to the seaside in the UK was a great experience, he delighted at the waves and dug furiously with his spade, although at 15 months he didn’t really understand the sand castle business! West Wittering beach is large and sandy and so doesn’t feel ridiculously busy, dogs are allowed on certain areas and it is also a Blue Flag beach. A lovely seaside town called Bosham is also worth a visit, and at high has some of its road covered by the sea.

Willows Farm Village

Willows Farm Village - Hertfordshire
This may go down as the discovery of the year for us. We’ve lived in Hertfordshire for years and can't believe we’ve only just come across this fabulous farming complex which ticks all the boxes for an ideal family day-out. In fact it is much more than just a farm. Animals yes but also play areas (swings, trampolines, bouncy castles, huge slides, go-carts), kids shows for all ages, tractor rides and an intelligently designed maize set in the corn fields. The whole centre is sympathetically designed within the natural environment of Willow Farm and there are plenty of kid orientated shops as well as a farm shop and restaurant.
Freddie loved the pigs!