Tiny tots visit: London Transport Museum

London in the 1920s and 1930s © London Transport Museum

Being a Scot, I'm normally averse to paying for a museum visit, but the London Transport Museum now gives you unlimited entry for a year. With a bus-obsessed three-year-old, I know I'll get my money's worth, so we headed there last week.

Mum liked: Having a peek inside the brand new London Routemaster bus, although disappointingly, there's a pole in the way of one of the buggy spaces, so squeezing two prams in could be tricky.

Dad liked: Spotting a horse-drawn number 12 bus, which followed the same basic route as it does today.

Tiny tot 1 liked: Getting behind the wheel of a bus and climbing to the top deck of an old Routemaster.

Tiny tot 2 liked: Playing with wooden trains in the All Aboard kiddie zone.

Sum it up: The museum guides you chronologically through London's public transport history, from the first bus and boat services to the building of the world's oldest underground railway to 21st-century interactive bus stops. An impressive collection of objects and vehicles is beautifully laid out and you can actually climb aboard many of the buses, trains and trams in the main hall. Will we see the soon-to-be-defunct bendy buses next year?

Facilities: Both kids loved the All Aboard area for children under 6. As well as toy trains, it has miniature buses and taxis which kids can drive. Thankfully, the bus has a steering wheel at every seat to avoid a mini riot over the driver's position. Right by this area is a simple cafe selling mini sandwiches and treats (and larger portions too). There are also tables where you can eat your own packed lunch. Baby change and loos are upstairs, along with a fun space for 6-to-11-year-olds with activities and costumes. Once you leave the exhibition, you'll find yourself in a shop full of books, posters, postcards, toys and souvenirs - well worth visiting for that tricky-to-buy-for relative at Christmas. There's a more interesting-looking cafe above the shop, which we'll save for another visit.

And if you've not seen enough: The Museum Depot in Acton, which holds most of collection, houses over 370,000 objects. It opens for monthly guided tours and occasional weekends.

Cost: £13.50 for adults (ticket valid for a year); free for children under 16.
More info: www.ltmuseum.co.uk

Interview with KidsTravel2

KidsTravel2 interviewed me this week on my experiences travelling with children.

Read the interview and check out their lovely range of children's luggage and travel accessories.

VW campervans in the Scottish Borders

Heidi © Classic Camper Holidays

Who can resist an old-fashioned family holiday in a VW campervan? Classic Camper Holidays, near Selkirk in the Scottish Borders, have three gorgeous vans for hire - Heidi, Daisy and Bluebell.

Bluebell and Heidi are restored 1970s vans, while Daisy is a new Danbury T2 (I don't know what that means either, but she looks lovely). All are beautifully fitted and kitted with cooker, fridge, fold-out chairs, kitchen gear and a petrol-fired heater (handy for chilly mornings - let's not kid ourselves, Scotland isn't famed for its heatwaves). Heidi and Daisy sleep a family of four, while Bluebell has a bunk for a mini tot and room for a travel cot.

For an extra cost, you can treat yourself to a solar-powered shower, camping loo, bike rack or travel games. 

From £210 (three-day hire); www.classic-camper-holidays.co.uk

Bluebell's interior © Classic Camper Holidays

Tiny tots visit: V&A Museum of Childhood

Inside the museum © V&A Museum of Childhood

This week we spent a few hours at the V&A Museum of Childhood in London for its Toddlers Take Over day.

Mum liked: The Judith Kerr retrospective (runs until 4 September 2011), with wonderful illustrations, snippets and history from the author of The Tiger Who Came to Tea, Mog and When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit. (Did you know Pink Rabbit is autobiographical?)

Tiny tot 1 liked: Lounging in Mog's bed, playing with giant tins of tiger food, listening to storytelling and having a boogie with Amanda's Action Club.

Tiny tot 2 liked: Sitting in the sandpit and tucking into Mum's frittata.

Sum it up: The museum is a perfect size for young children, with two main floors housing a mixture of permanent displays (from exquisite dolls' houses to 1970s Fisher Price toys to games consoles) and temporary exhibitions. Most of the toys are safely out of reach in glass cases, but there's plenty of hands-on stuff to keep tots busy, as well as a lovely sensory area to chill out in and the aforementioned sandpit.

Facilities: The benugo cafe was serving up quiche (portions on the small side and disappointing salads), macaroni cheese, sandwiches and yummy baked goods, although nothing took the fancy of my fussy toddler. You can also bring a picnic to eat in the garden. There's a buggy park, baby changing space and a feeding room, plus a lovely shop selling quirky gifts.

Cost: Free.
More info: www.vam.ac.uk/moc

Infant airfares: worth buying a seat?

Buying a seat for your baby can sometimes work out cheaper than paying the infant fare. For example, Ryanair charges from £9.99 for a one-way flight, but you'll pay £20 single for a child under two.

The research, by travelsupermarket, also found parents are being charged extortionate amounts to hire car seats. Yet many airlines allow you to put a car seat in the hold free of charge.

Read the full story from The Guardian.

And if you decide to buy your tot a seat, you might want to check out which airlines allow car seats on board.

Kent and East Sussex coast: family holiday homes

Hoy Cottage © www.babyfriendlyboltholes.co.uk

Hoy Cottage, Whitstable
The traditional exterior of this cottage masks a sleek, ultra-modern, architect-designed pad. Sleeping six (plus babies), the house could feature in a glossy interiors magazine with its high-spec kitchen, contemporary furnishings and gadgets galore. Wide French windows open onto decking, so kids can thunder in and out to their hearts’ content. The owners are parents of twins and have ensured the place is overloaded with toys and baby kit. If you can drag yourself away from all the mod cons, this place is just a street away from the beach.
From £1,295 for seven nights in summer; www.babyfriendlyboltholes.co.uk

Dunescape © www.dunescape.co.uk 

Dunescape, Camber
This eco home was built in 2007, with solar-powered hot water, geothermal heating and a grass roof. The house is spread over three floors with two bedrooms sleeping up to five. You’re seconds from the beach, so no moans from tired tots on the way home. Loads of light via floor-to-ceiling windows, luxurious organic cotton sheets and a delightfully-sounding posture-paedic mattress for the grown-ups. Kids can curl up under cute seaside bedding. Local artwork is a nice touch. And – joy! – a table tennis table.
Fully booked in summer 2011; £520 for seven nights in autumn/winter; www.dunescape.co.uk

Regency Beach Apartment © www.mulberrycottages.com

Regency Beach Apartment, Ramsgate
A lovely, two-bedroom, modern seaside flat in a traditional Regency terrace. Both rooms (one king, one twin) have bathrooms, so you won’t have to share your bath with an assortment of wind-up toys. For the kids, there are comfy beanbags to lounge on, jigsaws, a cot and highchair. If you’re feeling energetic, there’s a shared gym in the building, but better to step out into the communal gardens, stroll along the promenade and treat yourself to an ice-cream. The marina, beach and numerous cafes and bars are minutes away.
From £520 for seven nights; www.mulberrycottages.com

Bubble Bum car seat

©www.bubblebum.co.uk

This brilliant inflatable booster seat saves hiring a dodgy old car seat (complete with broken straps and a year's worth of crumbs) when you're abroad. It weighs less than 1kg and can easily be packed into hand luggage when deflated. Suitable for travellers aged 3 to 11.
£29.99; www.bubblebum.co.uk