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Show Review: Justin Time To Rock
Justin Time to Rock, Churchill Theatre Bromley, 11am Saturday 25th October 2025.
There’s nothing like rocking up to a theatre with the tannoy blasting “one minute until showtime“, but we managed to get to our seats just in time for show to start.
Sat in Row H at Bromley’s Churchill Theatre, we had the perfect view to see Justin and his band, Cha Cha, Stix, Bubbles and Sunny.
For many families, Justin Fletcher needs no introduction. Best known to millions of young viewers as Mr Tumble from Something Special, his live shows are a natural extension of his warm, inclusive approach to children’s entertainment.
Justin Time to Rock was our third time seeing Justin Fletcher live in about 6 months, after a fantastic time at Camp Bestival and at a Butlins Tots break. I’m starting to feel like a mega fan, especially as me and the pre-schooler were both singing along to some of the less well known songs.
What did we love?
This was a brand new show, and after 25 years in the business it is clear to see that Justin Fletcher knows exactly what he is doing.
Each of the scenes were short and snappy which kept people’s attention, with a mix of pop songs, actions to follow, clapping and some classic party songs to ensure everyone joins in.
There was a baddie, lots of pantomime shouting, dancing and the occasional air guitar! Leave your inhibitions at home and dance like you are 3 years old.
Bubbles, confetti, balloons and fireworks all added to our enjoyment.
Anything we didn’t enjoy?
One thing we didn’t need, was the 20 minute interval. The kids would have been happy without it, and it tipped us past our normal lunch time which caused a bit of fidgeting and asking for extra snacks.
As there was a baddie, the lights went down a bit, and the music became a bit ominous which made the pre-schooler a bit nervous, but he soon recovered with the next song. It may be something worth considering if you have a sensitive child – and preparing them in advance for loud noises, fireworks, etc.
Would I recommend?
Yes! Especially if you have someone in your life who has grown up on Something Special. The way Justin interacts with the audience, both children and adults alike really is something special. It’s also a great introduction into theatre for children, a no one minds if your children make a noise – in fact, making a noise is encouraged, especially if it’s audience participation!
The pre-schooler gave a great review of ‘I liiiiked it’ and ‘I really liked the bubbles, balloons and music’.
Justin Fletcher, Family Theatre, Bromley Events, Churchill theatre, CBeebies, Family Days Out, Kids Theatre, Mr Tumble, Justin Time To Rock
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Perfect Day in Magic Kingdom With a Toddler: Our Mum & Two-Year-Old Adventure
Are you planning a trip to Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom with a toddler and wondering how much you can actually do in one day? Here’s a detailed look at what my two-year-old and I managed to experience in just one magical day — with the help of Early Entry and Lightning Lane access.
This itinerary is perfect for families with little ones who want a mix of fun, character interactions, gentle rides, and Disney treats!
✅ Quick Overview: What We Did in One Day at Magic Kingdom
- Focused on Tomorrowland and Fantasyland
- Used Early Entry and Lightning Lane for minimal wait times
- Experienced 15+ rides and attractions
- Enjoyed snacks, lunch, the 3pm parade, and character meet-and-greets
- Visited Art of Animation Resort, rode the Skyliner, and ended the day at the Dolphin Hotel
🚎 Starting the Day: Main Street U.S.A. & Castle Photos
We kicked off our Magic Kingdom morning by riding the charming double-decker omnibus up Main Street, U.S.A. It’s a delightful way to take in the sights with a toddler and avoid the early morning crowds.
Next up: Photos in front of Cinderella Castle — a must-do and great for Memory Maker!
🚀 Tomorrowland Fun With Early Entry
Because we had Early Theme Park Entry (available to Disney Resort hotel guests), we walked straight on to Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin with no wait at all. We even had a Lightning Lane for it later, but we didn’t end up needing it!
Then we explored more of Tomorrowland:
- PeopleMover – A relaxing ride with great views
- Tomorrowland Speedway – Always a toddler favorite!
- Grabbed a quick snack: Mickey Pretzel + Popcorn (because… Disney snacks = essential)
🎠 Fantasyland Highlights (With Lightning Lane Wins!)
Next, we moved on to Fantasyland — perfect for little ones.
Here’s what we rode:
- Mad Tea Party (Teacups)
- Dumbo the Flying Elephant – Our first Lightning Lane of the day! We rode it twice (just asked to stay on!)
- Under the Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid
- Prince Charming Regal Carrousel – We rode this twice!
- The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
- “It’s a Small World” – A timeless classic
- Peter Pan’s Flight – We used Lightning Lane here too!
This whole area is dreamy for toddlers, with plenty of space to wander and characters to spot.
🍽️ Lunch at Tomorrowland Terrace
For lunch, we headed back to Tomorrowland Terrace, where we found shaded seating and classic quick-service meals. A great rest stop before powering on through the afternoon!
🎉 The Magic Continues: Parade & Character Meets
- Watched the 3:00 PM Festival of Fantasy Parade — don’t miss this! The music, floats, and characters kept my toddler completely mesmerized.
- Met the Wicked Stepsisters from Cinderella — hilarious and surprisingly interactive!
- Met Mirabel from Encanto — such a special moment, especially if your little one loves the movie.
We also made the most of PhotoPass opportunities throughout the park for those frame-worthy memories.
🚂 Riding the Magic Kingdom Railroad
A great mid-day rest for little legs — we rode the Magic Kingdom Railroad all around the park. It’s scenic, peaceful, and toddler-approved.
🏁 Evening Adventures: Art of Animation & Skyliner Views
After our day in Magic Kingdom, we caught the bus to Disney’s Art of Animation Resort. My toddler LOVED the arcade and was beyond thrilled to meet Lightning McQueen — his absolute favorite character!
We wrapped up our day with:
- A relaxing ride on the Disney Skyliner to EPCOT
- Then a peaceful boat ride back to our hotel: the Walt Disney World Dolphin
The perfect ending to a magical day.
✨ Final Thoughts: Can You Do Magic Kingdom in One Day With a Toddler?
Absolutely — with a bit of planning, Early Entry, and Lightning Lane access, you can enjoy a full and magical day in Magic Kingdom with a little one.
Key takeaways:
- Prioritize Tomorrowland and Fantasyland for toddler-friendly rides
- Use Lightning Lanes wisely (especially for Peter Pan, Dumbo, and Speedway)
- Take breaks with the railroad, snacks, or a slower-paced ride like PeopleMover
- Don’t underestimate the joy of character interactions and parades
🧒 Planning Your Own Magic Kingdom Toddler Day?
Want help planning your own Magic Kingdom itinerary with kids under 5? Let me know in the comments or send me a message — I’d love to share tips!
🎟️ Safe travels and have a magical day at Walt Disney World! ✨
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Family Travel Guide: Car Seats & Transport at Disney World
I just returned from our first family trip to Walt Disney World in Florida with my tw year old son, and learnt a lot about car seats and safe travelling in my search. Here’s everything I learnt!
What are the car seat rules in the US?
So, the USA is trickier than travelling in Europe, and most of the rest of the world. Any car seats used must meet FMVSS 213 requirements.
Each state has their own laws and requirements. Florida requires children up to 5 to be in a car or booster seat.
What are the travel options from Orlando Airport (MCO) to Walt Disney World Resort?
There are a few ways to travel from MCO to Walt Disney World (WDW) Resort in Orlando.
- Hire a car (best if you’re staying in a Villa)
- Taxi, like Uber or Lyft
- Mears Connect
- Private hire firm (a pre-booked taxi)
What are the travel options once you’re in Walt Disney World Resort?
There are so many ways to get around Walt Disney World.
- Skyliner
- Buses
- Monorail
- Boats
- Minnie Vans (these include car seats, but are more expensive than Lyft/Uber – you can order the Minnie Vans through Lyft)
- Lyft
Friendship Boat 
Buses 
Monorail 
Skyliner 
Sally What did we do on our Walt Disney World Trip?
We initially made a reservation with the Mears Connect bus, as there is no requirement for car seats on a bus. However, when we arrived, there were people who’d already been waiting an hour or more. The staff couldn’t assist us when we asked how long we may end up waiting, so after 2 days of trying to get to Orlando (a cancelled flight and a story for another day!), I booked an Uber with a car seat to get us from MCO to Dolphin Hotel. It cost £44 in June 2025.
We were meant to get the Mears Connect back to the airport, however we wanted to have a few hours in the park before we left and given the awful service on the way to Walt Disney World, I cancelled our booking. We returned to the airport using an Uber with a car seat. It was a brand new Nuna, and the app had a video as well as instructions on how to install it safely. I was pretty impressed!
On days we went to Magic Kingdom or Disney Springs, I hired a Minnie Van using Lyft as I wanted to guarantee a car seat. The Mickey cartoons in the van helped my son to relax before or after a big day in the parks. Dolphin Hotel to Magic Kingdom cost $40-50 each way, which is much, much more than a standard Lyft would be. We could have taken the buses, but we were only in Orlando for a short period of time, that I wanted to maximise our park time. If you’re on a budget, I’d definitely just factor in timings for the shuttle buses.
Blizzard Beach to Dolphin hotel cost $30 in June 2025. Dolphin Hotel to Disney Springs cost $40 in June 2025. Both of these trips were in a Minnie Van. These trips would be at least $10 cheaper in a standard Lyft.
From Dolphin or Swan Hotels to Animal Kingdom, the resort bus actually gets you really close to the entrance. Me and my son were the only ones on our bus on the way there and one of four on the way home! It was probably around a 15 minute ride.
From Dolphin or Swan to Epcot and Hollywood Studios we took the boat! What a way to start your day – we absolutely loved our times on the boat. It was so relaxing. We very rarely queued for longer than 15 minutes (only when we had just missed a boat!).
When would I take or hire a car seat?
If you have an infant car seat + pushchair, I would personally just take that! This obviously only works if your little one is under c. 15 months, but it would save a lot of hassle trying to rent a car seat or ensure a good fit in a taxi seat.
If you are planning to stay in Orlando for a while, with lots of driving, in your own hire car, take a look at websites such Target or Walmart to get a cheap car seat. This will be a 100x better than a hire car seat, then at the end of your holiday you could either find a family or charity to pass it on to.
You could take your own travel car seat from the UK, but I would be concerned on the impact of whether this could invalidate some insurances if you were to get into an accident.
Have you travelled to the US and needed a car seat? What were your solutions? Let me know below!
Find out more about taking a car seat to other destinations here.
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Top Summer Activities for Families in Kent and Surrey
Whilst it feels like it’s been summer for months already, school is starting to finish, and the school holidays are upon us. Families are preparing for the delightful weeks ahead, filled with adventures and quality time together.
I’ve pulled together a list of my favourite activities in Kent and Surrey (and occasionally Sussex or London too!) to help give you inspiration for your summer holidays and long weekends. From picturesque nature trails to delightful seaside visits, there’s something for everyone to enjoy.
Explore the stunning landscapes of the Kent Downs or take a leisurely stroll along the banks of the River Thames.
If you’re looking for something more exhilarating, consider visiting one of the many adventure parks or alternatively, you could spend a day at the beach in Sussex, indulging in ice cream and soaking up the sun!
Whatever you choose, I hope this list sparks some creativity and excitement for your family’s summer plans!
Free days out
Free days out are the best. Why?
- They’re free
- If you’re not sure your toddler’s got a full day trip, but you just need to get out of the house!
So here’s a list of activities you can do!
- Forest and woods: Places like Limpsfield Chart, Outwood, Staffhurst Woods, and Ashdown Forest are great for taking a picnic or an afternoon stroll to keep out of the heat. We love the Ashdown Forest to tie into stories of Winnie the Pooh!
- Local parks: fancy a change from your local park, look further afield! You have small neighbourhood parks dotted around EVERYWHERE, then you have fantastic activity parks like Swanley Park just a short drive away. We love exploring parts of our local neighbourhood and trying to find secret playgrounds.
- River and Stream exploration: do you have a local shallow stream? Can you go and explore it – are there frogs, fish, dragonflies? What can you see?
- Treasure hunts: making something of your own, or using this from Twinkl, take a walk around your local area, seeing what you can spot! Can you spot a robin? A red car? Or a ginger cat? This helps with your kid’s observation skills, and gives you a bit of a purpose to being out of the house.
- Supermarket trips: Dread those supermarket shops? Delegate it to your toddler! Find a local supermaket that has mini-trolleys (Morrisons), or pull along basket, make a list together at home (using pictures if you child can’t read yet), and go and have a trip to the supermarket where your child gets to lead. They can then come home and help you make whatever it is you’ve bought, maybe a cake, or dinner!
Mid-priced days out!
Some of these require membership, like English Heritage (currently 25% off for the summer) or National Trust, but the days out listed are under £20pp, not including lunch!
- Seaside day out: we like Whitsable, Rye, Brighton (obvs) and is fairly easy on public transport, Dymchurch, Camber Sands, Hastings and Eastbourne are all within 90minutes of East Surrey.
- Local animal experiences: Experience the thrill of an owl flying over your head, or meeting some ferrets at Willow’s Bird of Prey Centre (£8.99 for an adult); Reuthes Alpaca Treks (£49 for 4 people) ; Becketts Farm near Dorking is amazing, Eagle Heights, or a day trip to Godstone Farm (£17.95 for ages 2+). Hobbledown Heath / Epsom are also not too far away, and have great adventure playgrounds for the kids!
- National Trust: We’re so lucky to have a lots of National Trust properties near us, places like Chartwell, Emmetts Garden, Standen House, Igtham Mote are all within an hour’s drive from East Kent – and all have activities on this summer! We love having our pass, and recommend asking for them for birthdays and christmas when the house is already looking full of toys!
- Historical exploration: Hever Castle, Eltham Palace, Darwins House, Lullingstone Roman Villa.
Special days out
These are the days that aren’t for every week, but from theme parks, to adventures, these are either full day trips, or days out where the price per person is more than £10.
- Merlin attractions, including Thorpe Park, Chessingtons, Legoland, and sea life centres – you could even tie in a visit to Shrek’s. If you want to visit further afield, places like Warwick Castle or Brighton Sealife centres are also included. To make it a bit cheaper, you could splash out on an annual pass –Merlin annual pass
- Paddington’s Adventures, London Southbank – this is a great immersive experience, it’s almost like an escape room for kids – and the theming is superb!
- Natural History Museum, Science Museum, and the V&A, followed by a run around Hyde Park makes for a cracking day out. Pre-book tickets in advance to make sure you’re not queuing for ages.
- A day to France! If you’re far enough south, treat yourself to a day to northern France. Dunkirk, Amiens, Le Touquet, Lille, are all close enough to drive (although it will be a long day!).
- A one or two day trip – try using skyscanner (‘everywhere’ to see if you can get any cheap flights and go somewhere you’ve never thought before! Looking today, an adult and a child could go to Ireland for £105 total for Weds 6th to Thurs 7th August, or Barcelona for £150, not including hotels. But what an adventure that could be!
Summary
The summer is long, but hopefully this has given you a few ideas for activities with your kids this summer!
Let me know below what you’re planning on doing this year!
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Essential Checklist for Traveling to the USA with a Toddler or Young Child (2025 Guide)
Ticking off the toddler’s 4th continent before his 3rd birthday, we recently travelled to the United States of America, or well, Florida, and I found getting everything in order before we left a bit of a challenge, so thought I’d share my list to help you on your travels! Flying to the US can be a bit daunting, so let me know below if you’ve got any questions!
Flying to the US with a toddler doesn’t need to be stressful! Non-Negotiable Travel Documents for the USA
Thinking about what documents do I need to travel to the US with a child? The list below should have you covered!
- ESTA. Use the US gov website, as it is the cheapest way to do it. Set aside at least 15 minutes per person to complete it. ESTA website. Make sure you have your hotel booked (or know where you’re staying in advance), as you’ll need to give contact details for where you’re staying in the US. If you have multiple locations, just complete with the first hotel you are staying in.
- Travel insurance. Make sure you’ve selected worldwide travel insurance, and that it includes the US. Use something like TravelSupermarket or another comparison site to get the best deal.
- Passport (check expiration dates for all the family!). For the US, your passport needs to ‘be valid for the length of your stay’, but if you are travelling elsewhere, it’ll need to have at least 6 months left. Read more on the UK gov website.
- Birth Certificate – if you are travelling alone with a child, or if you have different surnames, just in case you get challenged!
- A signed or notarised letter from the other parent, or parents, if the child is travelling with grandparents, or only one parent. Read more on the UK gov website.
- Ability to access something that proves you live in the UK – most of which you’ll have on your phone, like banking apps, or work emails etc.
- Ensure you have the address or at a very minimum, know the name of where you are staying.
I was travelling solo with my son, but luckily wasn’t asked for his birth certificate or letter from my husband, but I made sure I prepared as I have previously been asked quite seriously about my son’s names/passport/is he my son, when coming back into the UK passport control, one solo holiday to France.
I had a signed letter, with my husbands passport scanned on to it too. My son has my surname as a middle name, but has a different surname to me, which always seems to cause a few issues.
Important Things to Organise Before You Go
- Plane meals! Check if you can order a kids meal, or if you have special dietary requirements a specialist meal. If you have a diary allergy, we were told by a air steward who’s kid has a diary allergy, to order the ‘lactose free’ one, as actually it just doesn’t include any milk. Check out BA’s overview.
- Airport parking (if driving). With a toddler, we’ve found that valet parking at the airport is worth the extra cost, but extra convenience! It’s one of the closest locations at Gatwick and Heathrow to enter the airport, and not having to wait to get in your car after a long flight feels like absolute luxury!
- Travel to/from the UK airport
- Travel to/from the US airport
- Car hire in the US if needed
- Hotel in the US. This address is needed to complete your ESTA.
- Check your debit/credit card works overseas. I always just get cash out at an ATM on arrival!
- Check out what tv and films will be on the plane, so you know what to guide your child to!
- Download films and favourite tv shows. The morning you leave, pop your phone / iPad into airplane mode to confirm they work offline! Don’t repeat our issue of promising Hey Duggee, but iPlayer didn’t work!
- Make sure you don’t have anything disparaging about the US / government on your social media, just in case you are stopped.
Plane Prep: What to Pack for Flying with a Toddler
- Snacks, snacks and more snacks!
- a new toy – I like the small lego sets to take on the plane, as they aren’t too fiddly, and can usually keep my son’s attention for an hour or so. I use an Ikea drawer divider to keep the pieces together on the tray table, then a string bag to make sure no pieces go missing.
- Change of clothes for everyone (down to your socks!)
- A large muslin or thin blanket. We were provided with blankets, but I used a thin blanket as a foot rest – tucked into the tray table to help make the toddler more cosy.
- Travel and sticker books. Check out my recommendations here.
- Toddler over ear headphones. We have a pair like this, and whilst British Airways did have some for children, it’s probably best to get your toddler used to them in advance!
- Reusable bottles – you can fill up at the airports.
- Baby wipes, sterilising / anti-bac wipes, and anti-bac hand spray
- Portable potty or nappies. If you’re early in potty training – maybe take puppy pads to pop on the seat. Plane toilet seats actually aren’t too bad for toddlers to sit on as they seem to be smaller than normal toilets – but the noise of the plane / toilets can be a bit scary for a newly toilet trained kid.
Click here to check out our guide for transport in and around Walt Disney World.
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A week in Marrakech with a toddler
Top 10 Toddler-Friendly Things to Do in Marrakech (Family Guide)
🐪Exploring Marrakech 🇲🇦with a toddler? Here are some of our favourite places from our adventure! 🐫
- Le Jardin Secret 🪴This was our favourite garden as there were fewer crowds and more space to ourselves. They have fish in a (tiny) pond, and an irrigation system that runs along the pavement, which is a great spot for playing Pooh sticks / leaves to see how far they can travel!
- Jardin Marjoelle. This is the YSL garden that’s beautifully set up. It was so busy when we visited (4:30pm on a Friday), and everyone seemed to have main character energy ensuring there was only space for them to have photos, but had started emptying out by the time we left, so I think a later in the day booking is best. Also make sure you pre-book your tickets well in advance, as we were limited (plays the museum isn’t open on some days). We loved the museum and seeing all of Hamish Bowles YSL collection on display.
- The souks! 🛍️What trip to Marrakesh would be complete without a trip to the Souks? We had our toddler in a carrier (we used an Oscha ring sling, but we also use a Integra Solar) to keep him out of the way of the motorbikes but really we didn’t find it too crowded/dangerous (or any of the scare stories you see online!). Definitely haggle though – and start at about 30-40% of the price they initially state.
- Rooftop bars, restaurants and ice cream. We went to an amazing ice cream restaurant called Argana Marrakech which has ice cream and sorbet on the top floor overlooking the main square. We also ate at a few other rooftop restaurants which were great.
- Dar el Bacha. So the main draw of this is the Bacha Coffee shop, but that’s not really our jam, so we just visited the house / museum. Bit of a weird one as everything is pretty much from the 50s or younger, but the actual architecture is beautiful. We got there about 11am and all the tickets for the coffee shop were sold out, but the line into the museum went quickly.
- Visiting Camels. This was probably our highlight. We rode camels, but actually I don’t really know how I feel about it, but I would ride a horse, but not an elephant, so was conflicted with a camel, but the ones we rode appeared healthy, well looked after and were calm, plus they were great with the toddler – he gave them a massive hug at the end, which was very cute. Our hotel also had 3 camel, so we went to visit them daily! Camels are a new family fave!
- Bahia Palace. This was our favourite stately building of them all. It had a bit of earthquake damage from the 2024 earthquake, but the majority of the building was both spectacular and in good condition.
- A trip to the Atlas Mountains. We booked a private tour through Airbnb (as we thought with a toddler it would be easier to go at our own pace). The drive was a bit long, so next time we would look to spend a night in the mountains, but it was doable for a day trip, especially with someone else driving! We hiked up to a waterfall (which was quite busy and had some tricky parts, like uneven grounds, drops
- A pool day. We stayed in a hotel (Club Med La Palmeraie – let me know if you want a referral code for £200 discount!), which had an amazing kids pool area, then multiple other pools. We had a few pool only days, and would also pop to the pool before or after a trip into central Marrakech.
- Dinner at Narwama. Or a similar show type restaurant. But don’t make the same mistake we did – the shows don’t start until later (9:30ish), so don’t book dinner at 7pm like we did, as that’s a really long time to keep a toddler entertained! There was dancing, fire, etc!
Final thoughts: is Marrakech a good holiday for a toddler?
Yes! Mainly as the people we met were so friendly and welcoming to our son.
It’s so different in terms of culture, architecture, climate to the UK, and it feels like it’s the closest place you can have such a different experience.
If you’re not ready for Marrakech, why not take a trip to Grenada, and visit the Alhambra instead?
✈️ Planning a trip soon?
Let me know what you’ve got planned!
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A Day at the Natural History Museum London with Our Toddler
Our 2.5-year-old is deep in his dinosaur era — so where better to go than the iconic Natural History Museum in London? This was our first visit this year where we explored more than just the dinosaurs, and it ended up being one of our favourite family outings yet.
From awe-inspiring exhibits to surprising toddler-friendly moments, here’s what made it so great — plus our top tips for visiting the Natural History Museum with toddlers.
Why We Love the Natural History Museum for Toddlers
We’ve been several times, but this trip was a turning point:
- Our toddler was old enough to explore more independently and engaged with the interactive exhibits
- He asked (so many!) questions. There’s a wonderful kids guide book you can buy (which we’ll be bringing with us next time too!) which means you can continue the learning on the way home.
- He has so much more
- And yes — he is still absolutely obsessed with dinosaurs 🦖
As members of the Natural History Museum, we also avoided long queues and got free access to special exhibits like the Space exhibit – both big wins with a toddler in tow!
🦕 Our Top Tips for Visiting the Natural History Museum with a Toddler
🎟️ 1. Book Tickets or Get a Membership in Advance
If you’re visiting during weekends or school holidays, queues can be intense. Booking online or becoming a member helps you skip the wait — and gives you access to all temporary exhibitions.
🗺️ 2. Plan Your Route Before You Arrive
The museum is huge and can feel overwhelming. With a toddler, it helps to choose 2–3 key zones you want to visit. Our go-to route is:
- East Entrance
- Through the centre of the earth and experience an earthquake!
- Back down to the east entrance and through a cafe
- A snack break
- A featured exhibit (this time it was Space!)
- Dinosaurs
- Then back out through Hintze Hall and the main entrance.
This really only takes about 2-3 hours which is enough for a small child!
🪙 3. Try the Coin Presses for Budget-Friendly Souvenirs
Throughout the museum — especially in the dinosaur section — you’ll find coin pressing machines. For just a few pence, your toddler gets a memorable (and interactive!) keepsake.
🥙 4. Plan Your Lunch Strategically
The on-site cafes aren’t always great for special dietary needs (like dairy-free), and nearby restaurants get busy from 12pm.
Our tip: Visit the museum in the morning, then hop back to Victoria for a wider range of lunch spots with toddler-friendly menus.🦖 5. Prepare for the T. Rex Encounter
The animatronic T. rex is spectacular but can be overwhelming, especially for a first-time visitor. It’s tucked around a corner, so it can come as a surprise.
We like to talk it up beforehand to build excitement — and it’s worked every time so far!🚽 6. Know the Best Toilets
Toilet breaks with a toddler are never optional. The quietest and most convenient toilets we’ve found are in the picnic area under Hintze Hall — bonus: they’re near the dinosaurs.
Final Thoughts: Is the Natural History Museum Worth It with a Toddler?
Absolutely. Watching our toddler explore the Natural History Museum with curiosity, excitement, and a million questions made the day incredibly rewarding.
We love it so much we’re members there, even though it takes us about 90 mins to travel from home.
It’s a wonderful place to nurture a love of science, history, and discovery in little ones.
📍Planning a Trip Soon?
Let us know where you’re heading!
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A Roar-some Day Out with Dinosaurs at Tilgate Park, Crawley
Looking for a fun, family-friendly day out that will thrill your little ones and keep the grown-ups happy too? Look no further than Tilgate Park in Crawley—especially when the dinosaurs are in town!
We recently spent the day exploring this incredible prehistoric-themed event, and it was everything we hoped for (and more). Here’s an overview of our dino-mite adventure!
First Stop: Nando’s
Before heading into the wild world of dinosaurs, we made a pit stop at Nando’s in Crawley Leisure Park—about a 10-minute drive from Tilgate Park. Nando’s is the absolute easiest restaurant when dealing with the dairy and soy allergies, so it tends to be our go to if we’re ever passing through Crawley.
That said, next time, especially if the weather’s nice, we’d definitely bring a picnic. Tilgate Park is absolutely beautiful, and there’s plenty of space to spread out and enjoy a more relaxed lunch outdoors – which is what so many people were doing, as we were pretty lucky with the weather, after a fairly cold and miserable bank holiday Sunday morning!
The Dinosaur Experience
We booked our tickets in advance, which made things super easy. Once we arrived, we only waited about five minutes to get in, even on a busy bank holiday Sunday—which was a pleasant surprise! The event itself was really well laid out, with lots to see and do.
There were life-sized dinosaurs scattered around the park, and they were so cool. I absolutely loved them… the toddler wasn’t quite as enthusiastic—he didn’t want to get too close, didn’t want us turning our backs on them, and didn’t want to stick around near them for too long. So, I’m convinced he must have been a caveman in a past life, living side-by-side with dinosaurs!
Activities for Little Explorers
There were loads of interactive activities for kids of all ages, including:
- Brushing dinosaur teeth (yes, really!)
- A fun archaeology dig
- Short films all about dinosaurs
- An activity book to fill out as you explored
We spent about an hour enjoying the dinosaurs, events, and fairground, but you could have spent a bit longer there, but the toddler was keen to move on to the playground.
The playground in Tilgate Park, and the huge lake, and loads of nature, made for the perfect Sunday afternoon spot.
A Note on the Crowds
For a bank holiday Sunday, it really didn’t feel too overcrowded. The bouncy castle had a bit of a queue, but everything else was manageable, and we had individual dinosaurs to ourselves throughout the walk.
Parking Tips
If you’re heading there on a weekend or during school holidays, take our advice and head straight to the overflow car park rather than the car park near the Smith & Western. It gets busy fast, and you don’t want to waste time circling for a spot! During the week, the car park near the zoo/restaurant would be a better choice.
Final Thoughts
This dino-themed day at Tilgate Park was such a fun experience—and a perfect way to burn off some toddler energy! Whether you’re local or visiting the Crawley area, it’s well worth checking out.
Top tips:
- Book in advance
- Bring a picnic if the weather’s nice
- Prepare for some cautious reactions from tiny dino-fans
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Travelling with a toddler: How to make the most of Tokyo Disney Resort
Tokyo Disney Resort (TDR) is the best place to travel to with a toddler, especially when you’re fighting jet lag. It’s a magical place and perfect for all ages.
In this blog, I’ll discuss what we did over four fantastic days at Tokyo Disney Resort, some of the best rides for toddlers and how to meet Mickey.
Straight into the park
We landed at Haneda airport at about 7.30 am. By 9.30 am, we were checked into the Disneyland Hotel and IN THE PARK. We were on our first ride (the Jungle Cruise) after buying ponchos (it was raining, but luckily only briefly) at 9.41 am. I have pictures and time stamps to prove it! If this was the level of efficiency in Japan, we would be comfortable here!
What we did
We alternated our days, starting in Tokyo Disneyland.
Day 1: Tokyo Disneyland
This place really is something special. I can’t recommend it enough.
We have been to Disneyland Paris a lot of times, and yes, it does have the best castle, but Tokyo Disneyland is just something else. It’s super clean with big open spaces, lots of areas and rides that aren’t at Disneyland Paris. There’s such a nice atmosphere made by guests who are all so excited to be there.
Before the trip, I’d read a lot about what to do at Tokyo Disneyland Resort, how to maximise passes, etc. (I’ll post my top tips soon.) So, we managed to get tickets to a Mickey Mouse show (through ‘pot luck’), and we managed to snag a lunch reservation at the Crystal Palace Buffet, to eat the famous alien mochis ‘Little Green Dumplings’ from Toy Story.
The first day was pretty exhausting, so we went to bed around 6 pm (thanks jetlag, plus no rest on a 14-hour flight to Japan), after our first Konbini meal (there’s a Konbini in the Disneyland Hotel). If you visit Japan, you’ll get to know a Konbini. They are convenience shops selling everything from newspapers and snacks to really good Japanese food, including bento boxes or donburi bowls and just about any Western food you fancy.
Day 2: Tokyo DisneySea
We rode the famous Disney monorail to Tokyo DisneySea, which blew my toddler’s (actually, all of our) minds! We had early access as we booked the Tokyo Disney Resort Vacation Package and got in at about 8.30 am.
I was straight on the app and managed to get us some decent ride slots, and I snagged a pass to try out the Tangled ride, as it was still before the official launch.
We loved the Little Mermaid area, which has some really good rides for the little kids. Plus, we met a lot of characters as we walked around the park, we went on lots of rides as a family, which was really nice, and we were able to explore the Fantasy Springs area.
My toddler highly recommends Aladdin’s carousel, especially if you’re into waving at people. I think we rode it three times in a row, and about five times over our trips to DisneySea.
The Toy Story ride also went down really well, plus the cars you can climb in when you’re walking downtown. Tokyo DisneySea is enormous, and the lands, the theming, just EVERYTHING is outstanding.
Day 3: Meeting Mickey
It was the day we were all waiting for: Meeting Mickey himself! I’d booked to meet Mickey in advance, just to make sure we didn’t miss out.
As we were staying in the Disneyland Park, we were eligible for early access and rode the Monsters Inc. ride twice in a row. The toddler loved it! It’s very similar to the Buzz Lightyear and the Toy Story ride, and very enjoyable.
We spent time in Toontown, went on the Winnie the Pooh ride, got passes to the Beauty and the Beast ride, and just generally did pretty much everything.
We didn’t ever queue much longer than 10-15 minutes, but because we focused on deciding the rides we’d go on and trying to get the free passes, we would occasionally pay for passes if that didn’t work for the bigger ones. It just makes life with a toddler a lot easier than tantrums and trying to keep them restrained within the queues!
In addition, we watched the light parade and managed to get front row premier seats, again, which we paid for, but we had previously had awful experiences at Disneyland Paris, so we didn’t want a repeat of that.
We also managed to book Mickey’s Luau for a late lunch/early dinner, which was dinner and a show, plus you got to meet Mickey, Minnie, Chip, Dale, and the lady chipmunk! This was a great experience, but a bit tricky as the show was very much in Japanese, and we were quite far away, so we didn’t really have a clue what was going on, but it was fun nonetheless.
I remember seeing the pure joy on my toddler’s face as Mickey came over and said hello to him (for the second time in the day), so it was all worth it. The show area was also air-conditioned, which was such a win given it was quite a hot day.
We were in Tokyo Disneyland from 8.30 am to 8.30 pm, which was pretty hardcore!
Day 4: Back at DisneySea
On our second day at DisneySea, we focused on making sure we rode on every single mode of transport they offered.
There were two different train options, buses and vans you could ride on and Disney characters absolutely everywhere. There were also a few play areas in Tokyo DisneySea, so when one of us went to do a ride, the other would stay in the cool area with the toddler playing, so we were able to still do the big rides.
We left the park about 6 pm, and it was so hot! We had some snacks for dinner and then headed off to our next stage of the adventure, to explore the rest of Tokyo.
We absolutely loved spending time at the Disney parks in Tokyo. We saw and experienced so many different things over 4 days, and meeting Mickey might just have been my son’s Disney highlight.
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Our top tips for taking a car seat on holiday
Do you take your car seat on holiday? Do you think the hassle isn’t worth it? Or not sure how you’d take one with you? We and all those sorts of questions, and more!
We hadn’t taken a car seat on holiday before, but just took one on our holiday to Marrakech with a toddler, and wanted to tell you our top tips, and give you the confidence to take yours with you. Now we have taken a car seat on holiday from the UK to Morocco, would never risk a rental car seat again!
We didn’t take a car seat with us for the first couple of holidays with the toddler, and we had a couple of eye opening experiences!
Our first family holiday
The very first time we gleefully booked the car seat through the car rental company and didn’t think anything of it until we arrived and picked up the car seat from a rental company for the very first time….
That first time we had travelled to Corfu for our very first family holiday and hadn’t used a car seat abroad before. We were travelling with another family who had a six month old, and my son was 7 months, so we’d chosen 2 infant carriers.
The infant carriers had no inserts, they were dirty, they smelt, were super basic, had no instructions, were really hard to tighten up and no inserts – so the babies were essentially rocking and rolling through the car journey to our Airbnb, up on a rocky cliff edge, on a trip that included many hairpin bends and steep drops!
These were our two car seats 🫣 We ended up having to use towels and blankets to support the babies, and it was awful. It stopped us from going on more adventurous days out, and really added an extra layer of stress I did not need on holiday.
Our towel support 😬 Ikos Holidays
We had a successful next couple of trips were to Ikos Resorts in Halkidiki and in Spain, and they provided an infant carrier the first time (which was clean, had all the inserts and was fitted properly), and then in Spain, once the toddler was 2 in a toddler seat, but we were able to ask for it rear facing, which was great!
Car seats in Japan
Then in Japan, we had a real mix of success with the car seats when we had private transfers! They were all forward facing (my son was 20months, and he’d never forward faced before, so was actually terrified the first few times!).
Some car seats in Japan were great, despite being forward facing, but were fitted securely to the car seat, included all the attachments and were clean. But a few were worth the double check! They either weren’t attached properly, couldn’t be tightened properly or were just completely the wrong size (we had an infant one that we managed to squeeze the toddler into, rather unhappily!).
I had a driver get annoyed at me for double checking how the car seat was secured in the car – and turns out it could just flop about, and he’d missed attaching the seatbelt through the back of the seat, thereby meaning if there was a crash, my son wouldn’t have been protected at all! We had trouble with the driver as he just acted very angry I was trying to add the seatbelt to the correct locations, and he was trying to drive off before it was sorted! But it wasn’t the end of the world, I fixed it, and we carried on our journey!
Car seats in Marrakech
Even before our trip to Marrakech with our toddler, my husband was still questioning if the ‘hassle’ of taking the car seat was worth it, but it really didn’t add any extra time or hassle to our trip and I’m so glad we did it.
Read on to find out our top tops for travelling with a car seat!
What is the best travel car seat?
We bought the Graco Slimfit R129 which is less than £100 in Halfords. Given that a rental car seat can cost £60 or more for a holiday, this is a bargain! It rear faces until about 4 years old, then is a HBB – a high backed booster, so we’ll get years of use out of it.
If your baby still fits in their infant carrier – take that, even if you don’t use it day to day at home.
We also looked at the Nachfolger and one or two others, but the Graco Slimfit has worked well – as it’s actually light enough for me to pick up with one hand.
You could take your seat you use at home, but I thought the risk of it getting too bashed up, or lost, just wasn’t worth it. And both of ours are isofix, and I can barely get them out of the car as they are so heavy!
How do you take a car seat on the plane from the UK?
Keep the box it comes in, and repack it at the airport. It’s as simple as that!
Make sure you pack some extra tape so that you can seal the car seat up.
We don’t have enough space in the car for suitcases and a car seat box, so we pack the box flat, and use the car seat for the journey to the airport – it also works if you’re taking a taxi or a friend is dropping you off at the airport as you can use the car seat first.
We then pop the box up, pack it back up and pop it on a trolley.
What do you do with a car seat at the airport?
When you check your bags in, you let the check-in staff know that you want to check-in a car seat, and they label your box, for you to then take round the corner to oversized baggage collection.
You drop it off, and hope it arrives the other side! Don’t forget to pick it up after you picked your suitcases up at your destination, luckily, you can pick it up at the same place you pick up checked in prams.
Do you take your car seat onto the plane?
In the UK, it’s not particularly usual to travel with a car seat whilst actually on the plane – there aren’t many that are approved for that.
Can you help me with any other car seat advice for toddlers and babies?
It’s not my speciality, but I’ve learnt so much being part of the Facebook group, Bump to Booster, so please check them out as they also all sell car seats, if you’re looking to buy a new car seat.
What do you do in taxis?
We do occasionally use taxis or public transport and therefore can’t use our own car seat as we have nowhere to store it.
For longer days out, you can look at booking a car with a driver for the day (your own personal driver!), which is what we have done for our big adventures in Morocco, but for shorter trips (I.e. meals out), we aim to try to:
- Walk
- Take public transport
- Ask hotel to book us a taxi with a car seat (not ideal, but better than nothing), and then make sure you get their number for the way home.
Our top tips for taking a car seat on holiday – summary
- If you can, purchase a spare seat for holidays, grandparents and trips with friends. Buying this when the child is young will mean it will pay for itself! (£100 for the graco slimfit, compared to £90 for a rubbish rental seat, that you only get for 2 weeks!).
- Take a car seat on holiday if you’ll be doing lots of driving – don’t rely on rental car seats.
- If you’re not travelling around too much, look into public transport from the airport to the resort area you’re in, and even consider this when booking accommodation to ensure easy access to key locations .
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