MotherCulture

A.A Milne apparently lamented that, “some people talk to animals. Not many people listen though. That’s the problem”.  Well, if he wasn’t very dead, Mr. Milne would have been delighted that someone @museumoflondon has taken his words to heart, creating #beastsoflondon; an immersive experience that gives voice to London’s animal kingdom and so tells the history of the Capital from their unique perspective.

It’s a clever idea, brilliantly executed.  What wasn’t so clever – it turns out – was bringing the wee man, currently going through a mighty fussy phase, to enjoy it too. Yes, the museum had helpfully suggested that this exhibit is best suited to kids aged 7+ but I naively imagined (and for £5 with an #artpass, who could blame me) that he might enjoy it anyway.  A fox voiced by #KateMoss, what’s not to love?!  But, as my dear pal pointed out, while this would have been fantastic for bigger kids (and it really is) it is possibly stimulation overload akin to taking acid for a baby.

The museum itself, is every parents dream, regardless of the age of their kids. Another brutalist maze but brilliantly sign-posted and easily accessible whether bringing pram or sling; with lifts everywhere.  Admittedly the exhibit is aimed at young families but I was nonetheless impressed that the museum had thought through the practicalities of parenthood by providing a pram park just outside the exhibit.

Listening to Brian Blessed bellowing about the origins of the plague got us in the mood for food and with the wee man due a feed we hot-footed it to the nearest cafe – #benugo in the Sackler Hall.  Wide plastic chairs are perfectly comfortable for breastfeeding and the space is well equipped for families.  High chairs are available and the cafe offers a decent supply of sugary cakes for exhausted parents and of course, babyccinos for busy toddlers .  The restaurant upstairs offers free kids meals with every adult order too.

All in all a good afternoon out in an excellent venue.  Yes, I might have judged the exhibit itself wrongly for the age of my wee man but sometimes you need to distract yourself during these fussy phases if only to keep yourself sane.  Next time, we’ll try the more mellow permanent collections though.

Cost ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

£5 for an adult with an Art Pass. Family tickets start at £20.

Accessibility ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Well sign-posted with lifts should you need them.

Facilities ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This place is very family-friendly; good changing facilities, pram-parks, babyccinos (and much-needed cake) and – restaurant where kids eating for free with every adult meal – what more could you want?

Feeding friendly ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A sofa never goes amiss but the chairs I fed on were comfortable and I felt perfectly happy feeding there.

General vibes ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A brilliant venue and an excellent exhibition which my mate and I loved … probably better for older kids though. 

Yoga. A unique and ancient practice combining physical exercise and breathing techniques to tone the body and calm the mind. 

Enter Rosie and Holly, our crying offspring in tow, as we arrive 15 mins late (can you ever be on time for anything with a baby?) for our first taste of post-natal yoga at Yogarise at the Bussey Building, Peckham. 

Our first mistake? Going to the wrong studio. We ended up carting Holly’s pram – babe strapped in – up two flights of stairs to be told by a very kind lady that the class was in the other half of the building. Top tip no.1: go to the right Studio (2 – the entrance with the lift, obviously, though please note – it is very temperamental). Thankfully, the same very kind lady took pity on us sweating, stressed out mums and helped us cart the pram all the way to the correct studio. Crisis averted. 

When we finally arrived in the right place – more shit-show than serene – the staff were so helpful; quickly showing us where the changing rooms and toilets were and ushering us in to the class. 

With the yoga teacher (the wonderful Toni Osborne) in full flow we took up our matts, placing the babes on blankets and getting ourselves in to warrior one (or something like it). Top tip no.2: bring toys to occupy the wee ones while you attempt to tighten your pelvic floor and breathe in calm. 

I was obviously spending too much time focusing on said region and too little time on the wee man who toppled over and started howling, prompting me to scoop him up and out within about 15 mins of our already late arrival. 

I’ll be honest, I don’t think much yoga was practiced at this particular session – no sooner had I returned to the room than the wee man was in need of a feed. However I put that down to our chaotic arrival and the comedy of errors that proceeded. There were certainly other women there that seemed to be bending in to all the right positions while their babes played happily in front of them. 

And we enjoyed it, so much so that I have been attending the Monday morning class (11.30am) on a semi-regular basis ever since; managing to arrive on time, to the right studio and even managing a near full hour of blissful yoga at each session. 

A mum herself, Toni knows what you need and is happy to distract your babe should you need her to while you streeeeetch – and I ain’t one to complain about a helping hand sometimes! 

And it’s not just about the mamas. Well it mostly is, but I definitely feel like the babes gets something from it too. The wee man seems to love it; babbling away at me and the other babies in the room, playing with his toys and enjoying the weird and wonderful shapes created by the yoga practice around him – and sometimes joining in. 

Monday mornings have been transformed. An hour of gentle exercise; your mind and pelvic floor will thank you it. Ommmmmmm. 

[If like Holly you prefer to keep your yoga practice babe-free, Toni also offers private classes at her home-studio in Forest Hill. Holly booked herself in for a session and said she’d had the best night’s sleep since the tiny dictator was born – and we all need a bit more of that, eh?!] 

Yogarise in a nutshell:

Cost ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

It’s a tenner – less than a standard class and I’m yet to find a cheaper post-natal class

Accessibility ⭐️⭐️

The Bussey is an old building and, in my experience, the lift is almost always out of order – if you can, you’d be better off bringing a sling. 

Facilities ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

It a lovely relaxed studio and while there’s no baby changing table, it’s a yoga studio so they’re very relaxed about you changing the babe wherever you like! 

Feeding friendly ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Absolutely! Toni even sorted the bolsters for me so that I could lean back in complete comfort. 

General vibes ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A lovely, relaxing hour for you and your babe,  if you enjoy yoga this is perfect for you. 

We recently went on a family trip to Greenwich. We both hadn’t been in years and we fancied “doing” another bit of London. Day trips aren’t as easy as they used to be, mainly because when you become a parent you instantly become a packhorse; you have five bags to carry when before you left the house with one. Ah, those were the days. Anyway, we drove there, found a central parking area (hurrah!) and off we trotted. 

First up was brunch: we were starving and now our third wheel (!) is weaning he was too. We went past the achingly cool exterior of the restaurant Greenwich Grind. We went on a Saturday and hadn’t booked so I didn’t think we had much of a chance of finding a table but low and behold they found us one, swiftly brought over a high chair and we weren’t crammed in like sardines. The food was brilliant, service equally so and it was nice to feel like we could still frequent the “trendy” places without being scrutinised for dampening the vibe. It was chaos with food all over the place- and the odd screech just for fun- but there were lots of other babies and we didn’t feel out of place. The staff weren’t at all phased either and they had brilliant baby changing facilities. 

Post brunch we went for a walk up to the Observatory and round the park which has amazing views across London and really is glorious in the sunshine. Note to the wise: keep your pram as light as possible as the quick way up is steep and was a work out in itself. 

Given we live in the UK it wasn’t long before the heavens opened and we were a little bit at a loss as to where to go. Cue the National Maritime Museum. I can’t say that I was chomping at the bit to go in but I was mainly concerned about keeping us all dry so in we went. I shouldn’t have been so quick to judge it. It’s a great museum- a big space with lots of things for little eyes to take in and super child friendly: parking spaces for buggies, a children zone, big baby changing areas. No complaints from me. One of the exhibitions even caught my eye. 

A big #MotherCulture thumbs up!

Where’s your favourite part of London to visit for a day out? Let us know in the comments below .

Cost ⭐⭐️⭐️

Brunch was reasonably priced, parking was £5 for 2 hours so not cheap but we understand that you can park on Charlton Way or Maze Hill for free at the weekends, the rest was free unless you want to enter a specific exhibition in the museum. 

Accessibility ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Easy to go with a sling or pram, just remember the quick way up to the observatory is steep but we still managed with a pram. 

Facilities ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

We found the facilities at Greenwich Grind and at the Maritime Museum were brilliant, couldn’t fault them. 

Feeding friendly ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Greenwich Grind and the Maritime Museum were busy but easy to feed there and of course in the park. 

General vibes ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

We had a lovely day out, we managed to have a delicious brunch with our friend and have an adult conversation, then a lovely walk followed by a surprisingly nice visit to the museum. We will be back!

We have done a round up of our favourite things on this week. Family friendly but something we think you will enjoy too! 

Go Islington Festival at Highbury Fields:

Saturday 27th July, free for everyone from 11am-4pm. Sports for all the family to try, plus music, food and more. There will be a Family Marquee too including sessions from Monkey Music. I used to be a North London girl and went to this before and it was a really lovely family event.

Horniman Museum & Gardens, Forest Hill:

Lots on over the summer but next Sunday 28th July they are holding a Big Fish Little Fish Family Rave from 2pm-6pm. Adults £15, children £12.50, pre-walking infants free.

They also have Brick Wonders a Lego exhibition on until October, family ticket £18 (2 adults, 2 kids). Free entry to gardens and other exhibitions, including one on the Green Turtle and on Thursdays during the summer there is free live music and DJs from 5.30pm until 9.30pm in the garden

Hackney Wicked:

From Friday 26th to Sunday 28th, Hackney Wicked is back again. Over 100 studios housing artists exhibits in the area, a makers market, cafe and with walking art tours and even workshops this is definitely worth a drop in if you can. Free but for some workshops you need to register online in advance.

Please do let us know if you go to any of these events and how you find them! Or if you have any recommendations yourself give us a comment and we will mention in an Instagram Story!