A day out in London with a 1-3 year old

The View from The Shard

Start high. The galleries on the upper floors have glass on all four sides, so a child who is carried or held up gets a full sweep of the city without needing to queue for a particular window. The lifts themselves tend to land well with this age group. Above the galleries there is an open-air skydeck, which is worth a short visit and then a retreat back inside if it is windy or your toddler is wriggling.

You are not held to a set time slot once you are inside, which is the single most useful thing about this stop with a toddler: you can stay for ten minutes or an hour. Multimedia displays explain London's history, and guest ambassadors can point out landmarks if you want something to name out loud. Bars on the viewing levels serve soft and hot drinks. Booking ahead is advised for busy periods, and admission rules differ for the youngest children, so check when you book.

MathsWorld

A short hop west along the river brings you to this interactive discovery centre in a railway arch on the South Bank. Ignore the word maths — for a one to three year old this is a room of things that do something when you touch them. The guide notes that younger children gravitate to the shape and symmetry exhibits, and that is where to aim. The giant soap bubble and the kaleidoscope are the kind of thing that holds a toddler without any explanation at all.

It is a regular stop for school groups, so weekday mornings can be quieter. Background cards sit beside many exhibits if an adult wants the reasoning.

Discovery Planet

By now the day needs noise and movement rather than looking. Head east to Surrey Quays Shopping Centre for this indoor play area, which runs over two levels. There is a separate toddler area for under-4s with a small ball pit, a small slide, soft blocks, a baby ring and a seesaw — the right scale for a child who is new to soft play and does not want to be among bigger children. There is a height limit of 53 inches and children must be supervised by an adult throughout. Around 90 minutes is typical, which is about right as the last planned stop of a day.

SEA LIFE London Aquarium

Hold this one back. It sits in County Hall on the South Bank near the London Eye, spread over three floors, with a free-flow route and step-free access and lifts throughout, so a buggy is not a problem. The walk-through takes roughly 90 to 120 minutes. For a toddler, the Shark Walk tunnel, the Ray Lagoon and the Gentoo penguins carry themselves. There are daily talks, feeds and rockpool experiences if you want to pause somewhere. Timeslot pre-booking is required and the attraction is cashless, so this is a stop to commit to in advance rather than wander into.

Moving between stops is short — the first two are both close to Southwark-side stations, and the aquarium is further along the same stretch of river. The jump out to Surrey Quays is the longest leg, and a good one to do while a toddler is asleep in the buggy.

If the day sours, drop MathsWorld and go straight from the Shard to Discovery Planet; physical play recovers a bad mood faster than exhibits do. If it rains, the skydeck can be skipped entirely and the rest of the plan is unaffected. If you book the aquarium, treat it as a replacement for a stop rather than an addition — two hours of walk-through on top of everything else is more than most toddlers have in them.