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

Albert Park

Seventy-two acres, free to walk into, with a children's playground and a lot of flat open grass — for a one to three year old that is the whole appeal. Let them choose the direction for a while. The lake gives you a fixed target to walk towards and back from, which is useful with a child who will only cover ground if there is something to point at, and there are landscaped gardens, a bandstand and a boathouse to break the route up. There is a picnic area if you want to eat here instead of later, though the plan below saves lunch for stop two. Worth knowing: a Parkrun runs on Saturday mornings and a Junior Parkrun on Sunday mornings, so the park is livelier at those times. Ninety minutes here is plenty; leave before the meltdown, not after it.

RSPB Saltholme

A short drive out of town and the right place to be at lunchtime, because there is a café and there is somewhere for a toddler to be a toddler afterwards. The wild play area and discovery zone are the draw at this age — terns and avocets are for the grown-ups. The circular trails are level and pushchair accessible, which means you can do a loop with a sleeping child if the nap arrives here, and the visitor centre has a viewing gallery so you are not committed to being outside. Dragonflies, moths and the pools are close enough to the path to count as spotting. The walled garden is worth a slow lap in spring and early summer. Pond dipping, meadow sweeping and Saltholme Safaris run as activities — check what is on when you arrive rather than promising a toddler anything in advance.

Cheer Starz Academy

Indoors, and aimed squarely at the part of the afternoon where a toddler wants to climb on you. The academy runs baby, toddler and preschool sessions alongside its older gymnastics, cheer and ninja programmes, and there is a sensory room. This is a timetabled venue rather than a drop-in playground, so it works best if you have already found a session that fits your afternoon and booked into it. Coaching is described as personalised and athlete-centred; at this age that translates to somebody keeping half an eye on your child while you get to sit down for a moment.

Captain Cook Birthplace Museum

The rain plan, and a good one. It sits inside Stewart Park in Marton, with a Nootka totem pole at the entrance — which is the bit a small child will actually remember. Six themed displays trace Cook's voyages using original objects; a toddler will take in perhaps three of them, and that is a reasonable outcome. There is a café, so it doubles as a warm-up stop, and the park around it gives you somewhere to go if the weather turns again.

If the day is going badly, cut Cheer Starz and go home from Saltholme — the drive back will probably finish the nap job. If it rains before lunch, shorten Albert Park to the playground and one lap of the lake, then swap the afternoon for the Captain Cook Birthplace Museum, where the café and Stewart Park give you two moves from one car park. If the rain comes after lunch, Saltholme's visitor centre and viewing gallery will hold you for longer than you expect.