11 places for a toddler on a rainy day

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As we live in the UK and it basically rains every single day, especially in this season you need to get creative with the indoor activities. My toddler loves everything about the outdoors, we put on the wellies and the raincoat, we go in the park, jump in the muddy puddles and enjoy the weather. However, when the rain is strong, we tend to stay indoor and we play with all the toys to the point where nothing can catch his attention anymore. At this point, he starts grabbing my hand and pulls me to the front door jumping up and down. So what do we do next? Well, I put together 11 places to go when it rains that we tried, tested and enjoyed.

IKEA

Of course, this place has unlimited activities, it is relatively close to our house and there are hours to kill in this place. From the area on the 6th floor where the playground is, to hours of entertainment in the store.

Also, there is a creche where you can leave your child while you do your shopping and if I remember well is for about 1h30min and they really enjoy it there. Lots of other children to play and do messy arts and crafts that I try to avoid at home. No judging.. we’ve got cream carpets everywhere!

The Library

Our local library has children story time as well as singing. Most libraries have a corner for children with some soft furniture and some activities.

Sometimes we are lucky and we find some other desperate moms trying to parent in a peaceful way despite the situation (Believe me when you get to your 90th day of intense rain you’ll be with me on this one).

Local Pet Store

Next to our main supermarket it is this big pet store where they sell lots of different pets. We’ve seen all sort of fishes to bunnies, to reptiles and all other small animals and birds. My son loves to looks at them and can catch his attention for a good amount of time so win-win.

Soft Play areas

This is quite an obvious one, there is one main play area in our city and we love it. You can jump and run for an hour and a half, has a cafe and my little one can entertain himself for a good amount. There is a lot of climbing and jumping in the ball pit as well as resting and having a snack.

Toy Stores

This is a tricky one as we had many times tears while rolling on the floor for leaving and not buying THAT toy so use in absolute emergency only. My Babiabu loves soft fluffy toys so I would bring a toy from home to replace the toy that he is having before leaving the store as well as some juice or something to distract his attention.

Gym

Many gyms now have a creche where you can leave your child while you are either at the gym, swimming or sauna/jacuzzi. At our gym, there is this big soft play with slides and swings and he is always disappointed when it’s time to leave.

The mall

Depending on your mall, some will have play areas for children. We usually go upstairs to the food court where I can sit down and have a cuppa while my little one tries all the toys.

Aquarium

Our local Sea Life is great. We’ve been already many many times and I can get discounted tickets from my supermarket from accumulated points.

Baby cinema

Our cinema has mornings for children, where the room is not as dark as usual and the sound is not too loud. As it is dedicated for children you can relax as your toddler won’t irritate anyone.

Play-dates

This is really necessary for everybody’s sanity. I always find that when we are stuck in the house the one to one play increases dramatically. Babiabu is not interested in his toys after some time of individual play and I end up entertaining him until daddy comes home which can be a long time. So play-dates can bring me some freedom while having a nice chat with a friend.

Playgroups

We really love playgroups. There are weeks when we go Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday to a playgroup in the morning. I know.. but I need to talk with other humans taller than 90 cm.

I always find the mornings the most difficult on a rainy day, and since my little one gets limited tv time, we’ve got 5 hours to kill before the nap and another 4 after until daddy is home.

So there you have it 11 places to go on a cold winter day while staying sane and keeping your toddler entertained.

Share with me in your comments if you found any other places and how did it go.