Last visited April 2023
High chairs: YES
Baby changing: YES
Kids menu: YES
Price (for the café): £10 pp
The Horniman Museum has just become one of my favourite places. I have given 5+ stars for the first time because it truly feels like a child friendly place. The café has high chairs and a children menu with a good selection of dishes, some homemade, ice cream, and cute pic nic boxes with a ham or cheese sandwich, Organix crisps, raisins and a juice box, for £6.5. There are inside and outside tables and a beautiful conservatory with more tables, with lots of space for buggies, and lots of space for toddlers to run around. There are also water fountains outside, to refill your bottles from.
The museum, Acquarium and exhibitions room are all buggy friendly and accessible with lifts. The basement toilets in the museum building have baby changing facilities both in the ladies and gents toilets, and a small separate breastfeeding room with an armchair. What made me give the Horniman a + though, is the toddler-height sink in the toilets. If you have ever tried washing your kid's hands while holding them up to reach the sink, you know what I am talking about. The Acquarium has steps dotted around, for kids to be able to reach every tank. The museum is wonderful for kids, with lots of taxidermy, an incredibly colorful World Gallery, and a sea-themed projection on the World Gallery floor, to keep the kids entertained while you look around, if they are not the museum types!
There is a small farm with alpacas, sheep, rabbits and a few other animals. The minigolf has tiny plastic clubs for younger toddlers (although mine was mostly interested in trying to eat the balls). There is plenty of outdoors space for pic nics, even a barn for picnicing in rainy weather!
The only place where you cannot take a buggy is the butterfly house. However there is a covered buggy parking area just outside. The butterfly house is beautiful, but small, so we did not find too much of a problem not having the buggy for the short time we were in there.
There is also a pond and a sound garden with musical scultures the kids can play. There is no play ground in the gardens but head just across the road to find the Horniman Triangle, a play park with a sand pit and climbing area.
A soft play is opening at the beginning of May, and I will be sure to check it out!
Forest Hill station is a 10min uphill walk, but there is a bus stop right in front of the museum entrance.
You can easily make a day of your visit, with plenty of educational things to do, but also lots of space for play and running around. This might be one of the few places I have visited since having kids, that seems to cater equally to children and adults, rather than a place for adults where kids are welcome, or a place for kids where adults have to go cause no one wants to look after your offspring in your place.
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