So, you are thinking of coming to England for a trip, be it holiday or business, and your little one(s) are coming with you. Daunted? You have your guide book of places to go and things to see, but it is the small things that make or break a trip.
Do you need to pack your child's favourite formula / wipes / nappies / baby food or are they on sale over here? And what exactly is a nappy, anyway? Where are the best places to head for to buy supplies? Is it easy to find somewhere to breast feed? An what about high chairs? This is information that you can't always find in books.
Well, I am going to make an attempt to answer as many of these stumbling blocks as possible. This article does have a bias towards the south of the country (where I have spent all my time), but should hopefully hold in the north, too. The stores and service providers mentioned in this article have been included based on personal experience, or for their apparent suitability based on web searches. No personal gain will be received following their inclusion.
So, here goes...
Arriving and getting around.
Children currently only need to be in car seats if there is one available. However, from 18th September 2006, this is changing and all children up to the age of 12 (with a few exceptions) will need to be in an "appropriate restraint". If you arrive at any of the large airports, taxi companies should be able to get hold of a car seat for you in order to keep your child safe. If you pre-book, they will be able to guarantee a car seat. Shop around online and find one that you are happy can meet your needs. You won't officially need one for a taxi trip, but it's one less worry, right?
The English are far more in to the idea of walking when going out shopping and the like, so there are pavements pretty much everywhere you go. The out-of-town mall is a novelty rather than the norm, and so shopping is generally along and around the "high street" - shops that have been around years. As a result, access is good for prams unless you have a side-by-side double, which might restrict you somewhat. Most shops with an upstairs have a lift, but not all. With recent legislation to prevent discrimination against people with less mobility, the situation is improving, but you might find there are still some places you just can't go with a pram, unless you are prepared to carrying it upstairs.
Out and about - Places to go for those necessities
In towns and cities all around the country, there are lots of great places you can find to change your baby and feed your child. You may stumble across the quaintest pub which has child seats aplenty, but there are certain chain stores that will almost always be able to help you out in your time of need. The following are places that have either been awarded a Tommy's Parent Friendly Award or I have found to be reliable as a place of refuge. These are no way exhaustive lists, but you will generally find at least one of these shops in a town and they will be a good place to start.
Baby changing and feeding
Mothercare - a store that sells mid-to-higher price clothes for babies, children and pregnant mothers, and stocks all manner of parenting paraphernalia. They also have nice feeding and changing areas, often stocked with nappies, wipes and bottle warmers. Voted best feeding and changing area. Feeding / changing room generally on the ground floor.
Boots - what started out as a pharmacy has evolved in to a store that sells all types of toiletries, with a mid-price range of baby and children clothes (own brand and Osh Kosh), baby goods and baby food. They generally have a feeding / changing room on the ground floor. They may not always be the prettiest rooms, but the store policy is very pro-feeding.
Debenhams - a department store that has won awards in the past for their feeding / changing rooms. The room can generally be found on the higher floors and is sometimes stocked with nappies and wipes. They may also have a combined changing room and toilet with a lockable door to the whole room, so that you can keep the pram / buggy inside with you whilst using the loo.
Marks & Spencer - a department store which will usually have space to change and feed your baby within the disabled toilet.
I have fed both my children in public in restaurants, cafes, bars and out in public parks and never been aware of any negative feelings. In the summer (when the sun is actually out...), local parks and green spaces are likely to have groups of women with their babies, catching up on gossip and breastfeeding on demand. The English are a more forgiving lot than they were previously given credit for and are more likely to pretend not to notice than make any comment. There is still some work to be done to catch up with Scotland, where it is an offence to stop a woman breastfeeding her baby in public, yet there is campaigning on going. For more information, see the GMTV website.
Feeding toddlers and children
I have found that many pubs, cafes and restaurants are now pretty good in the family-friendly stakes, with high chairs available for use. Debenhams has a couple of types of child seat; the usual type for toddlers and also a reclining one for younger babies. Marks & Spencer have always got good reviews as having cafes which are particularly pro-breastfeeding. An award winning family restaurant chain is Brewers Fayre. The restaurants are usually out of the town centre and sometimes have child play areas. For some child friendly restaurants in the area you are visiting, check out the directories at the bottom of the page.
Eating out with children
England does not conform to the European ideas of children being out late at night. It is generally the case that children (under maybe ten or so) will be catered for up until around 8pm or so, but from then on, their presence might be frowned upon. People out at restaurants at this time are more likely to be looking for child-free time.
Licensing laws relating to pubs and bars have relaxed in recent years, and many of the restrictions on children have been lifted. "Generally speaking, children are allowed to enter a pub unless it has a particular licence condition which says children are not to be permitted." For more information on an interpretation of the laws, please see the British Beer and Pub Association site.
Supplies
I have found that the top supermarkets - Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury and Waitrose all do a good range in children's good - wipes, baby food etc. Sainsbury, Asda and to a lesser degree Waitrose and Marks & Spencer also stock toddler-designed ready meals and snacks, which are convenient if you are self catering and fancy less cooking.If you are an avid organic buyer, try the organic supermarket directory, which will tell you where to go to hunt down the things you fancy. I use Boots for most of my baby bits - they often have good promotions and a particularly good loyalty scheme, if you are here for any length of time. Most shops will usually have at least one of their ranges of wipes (be it Johnsons, Pampers or their own brand) on two-for-one at any time, so if you are lucky or not fussy, you will generally get a good price.
The common brands on sale in most shops here (along with store own brands) include:
Formula: SMA, Hipp Organic, Cow & Gate, Aptamil, Farleys
Baby Food: Heinz, Hipp Organic, Cow & Gate
Nappies: Pampers, Huggies
Wipes: Johnson's, Pampers, Huggies, Simple
Baby Pain Relief: Calpol (Paracetamol), Nurofen for Children (Ibuprofen), Medised (Paracetamol and Diphenhydramine)
Teething Pain Relief: Bonjela, Ashton and Parsons powders (herbal remedy)
Wind Relief: Infacol, Gripe water
Creams to Prevent Nappy Rash: Sudocrem, Metanium, Drapolene, Bepanthen
If you are driving to any of the bigger supermarkets, there will be Parent and Child spaces provided. These are indicated by either a picture of a pram or a parent and child symbol. These will be either painted on the ground or in signs by the spaces. It is generally considered that parents with children up to the age of about eight or so should be able to use these spaces.
Over here, the idea of someone kindly packing your bag at the supermarket for you is just that - an idea. You generally get to do that bit yourself. If you do want a hand, however, as you are trying to amuse a toddler and a small child who really wants the sweets placed within reach on a display at the cash desk, ask. It would be very unusual and quite shocking if you are turned down.
Equipment
Whever you are staying, you will probably require a cot, highchair, toys, a buggy... the list goes on. An option is to hire this equipment for the duration of your stay, and as an example only, Tots2Go offer this service. Otherwise, cheap and serviceable items can be bought in places like Toys R US, and taken home or donated to local charity shops (that sell unwanted items to raise money for their designated cause and are found in most towns) when you leave. The same charity shops are always a good choice for cheap, second hand toys that can provide interest during your stay and will not cost a fortune.
There are a number of shops that sell good quality and reasonably priced toys:
Boots (as before)
Early Learning Centre: A shop that sells educationally stimulating toys at affordable prices.
Woolworths: A reasonably priced store with a fair range of popular children's toys.
Entertainment
In most parks around the country, there will be an outdoor area set aside where you can let you children loose on the swings and slides. These are usually safe and reasonably modern, with dogs banned from the enclosed space. There are swimming pools in most towns, which will usually have a small pool for youngsters alongside the larger one. The hours might often be restricted, so when you know where you will be, find the nearest pool and check online - most publish their opening hours and prices. The local tourist information office should be able to provide you with information about activites and events in the area to keep the little ones amused.
Health
The best bit about this little country. There are no nasty, evil biting insects or snakes that will do major damage. You might get the odd mozzie bite, but the changes of that leading to anything more than an itchy spot are minimal. There are three types of snakes here and only one is venomous, the adder, and that is rarely seen. No one has died from an adder bite in over twenty years, and the majority of people bitten were handling the snake. They are only otherwise likely to bite if trodden on, and the chances of that happening are all but nothing unless you are creeping around little-used countryside. I have to say that I have yet to see anything more scary than a hedgehog...
Hospitals here are pretty good, in my opinion. Yes, you might have a wait for less than serious conditions, but that is what happens with a free health service. Yes, free. No need to panic about medical insurance papers (although always get some insurance, it's still essential) because you will be treated. The National Health Service is over-stretched and under-funded, but the staff do an amazing job and will do what they can to help. If you are here and need advice yet don't know where to turn, call NHS Direct on 0845 4647. If the situation is more serious, call the emergency services on 999 or the number that will eventually replace this (and has been in use some years) 112.
If you have health concerns before you travel, why not find your nearest hospitals before you come? NHS in England is the place to go for this.
Research
If you know where you are going to be visiting, you will probably want to do some research beforehand. There are a number of sites that have directories of baby and child-friendly restaurants, places to visit and places to stay. Childfriendly, Friendly Places and Babies Welcome are just three of them.
If you have more information to add, or questions to ask, pop along to the new "Travelling With Children" group and post a question!
(August 2006) (
