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Tips for visiting London’s Natural History Museum with a toddler

I still remember my own childhood visits to the Natural History Museum in London – Dippy the famous dinosaur skeleton made an impression that lasts decades – so I made sure to start my daughter off young, planning a first trip to the Natural History Museum with a toddler.

We’ve been countless times since, to discover more at this free world-class museum but there’s still plenty to entertain toddlers, whether they’re dinosaur fans or would rather gaze at an elephant, whale and giraffe (including Hope the blue whale skeleton which replaced Dippy).

The whale skeleton which replaced Dippy the diplodocus in the Hintze Hall of London's natural history museum - my tips for visiting the natural history museum with toddlers and young kids

It’s also enormously family friendly with plenty of lifts, toilets usually within scuttling distance, high chairs in the cafes and child-friendly food (plus places to eat your own picnic). But if you’re planning a visit, here are nine things you need to know before visiting the Natural History Museum with a toddler.

1. Use the Exhibition Road entrance

If you prebook tickets – which I’d highly recommend, especially in school holidays and at weekends – you can skip most of the queue.

But for another way to bypass the lines, avoid the main Cromwell Road door for the smaller entrance on Exhibition Road, as it’s the quietest and step-free.

There’s a cloakroom here too, although that does fill up quickly, and while you don’t get the dramatic impact of the suspended whale skeleton in the Hintze Hall (Dippy the diplodocus now having been replaced), it does mean you don’t need to distract their attention as you wrangle them out of coats or fold up buggies.

Advert showing an image of a printable scavenger hunt for the Natural History Museum in London and the words 'click here to buy your scavenger hunt for a visit to the Natural History Museum in London with kids, only 99p'

2. Go in the morning

Mornings are usually the quietest times throughout the year, so try to get there for opening at 10am – it’s a much less overwhelming experience in the Natural History Museum for toddlers if you can avoid some crowds.

The best time to visit? The Natural History museum is rarely quiet, and you’ll encounter school groups year-round, as well as people looking for things to do on a rainy day in London but weekdays in winter are a good bet.

School holidays and peak tourist season are unsurprisingly the museum’s busiest time, so it’s best to arrive early if you’re visiting with school age siblings.

If you live in or near London, you can also get priority entry and skip the Natural History Museum queue if you’re a member – plus free entry to ticketed exhibitions and other bonuses. Family membership is an option.

For my complete set of tips on visiting London’s museums with toddlers and kids, check out my ultimate guide as well as the best things to do in London with toddlers and preschoolers

A silhouette of a dinosaur in London's Natural History Museum - visiting the Natural History Museum with a toddler

3. Skip the dinosaur queues

If you want to see the Dinosaur Gallery, make this your first stop at the Natural History Museum as it’s one of the most popular areas. For kids, it’s probably top of their list anyway, and even if there are lines, they move pretty fast.

You could always play the museum’s online ‘which dinosaur are you‘ quiz to pass the time if you are waiting for T-Rex. 

For nervous toddlers, do be aware that T-Rex does move and roar, in case you want to prepare small dinosaur fans and reassure them they aren’t about to be eaten.

Advert showing an image of a printable scavenger hunt for the Natural History Museum in London and the words 'click here to buy your scavenger hunt for a visit to the Natural History Museum in London with kids, only 99p'

4. Make a plan

The museum is so big, I sometimes feel like I should leave a trail of breadcrumbs to find my way back out. And roaming randomly with your fingers crossed isn’t the best approach if you’re visiting the Natural History Museum with toddlers.

Split into four colour-coded areas, there are signs dotted around but it’s worth looking at the map online to work out where you’d most like to go before you visit and which areas are likely to upset toddlers.

My daughter, for example, was never a fan of the noises in the Red Zone or the flickering lights as you ride up the escalators.

For other preschoolers, this can be one of the most thrilling sections – but even if you stick to the Blue and Green zones (my mini animal-lover’s favourites), you’ll have plenty to fill your time.

The museum also has ideas for two-hour tours, including one for family favourites with some highlights.

There are so many discoveries around every corner, you could easily wander and see what you stumble across, which is ideal if you can visit regularly, but otherwise it’s easy to miss something amazing.

Or try my scavenger hunt to make sure you find some of the biggest highlights.

Toddler girl looks at animal exhibits in the Natural History Museum - my tips for visiting London's Natural History Museum with a toddler

5. Pack light

There are two cloakrooms in the Natural History Museum, although the one on Cromwell Road is for large bags and suitcases only, which is another good reason to go in via Exhibition Road.

It costs £4 to leave a pushchair, but these do have to be folded up (so cramming lots of bags underneath isn’t a good strategy unless you’re prepared to carry them.

Coats and bags can also be left for a fee, as well as folding bikes, while children’s scooters cost £2. You can also wheel or carry these around the museum, but you can’t scoot around.

6. Do some homework

The Natural History Museum website has a great kids only section with games, facts and little introductions to the stars of the museum.

It’s great for getting toddlers excited and helps stop them getting too overwhelmed when there’s exhibits they know a bit about. If you’re not sure what they’ll like most, this can help with the planning too.

Image showing a graphic of the London Eye on the Essential Guide to London with kids ebook cover, and the words 'click to buy my 33-page guide to London. Itineraries, tips and all you need to know before a visit to London with kids' linking to my the London with kids shop page

7. Visit Andy’s clock

As well as the Natural History Museum children’s activities for different ages, don’t miss a visit to Andy’s clock.

The clock, which will be familiar from the CBeebies TV shows Andy’s Dinosaur Adventures and Andy’s Prehistoric Adventures, is in the Central Cafe near the Hintze Hall.

Possibly the most exciting thing in the Natural History Museum for three-year-olds if my daughter is any guide… One word of warning: Andy might need it back for another adventure at any time, so there’s always the possibility it might be gone when you visit.

My daughter looks at a dinosaur model at the Natural History Museum in London - my tips for visiting with a toddler

8. Take a deep breath

If the museum is getting overwhelming, the Wildlife Garden is the perfect space to escape the crowds (closed to early 2024 while work is underway)

Go through the Darwin Centre in the Orange Zone to reach it – there are also sometimes free family activities here.

There are some quiet spaces inside the museum as well. The minerals gallery tends to have fewer crowds, while there are other spaces to go if you need some breathing space.

9. Make time for the Investigate Centre

[EDIT: currently closed] Tucked away in the basement – another good reason to check the map – the fantastic Investigate Centre lets you pick up and examine all kinds of objects from meteorites to shells, with a microscope to see more detail.

However it’s reserved for school visits on weekdays during term time, so you’ll need to leave it until after 4pm if you’re visiting then.

By contrast, on weekends and holidays, the centre is open from 11am so it’s best to arrive as early as possible, and better for older preschoolers than younger toddlers.

Check out my experience visiting the Natural History Museum with a toddler and our return trip to see the dinosaurs plus my tips on the best things to do in London with toddlers and preschoolers

**First published 2015, updated 2024**

PIN FOR LATER: LONDON’S NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM WITH A TODDLER

My tips for visiting London's Natural History Museum with a toddler - one of the best family-friendly museums in London, UK, with kids, here's how to get the most out of this free attraction

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18 Comments

  1. Thank you so much for this, I really want to take my toddler next month so it was a very interesting read!

  2. This is very helpful. We are definitely planning on taking Nate to London (for the first time) this year, and he is quite into dinosaurs, so we will definitely be taking him here. I haven’t been before, so your tips are very helpful. Thanks Kat x

  3. Some great tips, we’ve only been to the museum once before during the school holidays and it was unbelievably busy so we left early

  4. Fabulous tips – The explorer packs sound great – esp as they are free! We paid The Natural History museum a visit with our school-aged children last year and it can be overwhelming- there is so much to see! Stumbled x

    1. Thanks! There really is so much to do – it’s great to be able to visit again and again and discover something new, but without a plan, it’s easy to feel really overwhelmed or miss something you’d love. Thanks for the stumble as well.

  5. My best tip is to join (if you live in London or are visiting often). You skip the queues and get tickets for all the exhibitions you can use for the kids. So we go 3-4 times a year. And the butterflies exhibition is a favourite of my sons and no queues for that either with the tickets.

    1. That’s a really good point – we haven’t visited the butterflies yet, but we could easily go to the museum several times a year, so great thought for Londoners or frequent visitors.

  6. How long would you estimate you would need to see all in the Natural History Museum? 7, 5 and 3 year old so need to plan!

    1. Honestly, I think you could spend all day there and still not see everything, and that would definitely be museum overload for the kids. It’s worth looking through the different areas and seeing what is most likely to appeal – so the dinosaurs, I’m sure, but I’m guessing the minerals galleries probably not!

      If it’s a first visit, I’d probably aim for around half a day (3-4 hours, depending when you get in) and focus on the areas you want to see most. Then maybe plan in something which could be pushed back if they’re having an amazing day and don’t want to leave?

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