Bags & keeping track of everyone
The right bag setup is half the battle. One light adult bag, one small bag per child, and something to stop a small person vanishing into the crowd at South Kensington tube.
Foldable 16L Backpack
£8.49flintronic
Packs down to nothing, waterproof, and big enough for jumpers, snacks and the inevitable souvenir. The spare bag you'll be glad you brought.
Animal Toddler Backpack with Safety Rein
£19.99LittleLife
A cute turtle rucksack that's secretly a fully tested safety harness. For ages 1–3, near roads, rivers and busy stations — non-negotiable.
Packing Cubes, 6-piece set
£13.99One cube per child: spare clothes, wipes, snacks. When someone needs a change of clothes on the South Bank, you grab one cube, not excavate the whole bag.
Air Tracker Tags, 2-pack
£19.99CYBERDOT
Apple Find My-certified tags. Clip one to a child's backpack or jacket in busy spots like the Natural History Museum and breathe easier.
Weather & wardrobe insurance
London does four seasons before lunch. These are the things that turn a rained-off day back into a good one.
Kids Waterproof Puddle Suit
£12.44Regatta
All-in-one waterproof for serious puddle jumping. Hampstead Heath in the rain is still brilliant if everyone stays dry.
Reusable Waterproof Wet Bag
£10.74Bumkins
For soggy clothes, post-paddling-pool swimmers, or a bento box that didn't survive the journey. Zips shut, contains everything.
Biofuse 2.0 Swimming Goggles
£20.41Speedo
London has brilliant lidos and paddling pools — pack goggles in summer and an impromptu swim stop is always an option.
Continuous Mist Spray Bottles, 3-pack
£10.99BELICOO
Fill with water for instant cool-down misting on hot tube platforms and stuffy museum queues. Kids love operating them.
Food & phone fuel
London family food adds up fast. A packed lunch and a charged phone (for tickets, maps and emergency Peppa Pig) are the two cheapest day-savers going.
Bento Lunch Box, 5 compartments
£11.99IJIAMY
Compartments mean no squashed sandwiches and built-in portion control for snack grazers. Works for adults too.
20000mAh Fast-Charging Power Bank
£11.99yixiugo
Built-in cables, charges phones fast. Between Google Maps, e-tickets and photos, a day out eats battery — this eats that problem.
London books & journals
The secret weapon of a London day out: books that make the city itself the entertainment. Great on the train in, and lovely souvenirs.
Mr. Men Little Miss in London
Adam Hargreaves
The Mr. Men take on London's sights. The perfect read-aloud primer before or during a first trip.
Pop-up London
Jennie Maizels
Gorgeous interactive pop-ups of the famous sights — the souvenir book kids actually keep.
Create Your Own Travel Journal
Lonely Planet Kids
60 ideas to invent, make and play — travel bingo, scavenger hunts and more. Turns the day into a project.
London Travel Journal for Kids
Veropa Press
A 16-day activity diary and scrapbook with prompts, a London map and colouring pages to write, doodle and stick in.
First Sticker Book: London
London scenes to fill with stickers — ideal for toddlers on the tube or in a café queue.
Whizzy Wheels: My First London Bus
Campbell Books
A novelty board book with four real moving wheels. For the very smallest bus spotters.
Busy London
Campbell Books
Push, pull and slide London scenes — part of the beloved Busy Books series.
London Activity Book for Kids, ages 6–12
Activity Bandits
Mazes, word searches, sudoku and crosswords, all London-themed. Restaurant-wait gold.
For the creative stops
Waterloo's Leake Street tunnel is London's legal graffiti wall — a proper, slightly jaw-dropping walk under the railway arches where making a mark is the whole point. Practise at home first, then go and watch the professionals at work.
Read our Leake Street tunnel guide- £19.94
Multi-Colour Spray Paint Set, 8 Pack
ZOPPER
Eight 250ml gloss cans in separate colours, for big bold practice pieces on cardboard or the side of a shed. Old clothes on, newspaper down, an adult supervising throughout and cans used outdoors or in a well-ventilated space — then take the technique to Leake Street, where the walls are there to be used.
Travel toys & games
For train journeys, restaurant waits and rain delays. Small, quick and proven with actual children.
Felt Busy Board
£15.99Gatphy
A quiet Montessori sensory board for 1–3 year olds — buckles, zips and buttons for journeys where noise is the enemy.
8.5" LCD Drawing Tablet
£4.99Genialba
Endless doodling with no paper, no pens and no mess. Under a fiver and survives being dropped.
Water WOW! Vehicles
£6.99Melissa & Doug
Magic painting with a refillable water pen — reusable, mess-free, and brilliant for ages 3–7.
Dobble
£8.99Asmodee
The fast observation game in a pocket-sized tin. Ages 6+, 2–8 players, and genuinely fun for adults too.
UNO Show 'Em No Mercy
£4.20Mattel Games
UNO with tougher penalties, for ages 7+. A café-table classic that fills any gap in the day.
Sushi Go!
£12.99Gamewright
Quick card-drafting game, ages 8+, 15 minutes a round. Easy to learn mid-journey.
Bananagrams Big Letter
£24.99BANANAGRAMS
The big-letter version of the word-race game — ages 7+, great for a picnic blanket tournament.
Taco Cat On The Flip Side
£13.19blue orange
Silly, fast card game for ages 8+, 3–8 players. Ten minutes of chaos per round.
Waterproof Playing Card Case, 2-pack
£5.49Funngy
Keeps UNO and co. from disintegrating in the bottom of the bag. Small spend, big sanity.
Prices were correct when we checked and move around on Amazon — treat them as a guide. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases made through links on this page; it never costs you a penny more, and it helps keep KidsFun.London free.