Brighton and Hove Kid’s stuff

Brighton and Hove is one of the best locations on the South Coast for families. a short trip is guaranteed to be fun-filled, with a wealth of child-friendly restaurants, hotels and attractions to choose from, not forgetting the seaside! Shoshana Plail, founder of the Child Friendly Brighton online guide, plans a perfect break with the kids…

9am Looking for breakfast? Head to Giraffe. The extensive menu (such as organic porridge, stacked pancakes or brekkie baps) includes healthy options for children. The lounge area with books and colouring-in will make the kids feel at home!

10am After breakfast, head over to the beautiful Royal Pavilion Gardens where you’ll find the Brighton Museum and Art Gallery (above). Popular with locals and visitors alike, children love the fun interactive displays in the Ancient Egypt and performance galleries. Entry is FREE. Or… if the kids are more into princes and princesses, why not visit the iconic Royal Pavilion itself. Magnificent both inside and out, it captures children’s imagination with its lavish décor and a great free children’s audio guide.

11am Ready to rest your legs and do something creative? Try pottery painting at Paint Pots. Staff can help your child create their very own souvenirs, they specialise in baby foot prints, and have toys to occupy toddlers. Collect your masterpieces the next day or receive them by post.

Noon Lunchtime! Head to Temptation, an independent café where delicious home-made dishes and comfy sofas will revive you. The impressive children’s menu includes a ‘Baby Grazing Platter’ – perfect for toddlers. There are books, toys and crayons for a little distraction too.

1pm In the mood for some shopping? The North Laine has many trendy and quirky shops to fascinate the kids. Purple Heart is perfect if you are looking for original gifts or pocket-money priced toys.

2pm For an ice-cream treat whatever the weather, you’ve got to try Scoop and Crumb. En-route to the seafront, pop in to sample one of the 50 varieties of homemade ice-cream sundaes or choose from the biggest selection of hot dogs in the city.

3pm If the weather is being kind to you, Brighton Pier is full of traditional funfair goodies. It also has fair rides suitable for small children such as mini dodgems and carousels. (Some rides are closed in bad weather). Then wander along Brighton Beach – The Arches are crammed with souvenirs, art galleries, restaurants and bars. Check out the charming Fishing Quarter – with its own museum, fish smokers shop and a big outdoor fishing boat that kids can climb in! If you’d rather be under cover, Brighton Sea Life Centre is a must, the oldest operating aquarium in the world. Children love the jungle tour through Amazonian rainforest waters, or walking through the underwater tunnel to see sharks and giant turtles gliding around them.

5pm Let off steam at the West Pier Play ground. It has excellent facilities including good public toilets and baby change.

6pm Terre á Terre, Brighton’s award winning vegetarian restaurant (above), is a great place to have dinner. With an extensive healthy children’s menu, they also provide free baby food (organic Hipp) and eco-nappies. To keep the kids occupied, there is colouring-in and craft toys.

8pm …and so to bed… the Hotel Seattle at the Marina has a Kids to Coast package where children stay FREE with parents, and receive an activity bag with games and toys. There is also FREE baby equipment such as bottle sterilisers and Babytel monitors which connect to your mobile.  At Marina Village you can walk along the waterfront, visit the shops and restaurants, go bowling and catch a movie (Saturday morning kids’ movies for £1 at the cinema). Other good child friendly hotels and guesthouses include the Hotel Una and myhotel Brighton.

All eating and drinking venues listed here have high chairs and baby change facilities.
www.childfriendlybrighton.co.uk is a free and comprehensive resource listing everything that is child friendly in Brighton and Hove, including events, activities, places to visit, places to eat, drink and sleep.