What to do in Melbourne with a Toddler!

What to do with toddler in Melbourne | MIlk and Cardamom

When we told friends we were going to Melbourne, everyone told us that it’s very similar to San Francisco. And they weren’t wrong. Tons of hipster-esque areas with small artisan cafes and an abundant amount of man buns walking around. It felt just like home! While doing my research I found that there were tons of toddler activities to do here! I planned two activities for each day I was in Melbourne; one that was focused on things Elara would enjoy and one for Rhut and me (that Elara might enjoy as well)! We brought our Uppababy stroller with us this time instead of our travel stroller so Elara could take her mid-day naps while we were still out. We’re super lucky that Elara can sleep in the stroller for up to 3 hours during her naps! This really helped us take advantage of our day since we didn’t have to go back to our Airbnb for her to nap. 

Getting around: 

We took public transportation everywhere. It was fast, easy and every place was stroller friendly with ramps and elevators. I suggest getting a Myki card and loading it with money at the customer service desks as the machines were a little confusing for us to use and sometimes rejected Rhut’s chip card.

Getting In:

Once you land at the airport you can get to your hotel or Airbnb two ways. You can take a taxi, which you don’t need a car seat for and hold your baby or toddler (just keep them on your lap) OR you can take the Skybus to Southern Cross station and then take a train from there to your location. We took a taxi coming in and a train and Skybus on the way out. Both took us 40 minutes.

Where to stay:

Melbourne with baby Airbnb | Milk and Cardamom

We stayed in an Airbnb in South Yarra. I chose South Yarra because it was near tons of restaurants and shopping. It kind of reminded me of the Marina in San Francisco. The Big W (kind of like Walmart) was nearby just in case we needed diapers and the train station was only a 5-minute walk away.

PRO TIP: Did you know you can now search Airbnb for places that have cribs? Just check off Family Friendly in the amenities box in the filters and then when you click onto family friendly listings you can see if they have a crib available in the amenities section for your selection. We were lucky enough to find an Airbnb with a crib for only $116/night (including service and cleaning fees). I also like Airbnbs because I can stay somewhere with a washer and dryer so I can pack light, plus Elara is insanely messy and needs 1-2 outfits changes a day!

What to do:

Melbourne Museum

The Melbourne Museum has fantastic kids play area. I have never seen so many interactive exhibits, Elara spent 2 1/2 hours playing here! They really designed this place for kids of every age, every corner is filled with a surprise. Elara really enjoyed their reading nooks and jumping on all the soft pillows.

Ian Potter Children's Musuem with Toddler| Milk and Cardamom

For older kids, they have a massive obstacle climbing course (similar to Chuckee Cheese but WAY cooler and cleaner). For crawlers, they had an area where babies could crawl around on a carpet where various moving animals were projected onto it. A huge plus for parents is that there is ample seating so you can watch your kids play , giving them a little independence.

Melbourne Museum with toddler | Milk and Cardamom

They also have an outdoor sand pit and water play area, so be sure to pack a small towel and swimming diapers for the kiddo! There is a small café next to the exit to the outdoor play area, so you can get your caffeine fix while your toddler runs around in the sand and water. The parents’ room is equipped with microwaves and sinks for babies who drink formula and nursing pods.

Melbourne Museum with toddler | Milk and Cardamom

We checked out the rest of the museum after Elara fell asleep post-play. Their bug exhibit was our favorite! Lots of big bugs that I expected to see in Australia like giant spiders and beetles!

Queen Victoria Market

Melbourne with baby queen victoria market | Milk and Cardamom

This massive open-air market is a great place to stroll around and find fresh produce that’s cheap! There are clothing, souvenir and food vendors up and down the market with tiny cafes nearby. The variety of fruits at the market was outstanding. Elara is a fruit-aholic so we grabbed a lot of fruit here. I suggest going towards the end of the day to score some bargains (and to keep cool!). We went around 4 pm and were able to get 1/2 pound of grapes, a pint of strawberries and an avocado for $.80 each! I even grabbed some ingredients to make dinner for us since our Airbnb had a kitchen! They also have an area where they sell toys and trinkets if you want to grab a souvenir!

SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium

sealife aquarium melbourne toddler | Milk and Cardamom

Since our last visit to the aquarium was such a blast for Elara, we decided to go to one in Melbourne (she’s in a fish phase). This place is great for people with older children (5-10 years old, we saw lots of school groups) if your kids are really into the ocean and marine life. For toddlers, it was a little tough since there were so many people there, we had a hard time getting to the tanks.

Elara was small enough to wiggle her way through while Rhut and I would just stand in the back and keep an eye on her.  Each tank had a little step stool for little ones which I found really nice. The best part of the museum was the Mermaid Garden where you could see giant stingrays and colorful fish swimming around. The aquarium also had a touch pool where you could pet starfish and stingrays!

I would suggest going to the aquarium in the morning when it opens  since in the afternoon it was super crowded and hard to maneuver our stroller around people. If you and your kid don’t mind crowds I recommend checking it out!

National Gallery of Victoria

National Gallery Victoria with toddler | Milk and Cardamom

By far my favorite place we visited in Melbourne! This museum is free and Elara napped her way though the entire museum, so Rhut and I could actually really enjoy the exhibits. Each art exhibit was interactive in one way or another! My favorite was the Flower Obsession by Yayoi Kusama where the artist invited visitors to place plastic flower stickers all over an apartment built-in the museum. It looks so gorgeous and I loved walking around the apartment and trying to guess what was under all the flowers. Plus it was super Instagrammable!

National Gallery Victoria with toddler | Milk and Cardamom

There were also exhibits that used the visitors as a main part of the art. For example, one exhibit had people stand in front of a camera where it would then mesh your face with other visitors to create unique portraits! If you’re looking for a new way to look at art and be a part of art, this is the perfect museum for you. Rhut and I really enjoyed this museum and although Elara slept through most of our visit, she really loved running around in the museum!

Ian Potter Children’s Park in the Royal Botanic Garden

Ian Potter Children's Musuem with Toddler| Milk and Cardamom

Elara loved this place! Almost every park in Australia has a water feature, so be sure to bring along a change of clothes, sunscreen, swimming diapers, bathing suit and towel to the park with you! You have to walk through the Royal Botanic Garden to get to it, just input Ian Potter Children’s Park in Google Maps and it’ll show you the way! There is a spiral water fountain that Elara played in under some shady trees. There is also a small stream the kids can play in behind the fountain. I suggest going around 3-6pm so the sun isn’t as strong and you’re not baking under the sun!

Ian Potter Children's Musuem with Toddler| Milk and Cardamom

EAT!

Melbourne is a vegan and vegetarian food heaven! Similar to San Francisco, every restaurant had at least two vegetarian options. We really loved Lord of the Fries, a vegan/vegetarian fast food franchise.

lord of the fries travel blogger

Desgraves street and the alleyways all around it are also great places to do some people watching while eating. We ended up getting a few small dishes from various places and doing a mini food tour. Warning: most the restaurants are tiny and won’t have space for your stroller.

Overall, my there are TONS of things to do with your toddler in Melbourne. I was so surprised about how kid-friendly the city was. From ramps and elevators for strollers to parks dotted around the city, it’s really a great place to visit with your kid!

Disclaimer: Many thanks to the Melbourne Museum and SEA LIFE Melbourne for hosting me and my family, and as usual – all opinions are my own! 

 

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