I will be in London for 12 days for Christmas. My 16 month old son is soming along and since he enjoys parks I am thinking of taking him to the playground in hyde park as well as feeding the ducks. Will I be the only mom there since it is winter?

If you are the only mom what makes it silly ? Stop being an image conscious twat and think of your son's enjoyment.

It does make it silly of its freezing cold, snowy, wet & windy at the park which I think is what Kelda was wanting to know...now whos a silly 'twat'?

Absolutely not silly at all, as long as your son is dressed appropriately. Many parents take their babies and young children outdoors in cold weather to parks. The only thing you really need to be wary of are aggressive pigeons competing for the food you feed the ducks and swans. If you are familiar with scenes of Trafalgar Square and the tourists who enjoy being covered with pigeons, the same can happen at Hyde. Older children seem to enjoy it but for a 16 month old it may be frightening. The pigeons will only perch on you if you are holding food i.e. bread, seed, etc. It is not a serious problem, but may be a bit unnerving if unexpected. Please also take your son to St. James park and the zoo in Regents park if you have the time.

Princess Diana's Memorial playground is in Kensington Gardens. Your little boy might enjoy that one ,too.

Believe it or not..there are actually children and young infants that live in London..They go to parks, markets, shopping ,tubes..anything you might imagine. And they all survive. do you think your kiddy is any different ..and if so ..WHY

I was often taken there in the winter. You are more likely to get wet than cold! Just choose a day when it isn't raining.

Kensington Gardens has a lake with ducks &amp; swans and is close to the Princess Di playground. As I live 5 mins walk away with my 15 month-old son I can assure that as long as it isn't pouring with rain, there will be families there (probably including me).<BR><BR>

Especially if the weather is good, Hyde Park is often crowded with families - so wrap up warmly and enjoy. <BR>

When mine was that age, his favorite activity was CHASING the pigeons in the park; he thought it was wonderful the way they would take to the air when he came near, but then come right back down so that he could do it again.

My child loved it. Bundle up. T think<BR>children like the cold better than we adults.

Ryn... what a fun image of your tyke that was. Kind of like playing fetch with a ball that returns on a rubberized string. Thanks, that memory that brought a grin to my mind's eye!

A wonderful memory! It reminds me of when I was an au pair in Paris. I used to pick up 4-year-old Hughes at his school bus stop at the Arc de Triomphe, and he would always want to spend a few minutes chasing the pigeons there. He was absolutely certain that one day he would catch one (they do let you get very close before they fly away, so he was convinced that every time, he &quot;almost&quot; had one). <BR><BR>He said to me one day, very seriously (please pardon my poor grammar and spelling): &quot;Tu verras, Andrea, tu verras. Un jour j'en aurais un!&quot;<BR><BR>(&quot;You'll see, Andrea, you'll see . . . one day, I'll get one!&quot