A visit to Kuala Lumpur’s Muzium Negara with children.

After all our time in KL, we had never visited Muzium Negara so I took my little lad along to check it out with me during the school holidays!

Centrally located (and now having its very own MRT stop a short walk from KL Sentral) the National Museum will only set you back a couple of ringgit yet gives you a great overview of the country’s history.

The fact that this is indeed the National Museum, it’s not as large as I’d expected. The museum exhibits on two floors, and is split into 4 areas namely Pre-History, Malay Kingdoms, Colonial Era, and Malaysia Today. They have both indoor and outdoor exhibits which will take you through the years and get you up to scratch on your local history.

I should admit that I’m not a massive museum fanatic, and I never know quite how much the little ones will enjoy halls-worth of display cases but here they have sufficient exhibits to keep children interested; from traditional costumes, and weapons, to jewellery and scenes from earlier times. Seeing how a typical school classroom would have been was something that my little guy liked checking out.

The outdoor space, which acts as an exhibit to vehicles of the past,was probably the biggest hit with my son! What little boy doesn’t like looking at trains, fire engines, cars, and then running around in the gardens?!

Add to that the Istana Satu, part of a palace complex that sits in the grounds of the museum in total contrast to the surrounding skyscrapers, and we actually spent more time outside the museum than in it!

Definitely a good option for introducing local history to the little ones or brushing up on your own knowledge of this beautiful country! They even offer FREE guided tours in English, French, Japanese, Malay and Mandarin but it will be best to contact them directly to organise this in advance.

As mentioned before, the entrance fee is extremely reasonable with rates starting from as little as RM2. They have an intricate pricing structure so I will pop the information from their website below for ease. The museum is open daily from 9am to 6pm so check it out next time you’re in downtown Kuala Lumpur and combine it with a trip to the beautiful Lake Gardens Just next door, S x

Antenatal Classes at The Baby Club in Kuala Lumpur.

For any of our pregnant mums here in KL, let me introduce you to The baby Club; a new centre in Mont Kiara that will be running its first Antenatal courses on the 17th and 18th of November 2018.

The Baby Club provide confident birthing and parenting preparation classes with these two dates next month being given by a UK midwife with over 30 years experience.

Gain confidence, courage and knowledge to get you safely and enjoyably from Bump to Baby with this weekend course which will get you up to speed on antenatal questions, queries and jargon.

With small intimate groups it’s a friendly environment where you can ask as many questions as you want and you will meet a support network of parents all going through the same thing at the same time. The classes are aimed at all expectant couples whether it’s the first baby or you already have a family. Everyone is welcome!

The format of the course will look something like this:

Morning 9am-1pm and Afternoon 2pm-5pm

Location: Function Room, Kiaramas Ayuria, Jalan Desa Kiara, Mont Kiara, 50480, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Please bring swimming costumes to take advantage of the 150m long Swimming pool at the start or end of your sessions.

Tea and Coffee will be available throughout the course and on both days lunch will be provided at 1pm for both classes to join and get to know each other.

Event pages on FB with all the details can be found here, or you can book your place now at www.babyclub.online, S x

Family Dining at ‘Marmalade’ in Kuala Lumpur.

We had a mummy-daughter date and decided to head over to “Marmalade” at Bangsar Village II.

When we first arrived in Kuala Lumpur in 2015, their cafe in Publika was fairly local to our school and it was a place we knew well…. and then they closed! So imagine our delight when we found out there was another Marmalade on the other side of the city, in Bangsar!

As my son was away on a sleepover my daughter was really excited about our little outing and we were both more than ready to dine and play!

We went on a Monday late afternoon and the cafe wasn’t busy at all but I can imagine it being more packed on weekends and at peak hours in the week.

While this isn’t a new edition to Kuala Lumpur, the cafe (located on the 1st floor of the shopping centre) is perfect for dining out with children as they have a dedicated play space in sight of the dining area. Equipped with the essentials of an IKEA kitchen and accessories, baby toys, cuddly animals, and a nice little selection of books to be read while chilling out on giant beanbags, there’s enough to keep the youngest members of the family occupied in between courses or while you sit back and enjoy a coffee!

With a nice selection of healthy options, a specific kids’ menu, main dishes, and desserts, you’re sure to find something to please every taste. From bagels and smoothie bowls, to classics like lasagne and Caesar salads, from breakfast options to brunch, Marmalade has got you covered.

As their dishes on the menu come accompanied with photos, you know exactly what you’re getting and younger diners can pick and choose what they fancy. We tried their healthy spaghetti bolognese, a Caesar salad, and shared a portion of their cheesy soldiers with tomato dip! Plus a couple of really yummy drinks that disappeared far too quickly!

Marmalade is open from 10am to 10pm daily, and yes, I shall be adding this one to my album of Child-Friendly Cafes very soon! S x