For those who still don’t know, SITS is an amazing community of 6000-strong bloggers (and counting) who offer feedback, advice and support to fellow members. Every true SITSta gets their moment in the spotlight and today is all about me. I’ve even got my party hat on!

So welcome to Babes about Town, a city guide for parents in London and beyond. My aim is to inspire new parents to recover their cool and to rediscover the joys of city living – even with nippers in tow.

To that end, I like to check out hot spots around town with my little homies – Ezra, aged 4 going on 14:

And Jed, 18 months and a full blown toddlerist.

Aside from reviewing events, restaurants, products and all that good stuff, you’ll also catch me rambling on about having my Breasts Interrupted, the thorny issue of Trying for a Girl and the weird but wonderful impact of motherhood in my post 10 Most Surreal Mummy Moments.

Please enjoy your stay, subscribe for updates and don’t hesitate to leave feedback. I’ll try and respond to every single comment.

I’ve met some pretty cool chicks via SITS and I’m looking forward to getting to know more of you!

Jed is a good eater and yet one of his favourite hobbies is chucking stuff off his tray. I often wind up feeding him myself or giving him small portions from a plate kept at a safe distance from his clutches.

So I was keen to try out the Magic mat which is designed to work with Explora weaning bowls. The bowl sticks firmly in the centre of the mat and there’s a little tab to release it once mealtime’s over.

I put the mat on Jed’s tray, poured breakfast cereal into his bowl and then pottered about the kitchen while Jed fed himself without a fuss. I even had time to answer a quick phone call in the living room without the fear of not being able to find the kitchen floor when I returned.

Of course, it wasn’t long before Jed was tugging at the mat and bowl. And being a mini Kong, he eventually managed to pull the whole lot down and fling it to the floor – but by that time he’d finished most of his breakfast. And I felt so smug at how little mess there was, I actually smiled as I wiped it up!

My recommendation would be to buy the Magic mat and weaning bowls as soon as your bubba starts solids – then they’re not yet strong enough or smart enough to work out how to shift it, and they’ll learn earlier to focus on eating…not throwing!

The Magic mat is easily portable as are the two Explora stackable weaning bowls that come with lids and a little handle for baby to grip. The bowls can be used in microwave, dishwasher or for storing baby food in the freezer.

We also received the Explora Active Straw Beaker, a non-spill cup with straw and an insulated base to keep drinks cooler for longer. Jed already loves using a straw so took to this cup instantly.

Normally he’ll take a straw out of his drink and use it as a chew toy, so at first he was a bit flummoxed that this one didn’t come out. Then he started playing with the flip top and watching the straw pop up and down gave him endless amusement.

What I like about the beaker is that it’s fairly large so holds enough to keep my babe about town hydrated throughout the day. Also the size and shape make it easy for chubby fingers to grip.

The Active Straw is suitable from 12 months and is interchangeable with the Active Sipper (from 6 months) and Active Sport (18 months plus) cups.

Visit the web site to find out more about Tommee Tippee Explora range

What took you to Ghana and how old was your child when you made the trip?
My father-in-law’s 70th birthday. My child was 19 months.

What preparations did you make before travelling?
I checked what travel vaccinations Henry would need several months before the trip. As it was his first trip abroad and on a plane, I spoke to a few friends for tips and advice for travelling with children.

How was the flight to Accra?
It was ok. As it was a day flight, he was awake for most of the journey and it was quite tiring trying to keep him occupied and entertained.

Where did you stay and did you have to make any special arrangements for your baby?
We stayed with my parents-in-law. We made no special arrangements but we brought a travel cot with us plus mosquito net and car seat.

What were the highlights of your trip?
It was wonderful to see how well Henry adjusted to life in Ghana, he was so happy and playful. Also, it was interesting to see the development in Henry’s speech from spending two weeks full time (he normally goes to nursery) with his parents and relatives. Other highlights included my parents-in-law renewing their wedding vows and witnessing my husband’s uncle being sworn in as a Supreme Court judge in front of the President of Ghana!

And the most challenging aspects?
Not having access to the variety of food that Henry is used to. Also changing Henry’s nappy when out and about was challenging as there were no baby changing facilities.

Any funny stories to share?
Henry’s holiday romance – a little girl called Destiny took quite a shine to him!

What was your most useful piece of baby kit?
Well it’s not technically baby kit but on the advice of a friend we brought a portable DVD player which really helped to keep Henry entertained. Also handy were disposable milk bottles and our ruck sac baby carrier (LittleLife Traveller S2 Carrier from Mothercare).

What should you have left behind?
A food warming flask.

What advice do you have for parents making a similar journey?
Try and minimise the amount of luggage – you don’t need to use the full baggage allowance allocated by the airline. Also bring new books/toys for the plane journey. And don’t forget a spare set of clothes for yourself in case your baby is sick all over you!

I took the babes to the Diana Memorial Playground at Kensington Gardens to meet up with my Cybermummy buddy Jacqui, of Mummy’s Little Monkey fame.

It was great to catch up with Jacqui (she looks fab going on 8 months preggers!) and to meet her sweet Lucia, just turned 2, in the flesh. It was also fun to check out the playground again as it’s been over two years since my last visit.

Set in one of London’s most handsome parks, near the Queensway Station entrance, the Diana Memorial Playground is a lovingly designed wonderland for kids of any age. The playground theme is inspired by the legend of Peter Pan.

Each time we go it seems there’s something new to discover, from the sensory trail and brand new play tunnel to the stone-carved crocodile lurking by the treasure chest.

Like most of the bigger kids, Ezra soon clambered onto the huge pirate’s ship – the park’s main attraction – and got into full ‘ya haargh, matey’ mode… until a naughty pirate threw water in his face and gave me back my little boy again.

Lucia got stuck into the huge sand pit and every available puddle or mini-fountain, until she was sopping wet and had to be disrobed. She looked ultra-cute wearing Ezra’s monkey top as a mini-dress.

Once I could prise Jed from the swings, he loved climbing up into the wooden play huts, riding on the huge see-saw (almost) by himself and generally roaming around in all that space.

Although I did have to chase him around a little, at least I felt quite safe as the playground is enclosed with security at the gate. You’re not even allowed inside unless you’ve got kids with you.

As Jacqui and I nattered away the time whizzed by and despite the forecast and a few ominous clouds, there wasn’t a drop of rain.

The Diana Memorial Playground is really a beautiful and chilled out place to have an afternoon playdate. There are toilets with baby-changing facilities on site as well as a café serving hot fresh food with kids’ menu.

You can round off the day with a ride on the carousel just outside the playground. That’s if your little ones aren’t already dizzy enough from their adventures!

The Diana Memorial Playground at Kensington Gardens is open all-year round (except Dec 25). Check the web site for opening and closing times.

Sat: London International Animation Festival Family Sessions
Two special programmes for kids aged 0-6 (10.30am) and 7-14 (1.30pm) with enchanting and thought-provoking animated shorts at HMV Curzon Wimbledon and Rio Cinema Dalston.

Sun: Angel Canal Festival
A free day of regatta and boat racing, fun fair, stalls, music and more for all the family in Islington adjoining City Road Lock from 1-5pm.

Sun: HoolaFest
The free pop-up festival is back with HigHoops hoola hooping workshops, live DJs, stalls, Levi Roots Caribbean BBQ and more! 1pm-midnight at Queen of Hoxton, 1 Curtain Rd, Shoreditch EC2

Looking for more stuff to do? Check out our September Events Calendar

Space Safari, National Maritime Museum, SE10 (Sep 1-30)
Camley Street Summer Playscheme, NW1 (ends Sep 3)
Doll Face, V&A Museum of Childhood, E2 (Sep 3-Jan 2011)
The Railway Children, Waterloo Station (ends Sep 4)
The Deep underwater exhibition at Natural History Museum (ends Sep 5)
Festival Brazil, Soutbank Centre SE1 (ends Sep 5)
O2 Activity Zone, O2 Arena, Greenwich Peninsula (ends Sep 5)
Toy Tales, Cartoon Museum, WC1 (ends Sep 5)
Room on the Broom, Garrick Theatre (ends Sep 5)
Toad Hall at The Scoop, SE1 (ends Sep 5)
Open-Air Theatre at Regent’s Park (ends Sep 11)
Peregrines at Tate Modern (ends Sep 12)
Where’s Spot Exhibition, Foyles, WC2 (ends Sep 19)
Grace Kelly at Victoria and Albert Museum (ends Sep 26)

Ongoing

The Queen’s Year, Buckingham Palace (ends Oct 1)
Bling, V&A Museum of Childhood (ends Nov 14)
Enchanted Palace at Kensington Palace (ongoing until Dec 2012)
Nelson’s Ship in Bottle by Yinka Shonibare at Trafalgar Square (ongoing until 2012)
Galleries of Modern London at Museum of London (ongoing)

Calendar Cutie
In the picture is gorgeous Grace, just one year old. A brand new walker, Grace enjoys climbing, partying with the grown-ups (‘she’s very sociable,’ says her mum) and ransacking!

Send in your favourite photos of your babes (ages 5 and under) for a chance to be our next Calendar Cutie and be entered into a prize draw! Email photos and a short description to editor@babesabouttown.com

You want to strike a balance between somewhere that will be fun for the kids without being earache or headache-inducing for your mate.

Heading out for a meeting with one of my buddies from south London, we decided to hook up in South Kensington as I figured if nothing else we could pop into one of the museums.

As I emerged from the station, the V&A was calling my name. I’d been planning to catch the Grace Kelly exhibition for months (it’s closing Sep 25!) and also I remembered it had a nice cafe and a courtyard in case the weather cleared up.

It was Monday mid-afternoon and by the time we got out to the Garden Cafe, the sun had popped out again and there were people frolicking in the giant paddling pool surrounded by water jets.

The John Madejski garden, designed by landscape architect Kim Wilkie, opened in July 2005. It’s such an unexpected treat to sit against this gorgeous backdrop, eating ice creams and watching the kids play in the water.

Before long, the rain forced us back indoors where we had deliciously chunky scones for tea in the truly fabulous restaurant. Stained glass windows, ornate lighting…this ain’t your average kids eaterie!

Still it’s extremely child-friendly as not only are there high-chairs and good grub for bubbas, but we didn’t get (m)any weird looks from staff and customers when Ezra and Jed left the table and began chasing each other around.

Obviously they still had energy to burn, so we headed back into the garden where the sun was out again and Ezra decided he was ready to take a dip.

The pool’s a bit large for Jed who, once in his nappies, changed his mind and ‘rode’ Ezra’s scooter around the edges instead.

We stayed out until it was time to close the garden and then made our way home, Ezra’s trousers soaking. We didn’t even have time to check out any exhibitions or even the kids’ activities and museum trail but still had loads of fun at the V&A.

Best of all I got to have some adult conversation in a very grown-up setting without compromising on my time with the babes.

Result.

The V&A is open 10am-5.45pm daily and 10am-10pm Fridays (selected galleries). The cafe is open 10am-5.15pm and 10-9.30pm (Fri). The garden cafe is open during summer from 10am-5.15pm.

Sometimes blogging seems like nothing more than navel-gazing.

But most of the time I’m immensely proud of being a blogger and inspired by the efforts of other mums who have taken blogging to the next level.

That’s why I’m cheering along the three UK mums, well known throughout ‘mummy blog land’, who are on their way to Bangladesh to highlight the work of Save the Children in deprived areas.

The three ladies in question are Sian To (Mummy Tips), one of the organisers of Cybermummy; Josie George of Sleep is for the Weak (she runs the popular writing workshop); and social media consultant Eve Keogan of Nixdminx.

Their mission is to report on the various projects of Save the Chidren with women and children in Bangladesh by tweeting, sending videos and photo galleries, and literally blogging their hearts out.

You can support them on this journey by following #Blogladesh on Twitter, adding your thumbprint to the Save the Children ‘Press for Change’ campaign or blogging or tweeting about the mission.

Visit Save the Children online for full details.

The Banana Tree Canteen is an unassuming, pan-Asian micro chain restaurant – a bit like Wagamama’s but less hectic.

On arrival we were quickly ushered to our table, provided with colouring/puzzle sheets for the kids and a high chair that locked to the table so Jed could sit on the bench beside me.

This was fun at first but soon got old when Jed kept standing up on the bench and trying to climb out. It’s easier to ‘imprison’ him in a traditional standing chair, but I was impressed by how sturdy and secure this chair was.

I ordered a spicy Mee Goreng with beef noodle dish with pork dumplings starter and Ezra chose the egg fried rice with crispy chicken off the kid’s menu. One plate was more than enough for the boys to share and the food came without delay.

‘The crispy chicken is delicious,’ Ezra pronounced and then later, ‘this is the best restaurant ever!’ Jed was too busy munching for table chat.

I enjoyed my meal too, it was a good size portion and maybe slightly on the salty side but rich with flavour. In fact I couldn’t stop eating my noodles and by the time I tried the dumplings, they were already cold.

The lunch menu is around the £5-£7 range for an average dish which is not bad, although the kid’s menu is slightly pricey at £5.45 per head. However unless your little ones are big eaters, the dish is easily split between two.

It’s also a nice setting with personal lighting (‘how did they make the lights so low, mummy?’ Ezra wondered), a relaxed lunchtime ambience and of course banana plants nestling in every corner.

The service is swift and friendly. When we needed the toilet, a waitress led us out back to the disabled toilet which was clean and spacious with a changing table.

All in all, the Banana Tree Canteen is a cool spot to visit for lunch and I’ll definitely be back to check out the rest of their menu.

Bite Size Review
The Banana Tree Canteen is a new munchtime favourite with an extensive pan-Asian menu and a kid happy attitude.

Facilities: Kids’ menu, high chair, baby-changing, pushchair-friendly

Banana Tree Canteen is on 412-416 St. John’s Street, EC1V 4NJ. Tel: 020 7278 7565

It’s crazy to think four years have gone by since then.

We took Ezra to Carnival when he was not yet 7 months old. At the time we lived in the Willesden/Kensal Rise area so it was only a straight hop on the bus to Ladbroke Grove.

Arriving at Carnival for the first time with your baby in tow is a slightly daunting experience. The crowds, the din, the lack of space to push your stroller through…and the worry at the back of your mind about how exactly you’ll get out when it’s time to leave.

My hubby had started partying before us and we met up at the house of a friend, a useful pit-stop that allowed us to chill, get into festive mode and also change Ezra’s nappies in peace.

Then we braved it to one of the sound systems where we bumped into some pre-baby mates and got our groove on. So far, so cool.

Ezra was a sociable baby and aside from having loads to stare at with the floats and costumes, he enjoyed being fussed over by our friends. Hanging out on daddy’s shoulders (as long as he could take the weight!) gave our little one an excellent vantage point.

But things started going pear-shaped pretty quickly once evening came and the street party was wrapping up. We got into a half-drunk convoy on one of those pointless journeys to a house party hosted by a guy nobody knew at an address nobody could find.

It was dark, the last of the floats were going by and it seemed as if they had cranked up the volume. My poor tired and overwhelmed baby began screaming at the top of his lungs, to the point where I had to bring him out of the stroller.

Lugging a wailing child through the ravaged streets of Notting Hill long after his bedtime was not my finest hour. In fact, it pretty much ruined any ideas I had of doing Carnival with the kiddies for the foreseeable future!

To sum up, taking your baby to Notting Hill Carnival is doable so long as you bear the following in mind:

1. Consider your baby’s age and personality e.g. under three months, highly strung, stranger-shy etc. before carting them out to Europe’s biggest street party.

2. Go on Sunday aka Children’s Day, traditionally calmer and more kid-friendly.

3. Plan your route well in advance using Transport for London’s free map – the less jostling through crowds, the better.

4. Make sure you have at least one good pit-stop/chill-out zone along the way e.g. friend’s place or pub with baby-changing facilities.

5. Carry your baby in a sling for part of the way or even the whole day.

6. Get some ear protectors for when all the noise gets too much for your little one.

7. Have an exit strategy and stick to it!

Notting Hill Carnival is on August 29-30, floats from 9am-9pm. Visit the official web site.