Toddler-friendly activities in Oslo for the jetlagged parent
June 19, 2015 6:42 AM Subscribe
My family - me, husband, 18-month-old toddler - is headed to Oslo next week. For three full days, I'll be busy all day with an academic conference. Help us think of easily accessible, toddler-friendly things for my husband and son to do during that time.
We're competent international travelers in general (though this is the toddler's first international trip, we'll all be jetlagged, and parenting solo in a new city is a challenge), but we don't know much about Oslo. We'll be staying in a hotel very close to the Grønland metro station. Here are the kinds of suggestions that would be helpful:
-parks and playgrounds, especially if they are very close to the Grønland station area
-nearby grocery stores or bakeries where we can buy materials to make lunch (bread and spreads, fruit, etc.)
-any toddler-friendly restaurants with vegetarian food (the whole family is vegetarian)
-any particularly toddler-friendly day-trip destinations
-any tips about getting around/visiting Oslo with a toddler
Other stuff: right now, we're not planning to bring our (large) stroller, just a soft carrier (which our son is used to and likes). Is a stroller worth the hassle?
My son is into: vehicles (especially construction vehicles), anything to do with water or sand (LOVES the beach), birds, being outside, eating pizza, fruit or ice cream, playgrounds of all kinds.
My husband is into: space exploration and physics, music (many kinds), hiking and nature, vegetarian food.
We're competent international travelers in general (though this is the toddler's first international trip, we'll all be jetlagged, and parenting solo in a new city is a challenge), but we don't know much about Oslo. We'll be staying in a hotel very close to the Grønland metro station. Here are the kinds of suggestions that would be helpful:
-parks and playgrounds, especially if they are very close to the Grønland station area
-nearby grocery stores or bakeries where we can buy materials to make lunch (bread and spreads, fruit, etc.)
-any toddler-friendly restaurants with vegetarian food (the whole family is vegetarian)
-any particularly toddler-friendly day-trip destinations
-any tips about getting around/visiting Oslo with a toddler
Other stuff: right now, we're not planning to bring our (large) stroller, just a soft carrier (which our son is used to and likes). Is a stroller worth the hassle?
My son is into: vehicles (especially construction vehicles), anything to do with water or sand (LOVES the beach), birds, being outside, eating pizza, fruit or ice cream, playgrounds of all kinds.
My husband is into: space exploration and physics, music (many kinds), hiking and nature, vegetarian food.
If you're at the radisson blu plaza then I would try to switch to the radisson blu Scandinavia.... It's a much nicer place to be in town!
Gronland isn't really very nice, it's okaaaaay.... But for parks and playgrounds you'll need to walk to jernbarntorget and go elsewhere in the city I think....
Nevertheless, oslo is small and wonderful... I'm sure others can say where the parks are... But your toddler might enjoy watching the boats at aker brygge.
posted by catspajammies at 8:45 AM on June 19, 2015
Gronland isn't really very nice, it's okaaaaay.... But for parks and playgrounds you'll need to walk to jernbarntorget and go elsewhere in the city I think....
Nevertheless, oslo is small and wonderful... I'm sure others can say where the parks are... But your toddler might enjoy watching the boats at aker brygge.
posted by catspajammies at 8:45 AM on June 19, 2015
Response by poster: catspajammies, the hotel is paid for by my lab, so we can't change it (it's not the Radisson though - it's a bit west of Grønland).
We bought an umbrella stroller today - ours was too big to take on the flight.
Thanks for the tips - does anybody have any Oslo-specific recommendations?
posted by Cygnet at 12:12 PM on June 23, 2015
We bought an umbrella stroller today - ours was too big to take on the flight.
Thanks for the tips - does anybody have any Oslo-specific recommendations?
posted by Cygnet at 12:12 PM on June 23, 2015
« Older Is there a way to force an app to stay open/active... | How much did it cost to set up an 8 modem BBS in... Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.
It's a lot of fun to explore a walkable city but it's absolutely no fun when you're tired and/or the kid isn't cooperating. A soft carrier is a nice idea but if your child wants to nap the stroller is going to be your better bet. Hubby can sit down at a bench or cafe and let the child sleep in the stroller next to him. Everyone will have a better time.
Don't get me wrong, strollers can be a huge hassle especially when navigating airports and train stations. Find a compact one if you can, even better if it's one-hand collapsible. If all else fails a cheap umbrella stroller will also work fine and if it breaks or gets lost it's no big deal (although they're a pain on cobblestone streets FYI).
posted by JoeZydeco at 7:14 AM on June 19, 2015