Recently, I was in Helsinki, Finland for a conference. This was my first time taking Teddy (6 months old during this trip) for a conference and I was grateful that my Mom and sister came along to watch him. While we were lucky and had great weather most days, we still needed to take Teddy indoors to escape the rain and also let him stretch his legs. This post takes you through our 3 rainy day places for infants in Helsinki.
1. Children’s Town in the Helsinki City Museum
Children’s Town is located in the Helsinki City Museum, which occupies the Sederholm House – the oldest house in Helsinki. It’s a free interactive exhibition that has created a number of period rooms to help children explore various times of Helsinki’s history.
There is something for children of all ages. At 6 months, Teddy really enjoyed the 18th-century ship room, which had a lot of cushions and room for him to roam around.
For the adults in your group, you can visit the museum or the adjoining cafe, El Fant. My sister and I enjoyed the chai latte and cake.
2. Children’s World in Helsinki Central Library Oodi
Children’s World (also known as the Children’s Section) is located on the top floor (3rd) of the Helsinki Central Library Oodi. The 3rd floor of Oodi can make a rainy and glum day quite pleasant because of its bright and open design. Patrons and visitors can access the library for free and it’s truly a stunning place for all ages.
There are plenty of kid-friendly spaces throughout Oodi, but the 3rd floor’s Children’s World is especially great for infants on a rainy day. There is a cozy reading room, as well as an open area where kids can read and play. When we visited, there were loads of really cool foam Danish toys called bObles.
For the adults in your group, the Oodi Library has plenty to explore. There are a few cafes in the building and one of them is right next to Children’s World. While we didn’t try the cafe because we were heading to the third place on this list, I would definitely give it a go the next time.
3. Playroom at Restaurant Loiste
Restaurant Loiste is located in the Original Sokos Hotel Vaakuna Helsinki and they are known for having a pretty sizeable children’s playroom for a restaurant. The restaurant doesn’t charge for the use of the playroom and it’s open to people who are eating there.
The playroom has a variety of toys and entertainment to suit children of many ages. On a rainy day, the playroom can feel a bit dark because the windows won’t be letting in much light. In terms of the size, it’s no Chuck E. Cheese, but I found it to be a decent size for a restaurant that caters to adults. For a 6-month-old, there is plenty of space to roam around and age-appropriate toys.
There are a lot of varying opinions about Restaurant Loiste’s food at service. I found it to be a nice place for a slightly splurge-worthy light lunch. They have an array of dishes, including traditional Finnish foods. Our party of three opted for a soup/appetizer per person and an appetizer to share. We each had warm drinks and two desserts to share at the end of our meal.
I think this is a good rainy day option if your infant(s) is napping, you want a relaxed bite to eat/drink, BUT you also want to give them the opportunity to stretch their legs when they wake up without having to change locations.
We found Helsinki to be an incredibly infant-friendly city. I was grateful to have my first conference experience with Teddy there, as well as having my Mom and Sister as babysitters and travel companions. While there are probably even more places to take infants on a rainy day, I hope these three suggestions are a useful starting point.
Have you ever visited Helsinki with an infant? Are you planning to go there in the near future? Let me know in the comments below.
*Special thank to my Mom for finding the first two places on this list 🙂