Babies at Techniquest

We’re all for introducing children to science from a very early age, and there is no charge to bring in babies or children under 3 — but sometimes we know it can be tricky to navigate a day out when you’ve got a newborn with you or have a very young toddler to look after.

It can also get pretty busy at peak times and quite noisy for very young ears. With all of that in mind, we’ve put together a guide to help you decide whether the Techniquest experience is right for your child at this age, or whether waiting a little longer to introduce them to the wonders of science might work better for both you and them.

Toddler Days

These happen once a month during term-time, and it’s a time when we bring out a few more age-appropriate activities on to the floor for the youngest budding scientists to get stuck in to.

There are also storytime sessions, craft activities and sometimes even special guests from other toddler-based organisations on hand, so if you’ve anyone under three in your family, this is likely to be the best session to bring them along to.

Check out the What’s On guide to find out when the next one is happening.

Baby changing

Currently we have:

A dedicated baby changing room on the ground floor, to the left of the ladies’ toilets.
A baby change unit inside the Accessible Toilet that is just opposite the main baby changing room.
One further baby change area can be found on the ground floor near the show portal, at the far end of the Retro Area, close to the Learning Hub: the exact location can be found on the wayfinder map.

Buggies and pushchairs

There is a cloakroom and locker area near the main entrance to Techniquest, where buggies and pushchairs may be left, free of charge, at the owners’ risk.

Feeding time

We understand that this can be challenging when you’ve a baby to look after, especially if you have other children with you who want to explore our space.

There are a few options available, but in general this needs to happen away from the main exhibits themselves, as warm liquids and delicate equipment — as our newer exhibits in particular tend to be — don’t really mix!

You can use our Picnic Area where there are tables and chairs: this should make it easier to prepare any formula milk you’ve brought with you for example, and where you can also make use of one of our high-chairs should you need one.
If you can’t see a high-chair already set out, please just ask a member of our team and they should be able to help you with that.
You are very welcome to breast-feed at Techniquest, but if you would prefer to do so in a private area rather than on the floor, then you have that option too. Head to The Pod, just beyond the Show Portal, where you’ll find a small, private room that you can use.
You may choose to bottle-feed on the exhibition floor itself, but we ask that you only do this at one of the seating areas that are in each zone, rather than at an actual exhibit, to avoid the possibility of causing accidental damage to them.
Chairs or benches have been placed at strategic points across the different science zones, to allow you to keep an eye on your other children using them, as you take care of a feed or two (or more!) while you’re with us.

Unfortunately, we do not have any bottle-warming or fridge facilities for the public on site, so please be aware of this before you plan your visit.

Live Science Shows & Planetarium presentations

Although these usually come with an Age Guidance rather than an Age Restriction attached to them (usually either 5+ or 7+), we wouldn’t usually recommend bringing in very young children or babies for a number of reasons.

The experiences tend to last for around 30 minutes or longer, which can be a long time to keep still when you’re very young.
The language used will be more appropriate for children aged either 5 or 7 and upwards, so could easily go over the head of much younger children and lose their attention.
Much of the time they will be in darkness or semi-darkness, but then with the possibility of bright lights during the show — so the contrast can be unsettling for some.
There will also sometimes be loud bangs, or strong smells in the live science shows so again, this can be unsettling for very young children.

The KLA Lab

We have a very strict age restriction on the KLA Lab of Ages 7+, as well as a policy of only allowing children to attend with an accompanying adult: with chemicals being used during these workshops, we have to make sure all concerned are as safe as possible. Please note that under no circumstances can babies or children under 7 be allowed inside this area.

Get in touch if there is any further information you might find helpful when it comes to planning a visit to us and we’ll do our best to advise you.