‘They’re changing guards at Buckingham Palace, Christopher Robin went down with Alice …’ as AA Milne, Winnie the Pooh’s creator wrote.

With its enchanting parks, picturesque palaces and quirky pantomimes shows, London has and will always be a magical place for children to explore. If you only have a few days in the capital with toddlers in tow, here is my top five list of things to do with toddlers in London:

Halloween was always an ‘American’ thing here in the UK. Just like you can always find a few hotels serving Thanksgiving dinners, you would occasionally find the odd restaurant or club going with the spooky theme. You might get a couple of kids knocking on your door covered in a white bed sheet with two holes cut out at eye level, but that was it.

Until about two years ago.

It has been called England’s answer to Malibu. But that’s a bit like calling Hugh Grant, England’s answer to Brad Pitt. A nonsense. Nevertheless, it’s not hard to see why the analogy sprang up.

Sandwiched between the seaside towns of Bournemouth and Poole on England’s South coast the Sandbanks peninsula juts like a pointed finger about a mile out to sea. It is so narrow at one section that you can see the waves lapping along the edge of both of its sides from the road.

Conjure up the typical English countryside scene: think of a patchwork landscape of fields laden with crops or dotted with sheep and cattle, interspersed with stately homes, church spires and quaint little villages. Not much of rural England looks like this anymore, but The Cotswolds really does.

It has something to delight everyone, whether it’s one of the many manor houses, which have been turned into luxurious country house hotels and spas …

You don’t need to be a princess to stay in a castle. Gather up your favourite folk and head for the rugged glens of the Scottish Highlands, where fairytale fortresses steeped in history are just waiting to make you feel at home and legends, such as the one surrounding the Loch Ness Monster will have everyone enthralled.

A straightforward drive southeast out of London, perched high on the famous white cliffs, is the incredible Dover Castle. Of course it is imposing and impressive, that is the point of castles, but this location has been imposing and impressive and very important to England since Roman times and again for Henry II, and the Allies in World War II.

For many Americans our sense of history is short. So to find something that has been around since Roman times is pretty exciting, even for kids.

Trips, should I say adventures, have a knack for just happening in my family.

We were trying to plan a trip to the Loire Valley for a family wedding.I’d done my homework; sketched out a rough itinerary in my notebook and lined up hotel reservations. I had everything but plane tickets. Flights into Paris were off the charts expensive. I had been watching, waiting and hoping for a serious airfare war.

Nancy wrote about London with kids at length when she returned from her trip last summer. However, she left out a few fun and juicy tidbits when she wrote our articles. I have good news—the rest of her story is online today on Delicious Baby.

If you want a laugh, check it out. Her harrowing flight across the Atlantic is familiar to all of us who have traveled abroad with babies and toddlers.

Edinburgh in November. If you’re anything like me the first thing that comes to mind is cold! Don’t let the weather put a damper on your family plans. Edinburgh is a great place to take the kids. Just don’t forget a good coat.

Though I’m not typically a big fan of tour buses, it was a good choice for my family. Almost all of the tours allow you to use your ticket to get on and off as often as you’d like.

This summer we took our kids to London for a week. We have fabulous memories, and with four young kids, we quickly figured out what works and what doesn’t. With that perspective in mind, I put together comprehensive tips for PeterGreenberg.com, A Traveling Mom’s Tips for Visiting London With Kids.

London is an amazing city and a great starting point for families wanting to experience an international destination for the first time.