Museum of Childhood — Attraction in City of Edinburgh

We attended the museum today between around 1300 and 1330 with 8 of our children from the nursery we work at (aged between 14 months and 2 years) we arrived with 3 triple buggies. This was our experience:

When we arrived at childhood museum just before 1pm The lady smiled and said hi to us and let us in then as we went though the gift shop. There were two male staff members there, did not greet us or acknowledge us however as soon as they saw us thir body language and facial expressions made all three of us feel uncomfortable and not made welcome at all.

The first thing said to us was that “we aren’t fitting in the lift” and that “they don’t know how we made it through the front entrance.”

We went through the first gallery to the end of that part and had stopped as we were working out the best route to take the children up to the next floor (obviously needing to take them o it the buggies which we knew before we arrived) but needed to work out how to as there was a corridor ahead with stairs leading downstairs so obviously a hazard to the children especially the two who were out the buggy which we also needed to keep an eye on.

We had started to go down the corridor to check the size of the lift when one of the male workers (from the start) came up to us and asked us to move as we were blocking the way for people. He said this aburuptly. He did not ask us if we needed help and said in a mocking tone “we weren’t going to fit in the lift.”

We explained (both me and my other collegue) that that is fine we are just working out a route for us and the kids. At that point the other male worker came over to us and was hurrying us so we moved back against the wall at the end of the first gallery. They then told us abruptly (with no offer of help either) we couldn’t stay there as we were in the way for other people to use the exhibit.

At this point it was very stressful this was very unnecessary and we were made to feel hurried when they could have offered to help us (at no point they helped us and just looked at us as if we were something that had been trodden in off the street. Their attitudes absolutely disgusted me to be honest.

Another few quotes they said to my other colleague was “The museum isn’t just for you you know”

And (referring to the children) “Don’t let them touch anything”

All three of us were made to feel uncomfortable, they interrupted us when we were trying to explain what we were trying to do. He said to other colleague for the third time we need to move as sge was trying to turn the buggy and meeuvour the children who were out the buggy whilst we also had an upset child as well as all this was happening my colleague tried to say she understands but she was was interrupted before she could explain what we were trying to do.

They also said at one point we should have booked the museum for this number of children rather than just turning up. This is not stipulated on the website. And the way this was spoken to us was very rude and just made us feel unwelcome.

I asked one of the workers if there was baby changing facility on the ground floor and he just shrugged his shoulders at me.

Then later on as we were leaving they asked us what nursery we were from and I told them and said the older children I think had been before so we wanted to have a look and whilst I said that they just were shaking their head the whole time.

We were in there for less than 30 minutes and the whole time felt rushed and made unwelcome. This was supposed to be a nice wee experience for our children and instead made into something that was unfortunately made very...

I love this place but unfortutely feeling discouraged to go back at the moment. I have a child with ASD and going to any public places is not easy for us for a couple of reasons. During our last visit my two kids had had an argument causing one of them to burst into tears. One of the museum's staff members walked up to me asking to "keep the noise down". I understand we were making a noise that could have been disturbing to other visitors but I felt disappointed of the way the situation was approached. I obviously tried to handle it the best I could but thinking that I could stop a distressed child's crying within seconds is unrealistic. As a result we left the museum feeling even more stressed than before.

Simply asking how they could help would be a much better way to handle this situation. A friendly smile instead of a frown would be great, too. I wish they were more inclusive and child friendly and took into consideration that some children have additional support needs and invisible disabilities that cause them to behave the...

I love coming to the Museum of Childhood in Edinburgh, it’s such a unique and nostalgic place. As someone from Indonesia, I was amazed to see so many toys and dolls I’ve never seen before. The collection is huge and full of charm, with items from different eras that really make you feel like you’re stepping into the past. It’s exciting to explore, and there’s so much to see, but I do feel like it’s a bit hidden, not many people seem to know about it.

Even though the museum has a lot of fascinating displays, the way the items are arranged could be improved. Right now, everything feels a bit too packed or randomly placed, and I think a better layout could make the experience even more engaging. It’s such a shame that not many people come by, especially since the location is actually really good, right along the Royal Mile. Maybe using social media more actively could help attract more visitors, because this place definitely deserves...