Chessington

Out of all the Merlin theme parks we find Chessington the most toddler friendly. Even more so now it has the World of Paw Patrol.

We have Merlin Passes which are worth pricing up, especially when there is a deal. Also look out for Adult and ‘Pre-schooler’ tickets as they are much cheaper than child tickets.

What I like about Chessington is that even if your children are too small or not into rides it has a zoo, playground, soft play area and even a small aquarium.

They seem to have thought more about what children need and I often judge a day out on a toilet and Chessington has those additional children’s toilet seats in all toilets which scores huge brownie points from me!

Prams are also available to rent but they are those horrible hard plastic ones with very little storage. Still, they are only cheap at £10 for a single and £15 for a double.

Rides and attractions for toddlers at Chessington

Chessington is split into worlds: Land of the Dragons, Wild Woods, Land of the Tiger, Forbidden Kingdom, Adventure Point, Shipwreck Coast, Wanyama, The Rainforest, World of Jumanji, World of Paw Patrol.

I will only be commenting on rides or attractions suitable for toddlers.

Chessington still has a ton of thrill rides suitable for older children or Parent Swap.

Unfortunately Parent Swap is not getting a new mother that will show you unconditional love but it is a service that allows parents with young children to ride bigger thrill rides.

To make use of Parent Swap you must visit Guest Services to obtain a pass before joining the ride queue.

This will allow one parent to queue whilst the other waits with the children. Once they have ridden the ride they can swap with the other parent, and they do not have to queue.

For more advice on queuing with toddlers check out my tips here.

Land of the Dragon

Sea Dragons is a cute up and down gentle boat with no height requirements. I have taken a newborn on before with no problems. Though do be careful if you are a sleep deprived Mum as the motion may send you to sleep!

Griffin’s Galleon A children’s version of a swinging pirate ship but has a 0.9m height requirement.

In this land you will also find Canopy Capers – a tree top high ropes playground suitable for walking toddlers.

There is also a fantastic soft play here called Dragon’s Playhouse. Perfect for rainy days or some free play.

My two can spend hours in this soft play but unfortunately there are hourly sessions, so you need to leave once the time is up. We have, however, been able to stay longer before if we entered late or if it is not too busy.

There is a nice smaller separate section for younger toddlers and babies.

Wild Woods

Wild Woods is home to my favourite ride The Gruffalo River Ride Adventure. For the children of the nineties, this is the former BubbleWorks Ride (R.I.P).

It is still a riverboat journey but now through the magical story of the Gruffalo.

The queue is often quite long but we have kept an eye on the app and never queued longer than 20 minutes.

In the queue, there are a few little interactive stations to keep children occupied.

Some parts may be a little scary for younger children. My advice with this is to always find a POV video on YouTube to gage their reaction before you queue for a ride they won’t enjoy.

There is also the Vampire rollercoaster in Wild Woods which I still remember riding as a kid.

Surprisingly, the height requirement is only 1.1m so tall pre-schoolers may actually be able to ride this.

Land of the Tiger

This is literally in the name, and although there is a thrill log flume – Tiger Rock unsuitable for toddlers, there is also a really cool tiger enclosure where you can sometimes see the tiger walk over the top of you or really up close.

Forbidden Kingdom

Forbidden Kingdom is also full of thrill rides but it does have Tomb Blaster. It has no height requirements, but children must be able to sit unaided.

It is a dark shooting ride so can be frightening for some children.

You know your child best. As a baby, my daughter hated it and screamed the whole time. At the same age my son fell asleep on it.

My 4-year-old is still not keen on it but my 2-year-old loves it so it really depends on the individual child.

Again, you can always find a POV video on YouTube to see if they would enjoy it.

Older children love the shooting concept of this ride, so do husbands.

Adventure Point

In the centre of Chessington is a nice hub of food fairground games, shops and toddler friendly rides with no height requirement though do require adult supervision.

Elmer’s Flying Jumbos is a classic controlled flying ride suitable for all ages.

When we were here recently (July 2026) this was closed and it looks like it is either going to be removed or replaced with a different flying carriage.

Tiny Truckers is a nice truck ride that has a little compartment for children to ‘drive’ a truck and the adults sit above.

A word of warning, I am five foot nothing and my legs struggled to fit in this!

If you are an anxious parent, I didn’t quite like my daughter sitting in the below section as you cannot see them at all. Though she absolutely loved it!

For some reason the queue is always long but there a few things in the queue to keep toddlers occupied which is a bonus.

Adventure Tree Carousel is a classic carousel with safari animals that my children have always loved and we love that it always has such a short queue.

There are also various moving and non moving seated options for babies; or husbands that have annoyed you.

Shipwreck Coast

Next to Adventure point is Shipwreck Coast consisting of three small nautical themed rides suitable for older toddlers.

Seastorm is a boat ride that spins at a fair speed with a height requirement of 0.9m. I am not a huge fan of this as I don’t enjoy a continuous spinning motion but my toddlers enjoy it.

Barrel Bail Out also has a 0.9m height requirement. It is a fun ride where you can squirt other barrels with water so best to do on a warmer day.

Trawler Trouble is a small version of a swinging ship but also rotates to really get your belly flipping. My two really enjoy this ride.

Wanyama

Is the furthest area away from both entrances and a bit of a trek. There is a small play area and a few zoo animals but the main attraction is Zufari. A safari jeep ride through Chessington’s safari animals such as giraffes, zebra and antelope.

Unfortunately, it as a height requirement of 1m so only suitable for older toddlers.

If you go to this area out of season and the giraffe house is open, although it is a huge uphill trek and a killer with a pram, it is worth it.

You get an incredibly intimate up-close look at the giraffes and once we even went in their house and they were within touching distance.

In season, you can still walk to the lookout and get a great view of all the safari animals and Chessington Hotel.

The Rainforest

All of The Rainforest’s attractions are toddler friendly and it is a nice area in the middle of the park with a few zoo animals too.

Treetop Hoppers has a 0.9m height requirement and under 1.1m must be accompanied by an adult which means it is highly likely you will need to be squeezing your adult size gluteus maximus into a child sized seat.

I still have PTSD of doing this, the ride breaking down, and being stuck on this for a good 15 minutes.

Jungle Rangers is one of my children’s favourite rides and has no height requirements.

The children ‘drive’ a jeep around plastic animals, learn facts, and press buttons of the animals they spot.

Very rarely, you see real capybara whilst on this ride which is a personal highlight.

The only downfall is that this always seems to have a long queue so catch it when it’s short!

River Rafts has a height requirement of 0.9m and under 1.2m must be accompanied by an adult. This is usually only an option for a really sunny day and then the queue gets quite long.

Although I’m on the larger size, I am hardly Michelle McManus and I felt really squished in these little boats and low to the water. I thought I’d end up starring in a Netflix documentary after capsizing the log and drowning my own daughter. The boats are just really small. Other than that it is pleasant and cooling on a summer’s day.

World of Jumanji

All rides in World of Jumanji are 1.2m so not suitable for toddlers.

The land is nicely themed and we have seen that they will also be opening a Minecraft World in 2027 which I presume will be similar.

World of PAW Patrol

Saving the best until last. We were very lucky to visit World of PAW Patrol when it first opened. At least we thought we were lucky until we saw how busy it was!

Even during term time, the queues get really long, and the play area can be crowded.

Though we usually go to any attraction for opening time as our children are up at the crack of dawn, we have found waiting to visit PAW Patrol land later in the day meant much shorter queues.

Another thing to note is this area seems to have very little shade. Not in the play area or any of the queues.

Maybe we have only noticed this as we have gone on particularly hot days but something to bear in mind for keeping little ones safe in the sun.

A few times the queues have said they are much longer on the app than reality so it is always worth checking them out as one time the app and queue stated Chase’s Mountain Mission was a 25-minute queue but we walked straight on.

All of the rides in World of PAW Patrol have a 0.9m requirement which is a shame as my son loved it way before he got to 0.9m.

Chase’s Mountain Mission is a perfect toddler rollercoaster. It goes relatively fast, but my 2-year-old son loved it.

In the queue you also get to go through the PAW Patrol tower which is pretty cool.

Skye’s Helicopter Heroes is probably my least favourite ride in World of PAW Patrol as all it does is goes up and spins.

Though my Skye loving daughter is obsessed with it.

Marshall’s Firetruck Rescue always has the shortest queue, so we have been on it a lot. It actually goes quite fast for a toddler ride which we enjoy as kid’s rides can get quite boring.

Zuma’s Hovercraft Adventure often has quite a long queue so we are yet to try this one but it looks quite speedy.

Rubble and Rocky’s Playzone is the highlight of World of PAW Patrol and my toddlers could spend hours here.

Like I said previously, there is little shade in this area.

On our most recent visit they have added umbrellas to the picnic area so hopefully this is something they are improving.

There is plenty for toddlers to access and there is even a slide in the PAW Patrol Tower that my 2-year-old enjoyed but don’t think it is suitable for any toddler smaller than this.

Please note, I am not Rose West, the slide only starts at the top of the stairs, not the top of the tower; that part is fake.

Throughout the day there are different PAW Patrol Character Meets.

The queue is often short which may be because it is not obvious where it is. It is opposite the playground and between the gift shop and Marshall’s Firetruck.

It is not advertised which character it is but they change it regularly and the exit doors are glass so you can have a quick peek at who it is.

Remember if you are a toddler parent who just does not know where to start with planning a theme park day out then just ‘Yelp for Help!’

Other attractions at Chessington for Toddlers

Why we love Chessington with toddlers so much is that there is so much more to explore than just the rides.

In addition to the play areas like Dragon’s Playground Dragon’s Playhouse and Rubble and Rocky’s Playzone, various character meet and greets, there are also over 1000 animals to see!

AMAZU

The AMAZU area has plenty of animals to explore from monkeys to birds to raccoons and skunks but our children’s highlight is the tree top ropes where you can see the animals from a birds eye view.

Confident walkers can access this and don’t worry, parents don’t have to slide down at the end – there is an alternative – but isn’t playing on children’s equipment part of the reason we became parents in the first place?

Sealife Centre

SEALIFE Centre is perfect for toddlers and an aquarium is one of my favourite things to do with babies.

You do have to leave your pram outside so be prepared to carry non-walkers.

I did actually push it through once when my son was sleeping and nobody said anything but I did feel the fish judging me.

‘Trail of the Kings’ Zoo Walkthrough

Following the path back around towards the theme park, past the stage, you enter the main Zoo walkthrough called Trail of the Kings.

This could actually be missed if you aren’t aware of it but you are going to want to check it out because here you can see the bigger animals like gorillas and lions.

At the end of the walkthrough, you end up by the sea lions where we like to stop and watch them whilst having something to eat.

Room on the Broom

At the top of the grass area is a lovely, toddler-friendly, walk through of the story Room on the Broom.

With no height requirement it is accessible to all but you cannot take your pram through so you will need to carry non-walkers.

My daughter did find this a bit scary once but my son has never been phased by it.

The interactive sections are great for toddlers and older children. Even babies will enjoy the lights and sounds.

Shows and character meets at Chessington for toddlers

In addition to the PAW Patrol characters, there are various character meet and greets throughout the park.

Check the app on the day of your visit via ‘What’s on’ to see who, where and when the meets are as this is forever changing.

There are two main stages where character meets and entertainment takes place.

One near the grass area next to the Trail of the Kings which is often for character meets or smaller toddler entertainment.

The seating allows toddlers to move with a space near the front so they are not expected to sit the whole time.

The characters change often. Characters we have met include Elmer, Gruffalo and different Cocomelon characters so lots for toddlers.

The other main stage is in the centre of the park and, depending on the time of year, has some really good productions.

Be sure to download the app to check performance times. It is also really handy to have the app for queue times and to navigate the park.

Staying at Chessington Hotel with Toddlers

The Chessington Safari hotel is my favourite out of all of the Merlin accommodations.

There is also the Azteca hotel which is connected and you can use the facilities in both. The Azteca hotel just has Aztec themed rooms and you have breakfast in the Temple Restaurant instead of the Zafari Bar and Grill.

One highlight of the Chessington hotels is the swimming pool. There is a normal swimming pool but also a safari themed splash park, perfect for toddlers.

As of August 2026, it is currently under refurbishment so will update once I have seen the new facilities.

Annoyingly, you need to book a swimming slot and it has been hit and miss when we have stayed whether we pay for our session or not, but it is only cheap. We have walked up a few times and asked if we can go in but it depends on how full it is. Again, a bit hit and miss, depending on the moon phase maybe.

Another perk of staying on site is hotel guests have a separate entrance and most of the time get early ride time.

Why I like Chessington Safari hotel so much is the cracking views of the animals.

Rooms at Chessington Hotels

There are lots of different choices of rooms at the Safari and Azteca hotel but they are all hotel rooms with a double or king bed and either separate children’s sleeping area or bunkbed next to the double bed.

They have some incredibly themed rooms for toddlers like the Gruffalo, Paw Patrol and the Capri Sun room even has a slide.

But until my Only Fans foot photos take off, I have not stayed in any of these.

Eating at Chessington hotels

We have only had dinner at the Zafari Bar and Grill and, although we found the food nice, thought it was a little over priced.

We have never eaten in the Temple Bar as this is a buffet option. Though we have had breakfast here plenty of times and the theming is really cool with a small fish tank inside.

The breakfast here is fantastic and my husband doesn’t shut up about the sausages! There are plenty of hot and cold options for toddlers and highchairs are provided.

Entertainment at Chessington hotels

Unfortunately, my least favourite thing about the Chessington hotel is the evening entertainment.

It is hosted in a room that we have all been in for a cheap work conference.

The entertainment itself is lots of crafts or activities that are not really suitable for toddlers. All my two need really is some music they know and a dance floor and they are happy! This was lacking.

The one good bit of entertainment is they offer character meets and some animal handling throughout the afternoon.

I really enjoy an overnight stay at Chessington hotel and definitely think it is worth checking for a term time mid-week deal.