Family facilities at Heathrow Airport
Find facilities for families and children at Heathrow, from play areas to baby changing.
Family lounge (Terminal 3)
The Family Lounge is a dedicated area for families with play areas for ages 0-2 and 3-9, a children's quiet room, a Game Zone for children aged 15 and under, coffee and soft drink vending, and comfortable seating for adults. There is a discreet area for nursing mothers.
The lounge is in departures, after security (near the Ted Baker store), and open from 06:00 to 21:00 – just follow signs for Lounge A.
Entry is free (though there may be a time limit during busy periods). Please ensure children are accompanied by an adult at all times.
Terminal 3 map (PDF format)
Play areas
There's plenty of pre-flight fun and entertainment for your children in our free Stay & Play areas, located in Terminals 4 and 5. With slides, soft play areas and separate baby and junior zones, there's plenty to keep your young ones entertained and exercised.
Stay & Play is suitable for children aged 0 – 9, who must be accompanied by an adult.
Terminal 4
The Stay & Play area is in the departure lounge (after security), next to Burberry, and open from 11:00 to 20:00 every day.
Terminal 5
Stay & Play is in the main Terminal 5A departure lounge (after security), near Gate A7, and open from 08:30 to 19:00 every day.
Baby changing
There are baby change areas in each terminal at Heathrow, both before and after security control – just look for signs with this symbol. Many are located alongside the toilet blocks.
Find baby change areas on a terminal map
Boots, the pharmacy chain, supplies baby essentials including nappies, formula milk and baby wipes.
Food for families
Child-friendly restaurants are easy to find at Heathrow. Most provide high chairs and children's menus.
You'll find some of Britain's favourite family-friendly restaurant brands at each Heathrow terminal – check our restaurants A-Z to see what's available for your journey.
Security
Here's a quick guide to getting through security as quickly as possible when you're travelling with children.
Find out what you can do at home to make everything quicker and easier, read about what happens at security, and get answers to common security questions about everything from baby milk to pushchairs.
Security guide for families (1.1MB PDF)
Travel tips for parents
Make your journey fly by with some of our ideas.
- Be prepared
- You're more likely to forget something if you're trying to pack your hand baggage, check in and keep an eye on your family at the same time. So carry all your travel documents such as passports and boarding passes in one easily reached place, make sure your hand baggage meets security requirements before you leave home, work out whether you need to carry buggies or pack them in your hold baggage. If you are two adults travelling with children, consider distributing tasks so one adult can take care of the children and the other of the children related equipment such as buggies and bags. Planning makes all the difference!
- Time it right
- If you're travelling with babies or young children, consider booking your flight to coincide with their sleeping routine.
- Plan to take a rest
- If you're travelling with a partner, consider booking seats apart so you can take turns sitting with the children.
- Go door-to-door
- Consider using a valet parking service. It doesn’t cost that much more, but saves you having to shepherd youngsters and baggage from car park to terminal.
- Allow extra time
- It will take longer to get around the airport if you're carrying or walking with youngsters.
- The trick with toys
- Bring them, but don't hand them all out at once – keep surprising children throughout the journey
- Extra supplies
- Boots the Chemist is available after security in all terminals, where products such as baby milk and medication can be purchased. Contact Boots in your terminal for further advice
