Visiting Kuala Lumpur With A Toddler

It was a trip we had been talking about and looking forward to since booking it. Our big trip to the Far East.  First stop, Malaysia, and its capital, Kuala Lumpur.

This was my third visit to the city. My first as a backpacking graduate, 12 years ago; the second with my future husband, seven years ago and now with my 18 month old daughter.

It was only a flying visit – 2 nights and just over a day there. It didn’t give us much time to explore the city but then a thick, yellowy haze emitting faint odours of car fumes mixed
with public lavatories, had settled over the city – due in part to a three-month drought in the country. The end result was an intense, sticky humidity which made it tricky to wander too far, particularly with a child.

To put it in context, when we flew into KL at 11pm the haze hugged the buildings like a long lost friend and it was 29 degrees Celsius outside.

Air conditioning. How did people ever live without it? To us Brits it makes travel in Asia, especially with a child, bearable. And so the next day we hid from the heat in one of the biggest air-conditioned public places there is in KL, a shopping mall. That must be why they are so popular in Asia, a refuge from the uncomfortable heat. And everything you could want there too. We dived into the first we saw, just across from our hotel. Mrs T loved it. She could run around, get lots of attention from strangers and we could shop and eat too – all under one roof.

In the UK, shopping centres attract a whole host of uninspiring chain and fast food outlets, if you like burgers and pizza you are fine. But in Asia, they contain some of the best restaurants. I remember when we were in Japan, we had the tastiest (and best priced) sushi on the top floor of one of Tokyo’s big malls at lunchtime.

We actually stopped for Japanese in this KL mall. One of many places
serving various cuisines from around the world. Thankfully for us, while she stayed off the raw fish (hubby wouldn’t let me give her any), Mrs T happily tucked into rice and noodles, even attempting to eat them with chopsticks.

Eating noodles at mall in Kuala Lumpur

It was a mall we also headed to later that evening, taking advantage of Mrs T still being jet lagged and up for eating out late. We had a short wander along the main drag close to the Starhill Gallery shopping mall where Mrs T marvelled at the lights. Then, once inside she found great delight in playing with the water foundation.

Starhill gallery mall, Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaIt was wonderful to see her take everything in and enjoy seeing different people go about their lives on the other side of the world. We stopped for a drink and ate at a restaurant serving local cuisine before heading back for the night.

Night time in Kuala Lumpur
The next day we were up and off early for the next leg, Langkawi. This time around in KL we were a bit restricted. Lack of time but also the smoggy conditions. We gave the Petronas towers tour a miss (I’ve done it twice, once when it was still the tallest building). Instead we just viewed the third tallest building in the world (and tallest TWIN towers in the world) from the outside, before having tea at the Mandarin Oriental hotel (Mrs T kept herself amused with the sugar packets).
Tea at Mandarin Oriental, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Perhaps if Mrs T wasn’t with us in KL we may have ventured to one of the markets or spent some more time exploring outside but, realistically, as a fair-skinned British couple, we aren’t brilliant in the stifling heat so I doubt we would have done much different.

48 Hours in Kuala Lumpur with a toddler

Wander Mum
My Travel Monkey

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Wander Mum

I've always loved to travel so when my two daughters came along, I didn't stop. Travelling as a family can have its ups and downs but I love showing my children the world and helping others navigate travelling with children in tow.

55 Comments
  1. I loved KL and would love to go back! We went before toddler so not sure how we would fair this time taking him with us but he is at least used to the heat!

    Had some of the best foot massages ever there before heading to Cambodia!!

    1. Hey Laura, yes you are preparing him well to handle the heat living in Dubai. It’s a great city and Langkawi is definitely worth a visit if you fancy chilling out. xx

  2. I’ve only done a quick stop in KL, would love to explore more.

    We just had a flight from hell with our then 18 month old though, so he’s ‘cured’ me of travelling for a while!!!

    #brilliantblogposts

    1. That’s a shame you had a bad flight experience…hopefully he hasn’t put you off travelling for too long…it does get a bit easier as they get older! x

  3. Completely understand not making it far, last time we tried to do a day stop over in KL we were overcome with jet lag and fighting a baby and toddler, we simply couldn’t even get past the airport! otherwise its an amazing city to explore if you are used to the heat – we did the Lnagkawi stop too – exhausting but glad we did it for a short break – very family friendly
    Keri recently posted…Festivals in OkinawaMy Profile

    1. Haha – Langkawi is beautiful, isn’t it! How fab we did the same thing. I think we did as much as we could in KL considering the heat, jet lag and toddler! Xx

  4. I had a really mixed experience when I visited KL last time – despite being covered almost head to toe, I got a LOT of hassle when I tried to explore on my own. I liked the other parts of Malaysia I saw (though would love to go to Langkawi) so I wonder how different it would be with my daughter. I agree that when it’s that hot, you just can’t do much. #mondayescapes
    mummytravels recently posted…Amsterdam with kids – in picturesMy Profile

    1. That’s really interesting to hear Cathy! I’m quite surprised you got hassled as they seem pretty used to tourists and it’s a pretty multi-cultural place. I didn’t notice it although have been with men everyone I’ve been. Mrs T got a lot of attention though. X

    1. Oooh yes, what a good idea to go when it’s F1 – really want to go to the Singapore Grand Prix one day too. Haha- Mrs T just wanted to copy us with the chopsticks and she did a pretty good job. Xx

  5. I loved KL – I went without kids but that park outside the towers (with the water play), the towers themselves and Kidzania would all be top of my list with the kids – plus a trip to Brickfields and that electric light forest on the outskirts – plus changing of the guards – I loved that…I now want to go back!!

    1. That’s a good idea! Walking around KL is a bit of a no go due to the heat. Ah, Mrs T’s chopstick skills have dropped off a bit… Need to get her practising again! X

  6. I have never been to Kuala Lumpur, but definitely want to go one day! And I totally understand your thoughts on shopping malls in Asia, here in Europe I don’t even care about them, but in Asia, you spend a lot of your time in them, it must be the air conditioning!

  7. I understand how one feels when it is super hot in Southeast Asia. I went once to Thailand when the temperature was high and it was hard to do outdoor activities during the day. I felt like dealing with the heat was taking energy from me. We headed to the mall when we were not able to take it anymore.
    Ruth recently posted…Palau de la Musica Catalana in BarcelonaMy Profile

  8. Ugh, the haze! As a resident of KL, I fully understand your discomfort with the haze plus the high humidity and tropical heat. We, locals, can’t bear the haze as well, and yeah, air-conditioned shopping malls save us all! 🙂 Just last weekend, I spent Sat morning to explore KL city to take some photos – within 30 mins I was perspiring. After 1 hour, I was dying to take a break in a café to have an iced drink. A fellow blogger from Mumbai tweeted, was surprised that I was having a hard time dealing with the heat. I responded to say that we have been spoilt by air-conditioning 🙂 Thanks for sharing this post, I enjoyed reading it. #citytripping

    1. Thanks Kat, I just presume the locals must get used to the humidity, haze and heat so glad it’s not just us tourists! What did we do before air-con? X

  9. I keep meaning to get to KL as it’s not too far away from me in HK. I keep hearing what a great place it is for the kids & would also love to combine with a trip back to the amazing Langkawi!
    visiting from #citytripping

  10. I’ve never been to KL, but have always wanted to. I’m with you on your observations about leaving preconceptions (of things like malls) behind when you land someplace new. When we visited Hiroshima, our Japanese host took us to eat oysters (local specialty) at a top-notch oyster restaurant…right in the train station.

    ADORABLE pic of the chopstick attempt. Start them young! x
    Jennifer Howze recently posted…Things to do in Paris with kids: 7 do’s and don’tsMy Profile

  11. First off, thanks for inviting me to the city-tripping link-up. It was my first time participating and I forgot the badge – I will make sure I include it next time.

    KL is a great city to explore, but I agree with you that it can be rather hot. I remember taking breaks from the heat and exploring the malls in the city as well.

    I think my favorite memories of visiting KL were the markets and dinner at the revolving restaurant in KL Tower. The PETRONAS Tower Tour was up there as well.
    Constance – Foreign Sanctuary recently posted…Everything Happens for a Reason…. [with the Original Ending]My Profile

    1. You’re welcome!! Thanks for joining in! Yes, just pop the badge on next time – great to have you on board #citytripping The revolving restaurant in KL sounds fab! X

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