Playgrounds for Tots on the North Shore
Toddlers at playgrounds are a special kind of chaos — thrilling for them, a minor cardiac event for you. The good news: some North Shore playgrounds are built with tots in mind, and knowing which ones takes a lot of the stress out of playtime.
Look for these features when you're picking a spot:
- Rubber, sand, or wood-chip surfacing — softer than concrete, though wood chips can poke and sand can scrape
- Railings with no gaps wide enough for a toddler to slip through
- Shorter, wider steps
- Smaller, compact structures you can circle quickly
- Newer or well-kept equipment, with no damaged corners or broken pieces
Here are our favourites for the toddler set:
Ambleside Park Playground
A West Coast natural-style playground — rope ladders, climbing domes, stumps, and a wooden boat and playhouse — with baby swings and a lounger for the littlest ones. No dedicated sandbox, but plenty of beach sand just steps away. Parking fills up on nice weekends, so early or off-peak is easiest with a toddler in tow.
Heywood Park Playground
A small structure with a fantastic sandbox and a safe spot to splash in the river alongside it and great trail walks even for the most little ones!
Mahon Park Playground and Spray Park
A choo-choo train structure plus two baby swings — a solid stop for younger tots. Plus a splash park!
St. Andrew's Playground
Fully gated with lots of tot-sized structures and a sandbox — easy to relax here.
Dudley Park Playground
Perfectly designed for tots, with structures scaled to smaller kids from the ground up.
John Lawson Park Playground
A West Van favourite — just know it gets busy on nice days, so it's best early or on a quieter afternoon. The best areas for tots are the sand playground and the small splash park. The tall treehouse may be a bit too scary!
However you choose, keep a close eye on little ones — toddlers can get into trouble fast, or bump into another kid without meaning to. These six spots just make it a little easier to relax while they play.
Now go get your play on!