Short answer: Torre Abbey Sands is flat, sandy and has parking right along the front. The Babbacombe Cliff Railway is wheelchair accessible, so it takes a pram and saves the steep walk. Cockington is free with playgrounds, and iPlay has a well-regarded sensory room.
It has the flattest main beach, the most indoor options and a cliff railway that removes the single worst hill. If you are staying anywhere between Dartmouth and Teignmouth with a two-year-old and the day needs to work, this is where to drive.
Torre Abbey Sands is wide, flat and sandy — not shingle — with plenty of paid parking along the front. It is the cleanest part of central Torquay and by far the most straightforward approach with a buggy. Note that dogs are banned over the summer months here.
Meadfoot is quieter and prettier with a café above the beach huts, but the parking is very limited and gone by nine, and it is mixed sand and pebble with rocky outcrops.
The Babbacombe Cliff Railway has run since 1926 and is described by reviewers as fully wheelchair accessible, which means it takes a pram. It connects Babbacombe Downs down to Oddicombe beach in four minutes for a couple of pounds. Card payment only.
This matters because the road down to Babbacombe is steep with sharp bends — the railway removes it entirely, and the ride is an event in itself at this age.
Cockington Country Park has no entrance fee, level paths, lakes with ducks, children's playgrounds, craft workshops and two tea rooms. For a toddler day that costs nothing but the parking, nothing in Torbay beats it.
The Dock on Victoria Parade is relaxed, open ten till ten and has outdoor tables. Meadfoot Beach Cafe has outdoor seating facing the sea and stays open in poor weather. Wighton, inland, is the big family pub that copes with a full room and a pushchair.
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