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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think TumbleTots is a ginourmous con?

54 replies

BreakingBadWind · 30/09/2014 11:36

Had a tumbletots try out last week. As well as costing £20 per child to join the tumbletots club for a year if we decide to do it, it's also a tenner per session for two kids. Which would be just about okay if it was amazing and turned them into world class gymnasts or something, but it was basically a few tunnels and squishy things thrown together in a circuit for them to go round with my help, some balls and hoops for them to ignore in the middle of the room and a couple of uninspired songs. We go to singing etc at the library and run around the park every day and I cannot see what the benefot of tumbletots over this is at all. AIBU?

OP posts:
Paddingtonthebear · 30/09/2014 14:11

We don't do Tumbletots, but I've never been to a toddler group, sure start centre or anything else cheap or free that had mini trampolines, tunnels, inflatables and gym equipment. Most groups I went to were in cramped rooms with a few ancient toys scattered around. That's probably why people choose TT or similar. Our council runs something similar at the sports centre, there's no joining fee or commitment involved but it's still £4.80 a session.

StripyBanana · 30/09/2014 14:12

It's a bit crap really. We tried it then joined local gymnastics. Better equipment, better facilities, better space and teachers!! Same price.

Paddingtonthebear · 30/09/2014 14:14

Soft play was only free here for under 1's and invariably at that age It's a separate area restricted to a ball pit and some padded cushions.

LetThereBeCupcakes · 30/09/2014 14:16

Beyond there are no groups like that here. Local soft play is only 50p cheaper per session and little ones get knocked over by older children. As I've said, T T is great for some (like me). Not so great for others. Each to their own.

schmee · 30/09/2014 14:18

Soft play is very different to tumble tots - at least the stage of tumble tots we did which was the 2s and 3s.

And agree with Paddington that all the groups I've ever been to were "cramped rooms with a few ancient toys scattered around".

LumpenproletariatAndProud · 30/09/2014 14:21

What pissed me off was them calling me up asking where I was when we didnt come for a session.

Fuck off, we are in hospital. Again.

I hated being badgered and I left because of it. Told them that as well.

It is overpriced for what it is and found better places for far less money and no badgering.

StripyBanana · 30/09/2014 14:21

The tt group I went to was the most cramped group I'd been to which didn't help!

I'd rather do soft play with no2 and gymnastics when she's bigger!

WeirdCatLady · 30/09/2014 15:07

Oh blimey, I remember tumble tots. Fucking horrible and, IMHO, very over-priced. I still get twitchy thinking of the happy clappy songs.

MsJupiter · 30/09/2014 16:03

I love TT, started going when DS was 18 months and his enthusiasm for moving far exceeded his co-ordination. He is now nearly 2 and has benefitted so much from the classes, I know his ability would have improved anyway but I do think this has been accelerated, plus they've taught him to look properly at an obstacle and assess what he needs to do, rather than running full pelt and hoping for the best.

The women who run it are patient and take their time to help DS learn a new skill, and I love seeing him focus on each challenge. I am much more confident with him physically and it is a good fun activity to do together. The equipment may be slightly tired but it's clearly robust and very different to anything you'd get in soft play. He also loves the smaller activity such as putting beanbags or sticks through a hole. I was hoping TT would teach him about turn-taking but I have to confess he's never been beaten to the front of the queue at sticker time. Blush

The downsides are the cost and the awful music, I wish they'd lose the recorded stuff and just sing a few songs. I will happily keep going though as the benefits are worth it.

oldspeckledtam · 30/09/2014 16:06

Both of mine did TT. It was something I could do with them on a Saturday morning, as a working mum, when no other official groups ran. My dd stopped after a term of gymbobs as she had had enough, but my son adores gymbobs and I can't see him stopping any time soon.
We also met very good friends at the group and it became a social thing. I liked the ethos and I loved the songs and equipment.
Neither of my kids are gymnasts (my dd dropped it in favour of dance) but it's good, clean fun in a safe and supervised environment. If you want to do it, great. If not, don't! After all, as a music teacher I refused point blank to take either of mine to any official music groups as I knew I could provide equal experiences at home.

Thurlow · 30/09/2014 16:12

There is a huge lack of stuff to do on a weekend with toddlers, oldspeckledtam. It's such a shame. We're currently doing Little Kickers which is fine and DD enjoys it, but football is definitely not going to be her natural skill Grin But it is the ONLY weekend class going around here!

Damnautocorrect · 30/09/2014 16:16

We did two different tumble tots, one was a bit shit. The other AMAZING (I only paid the £20 one year, didn't bother the next 3). It was fantastic, much better than anything else we did, great for me (the ladies were lovely and I massively miss them now ds is at school!) and more importantly did the world of good for my ds.
That great group had about 15 years worth of ex kids that still popped by!

It's like anything, get a good one it's great.

flicktuck · 30/09/2014 16:17

YANBU -a pre school class at a BG gymnastics club would be a lot better option

BeyondRepair · 30/09/2014 16:23

had mini trampolines, tunnels, inflatables and gym equipment

Thats really sad Pddington and such a shame, we must be spoilt round here.

There is always something to climb on or in at our groups, only this am DD was on mini tramp and there were soft blocks to climb on and jump off, at other groups have small frame to climb with slide and tunnels...

BeyondRepair · 30/09/2014 16:27

as long as people realise its not neccasry to development in any way!

serenaserene · 30/09/2014 16:58

Mine did Tumbletots for a few years between them. They loved it as toddlers and so did I as a means to getting out when they were very small. Committing to something you have to pay for in advance is a great way to ensure you get out of the house.

It is fairly non progressive and no your children will not learn gymnastics there. Calling it a con is harsh - it is a business enterprise and there is a strong market for paid for pre school activities - you do have a choice.

TT does have positive benefits for physical, listening, turn-taking and socialising skills, in a structured environment. I like to believe it helped them to understand routines and improved their ability to behave appropriately in a classroom.

However, if I had my time again, I would have moved them to a 'proper' gymnastics club when they were 3.

Ididntseeitsoitdidnthappen · 30/09/2014 17:07

YANBU when we did a trial session many moons ago my dc got one turn on one piece of equipment due to a couple of the regulars 'hogging' the equipment and slowly going round while having a gas

It's crap

Join an early years gym club it's much better

skylark2 · 30/09/2014 17:14

My dd loved it - she was uncoordinated to the point of it being a concern and the TT lady was excellent at getting her to practice the things she struggled with. She'd never have done that for me in the park.

Not sure a gym club would have been too impressed with a nearly 3 year old who couldn't jump with both feet together or kick a ball... I might be doing them down, but I assumed they were for the future Olympic gymnasts, or at least kids who weren't already obviously not going to be future Olympic gymnasts.

StripyBanana · 30/09/2014 19:29

Course not. Gymnastics clubs are for all, and I know many pur kids in to help develop coordination if that's something they worry about.

Depending on the topic they might be giraffes or buses... The British gym scheme is ace.

Just deciding whether to start mine at just 3 or a bit bigger!

All proper equipment on site. Love it.

bodhranbae · 30/09/2014 19:58

We tried out TT and it was ghastly - run by a woman with the charisma of a lettuce. We did Little Kickers too and that was equally crap.
Some of these franchised groups for pre-schoolers are a disaster.

HouseBaelish · 30/09/2014 21:04

I think it depends on how good the sessions are where you are.

Ours were absolutely fabulous. Small classes, super equipment. I had a really late walker and they facilitated her brilliantly and really assisted her in finally walking.

so YANBU for them not to work for you, but YABU to assume they're a con for everyone

Oriunda · 30/09/2014 21:59

My DS loves Tumble tots. He's a very active boy and it does a great job of thoroughly tiring him out (and me!) and has taught him varied skills including catching, kicking and hitting a ball. He does mini football and a lot of the things he learned at TT have served him well. The equipment and staff at our group is excellent.

It's not the sort of place you go to meet other parents or chat, at least the 2yrs+ classes aren't. It's Crufts for toddlers and you are too busy doing the circuits to have time to chat.

Not the cheapest class, but I like that you can miss up to 3 classes during a term and do a make up session so you're not paying out for lost classes.

speechiesusie · 01/10/2014 00:02

Depends on the child and the group.

DD1 loved it and benefited enormously (so did I - an hour off to pop to Sainsbury's next-door...) because she wasn't confident with gross motor skills.

DD2 was very advanced with motor skills and spent ages waiting her turn behind children who took more time. She was very frustrated with it and they wouldn't move her up a group because 'she was too young.'

Also, DD2's group was a different set of leaders (four years later) and they had clear preferences for some of the children over others. In particular there was a little girl with special needs who was absolutely gorgeous and obviously they wanted to encourage her motor skills, but TBH they did this at the expense of the other kids. It really did become 'the Milly show' every week and the kids were not treated equally. We stopped going in the end, and so did some of the other mums, for the same reason.

I'd recommend trying it out; it really does depend on our child, the group and the leaders.

lecherrs · 01/10/2014 02:06

I wouldn't day it is a con, but I would say it is overpriced for what it is.

I looked at it when my daughter was little, but felt it offered very little value for money, so instead I sent her along to the local gym club. Not only were the lessons cheaper, but she was using proper gymnastics equipment (including a giant foam pit), had a coach who was British Gymnastics (BG) qualified and she followed the BG programme for developing preschool skills in gymnastics. For me, this was a no brainer compared to TT which is a franchise, and franchise owners do not necessarily have any training or qualifications whatsoever. Incidentally, if you look at their franchise page and the "who we are looking for" there is no reference to having any kind of gymnastics skills, and only a very brief mention about not needing to have lots of experience of working with children.

It wasn't for me, but I could see that if you live in an area where there isn't pre school gymnastics available, then perhaps this might be the next best thing.

StripyBanana · 01/10/2014 07:37

Yup - I noticed that lecherrs about the franchise (and similarly about some music/dance/baby sign franchises) that it was just people making money as opposed to qualified staff.

We did the same and went to the gymnastics and it was so very very different. Proper bars to swing from, full size trampoline, etc etc.

I think if TT is genuinely the best thing in the area then its ok, but a bit sad when there is so much better out there.