WIBU to take DS on trip to motorway service station

[craftsy]

Having a very lazy day after a night of crap sleep with 4yo DS who was very unsettled with nightmares from 2-5am. I have a mound of housework and a bit of shopping to do but am quite tempted to just get in the car, drive 10-15 to services and let DS play in the small soft play area for a bit. And possibly have a junk food lunch.

DS is going a bit stir crazy but it's raining here, so going to a playground or the woods would be a washout. We could go to soft play but they would all be packed and a bit hellish. We'd have to stay for 90 minutes, DS would want me to play with him and I just don't have the energy for it. And the food is dire in all the soft play places I know of. In a service station, DS would play for a while, lunch would at least taste decent, it wouldn't be too noisy. We could leave after an hour and I could do my shopping on the way home and make us a healthy supper to compensate for the Burger King or Subway lunch.

Pros are that DS would actually probably love it and find it a very exciting adventure. While I think I would find it less tiring than soft-play. Cons are that as someone who only very recently has a driving licence, I know me of a year ago would think that going on a day out to a motorway service station is the most bonkers excuse of a trip ever. It's also possible that DS would prefer some other outing and I'm just a bit giddy with my new found power of transportation.

Fantastic idea. Glad you did it

It was a sad day in our house when I offered to take dc to pets at home and they turned me down :-(. However having a pound to spend in the pound shop in something creative is always a winner. Last time ds for 200 pieces of white paper, it's get him happy since half term!

If you are in Cornwall I suggest you stop at Cornwall Service just off the A30. It's got a soft play and a clip and climb. According to the website they are also going to build an outdoor play area

I'm in Ireland, so all the really great service stations being mentioned here are a bit far to go. The one we went to yesterday was basically a food court with a playground. But it was less intense than soft play on a wet Saturday and DS was delighted to learn that BK also have toys with their kids' meals. And the toy was a light up Hot Wheels car which is as good as it gets when you're 4.

Full disclosure though. The nearest soft play is literally a two minute walk from my house. And there is a Burger King just another few minutes walk beyond it. But I liked being able to do both at once and if the station hadn't gotten so busy we'd have had ice-cream from BK and hot chocolates from Costa. Next time DS has asked if he can try a kid's meal from Subway because he saw they come with some sort of Bear dried fruit thing that lots of the kids in his playschool used to have for lunch. And more importantly, Car 3 toys. So maybe some evening we'll do that for tea.

DNiece when small loved the garden centre with fish and garden furniture and sheds. She also adored B and Q and would happily open and close every kitchen cupboard and drawer for quite some time.

DSD as a young teenager loved furniture shops and would wander round sitting on every sofa and planning room layouts and colours in her head.

Tent displays at go outdoors as well, and pets at home. DDog also enjoyed a trip to pets at home as a special treat, or when it was too hot for daytime walkies.

Was it an applegreens? They are truly awesome.

I'm also in Ireland. I've never been to an Applegreen. I've only been to three service stations, all on the M7, Midpoint, Barack Obama Plaza and the one near Birdhill (can't remember the name). None of them are particularly memorable.

I took myself to Tebay services for my own birthday treat a few years back (dragged DH and DD along too) I wanted Falconware pie dish set and at the time I'd only seen them in Tebay... Once we were there it made sense to spend £££ in the butchers on site

I hope you and DS enjoyed your trip, OP!

I'm too old to have had childhood days out to motorway service stations, but when I was little my DDad used to take me to watch the M1 getting built. Apparently I would stand for hours on the bridge watching the diggers at work - I don't remember it and I suspect I was bored rigid and it was my DDad who liked watching 'the new road' going through and DMum was glad of the break.

Sounds ok to me.

BlackAmericanoNoSugar the one near Birdhill is an Applegreen, so you have been to one even though you didn't realise it

Totally legit imo. Hell, I've even had a date at a services

(dear reader, I married him!)

Oh, well it was ok in a shiny and new way, but nothing special really. However we went in when it was quite newly opened so it was packed (there's not a great deal of excitement in those parts, so a new service station is an afternoon out for some). I don't like busy places, so perhaps if I went back when it was a bit quieter I might like it better.

My mum used to take us to showhomes as a day out

I am so relieved I'm not the only weirdo who loves a great service station! Our local has a naice Patisserie Valerie where you can even get a full afternoon tea. There's a good play area, where you can watch the cars whizzing by, and a massive food court. I like people watching and making up exciting stories in my head.

Tempted to have a cheeky weekend away just so I can see the splendour of these Gloucester Services.

I love service stations.... I miss the little chef though!!
Can't see a problem with this plan at all!

If its the one in glocestershire...go its amazing!!!!!

We're 10 mins from a service station - handy for a cheeky greggs / KFC / Starbucks - and they often have bouncy castles on summer weekends!

Ireland? Not Barack Obama Plaza? The best service station ever!

my dad would never take us to m/way service stations - too expensive. so when i got my licence it was a huge novelty to go to one!

do as you please FGS.

@bikerunski What's at Woolley Edge for toddlers? I'm also not far away and I have a three year old who needs a lot of entertaining...

What a brilliant idea OP. I'm glad you both enjoyed it.

MagentaRocks

I took my car through a car wash where you drive through the brushes when I had my friends kids with me. They loved it and thanked me for taking them! He would probably love that.

I forgot about this. My brother is 16 years older than me so when he got his first car I was probably five. He used to take me to the car wash every week and we'd sit and eat chocolate from the petrol station shop while the brushes went round.

Sounds a great idea! When we were kids, my mum used to take us to show homes as there was sod all open on Sunday back then. We used to love running round the garden, seeing what colour the bathroom suite was (it was the early 80s so there'd be a range of vomit inducing shades) and playing with the plastic fruit and eggs in the kitchen.

It's fine. At that age everything is an adventure and it will be something for you to have fits of giggles about when he is older.

Just don't be so hard on yourself. You sound like a great Mum.

I live near to the Gloucester services so have never had a reason to visit them, not being a services fan myself. But I have heard about them and the marvellous food they supposedly sell. I was intrigued to read in a pp that they have a sister site up north. That wouldnt be the new services on the M6 near the Lake District would it? Because, if so, I dont think I am missing much. Yes the food was very different to normal services food but it was ludicrously expensive too.