To think this is a great business idea

[Misstomrs]

A friend and I were chatting at the playground yesterday. We both have toddler DSs, born one day apart. With the onset of the less than clement weather we were discussing the lack of pleasant indoor play areas for children. This led us on to what we would like...a softplay centre that offered prosecco and cake, as well as nice coffee and perhaps stone baked pizzas. We're not suggesting that parents should come to these places to get plastered (although it might numb the pain or at least distract from the smell) but that as adults we should be able to have a pleasant time while waiting for our LOs to wear themselves out.

AIBU?

Let the trolling about irresponsible parenting commence!

Clean. Clean, clean, clean. And decent coffee and cake. I'd be happy with that.

I've never been to a soft play that didn't leave me desperate for a shower... they're always so grubby!

I'd rather have somewhere that caters for allergies and intolerances. No thanks to serving alcohol. There's a soft play near here attached to a pub. When their little kid deliberately hurts yours, you don't let the parents know unless you want a mouthful or worse.

The Purple Dragon in Chelsea has already got this down OP

www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2276610/The-4-000-year-members-club--precious-toddler--complete-swimming-pool-recording-studio-relaxation-pods-parents.html

Thanks for all the replies!

Badlad you may be right. I could have misread the post about it being clean as being a criticism when it was just a statement of what people would really like. I think you could read it either way but in any case I think we can all agree cleanliness is so important at soft play - and often lacking in my experience.

I do recognise the pub picture that people are painting but I was more aiming for the nice, but licensed, cafe described by Elfinpre. The pub playareas make me shudder. I think we've all experienced the kind of 'leave them to it' parenting pubs with very large play areas can encourage and I am definitely not a fan. Not to mention that they are often the dirtiest soft plays imaginable, in my experience, although there are doubtlessly nice ones.

Purple dragon looks a little high end for what I had in mind - we're the provinces rather than London - but thanks for sharing!

Is prosecco chavvy now??? 😳

Great idea! You could have a wristband system like swim up bars, so no parent can have more than 2 drinks.

I'd love to go to a nice softplay, with soft chairs, decent food, fresh coffee and table service. I hate those disc things that vibrate when your food is ready and you have to carry toddler/baby and tray!

Oh and please have a 'nap room' with comfortable beds, cots and low lighting (maybe divided into lockable cubicles) so mums can take a nap with their toddler!

No, prosecco is not "chavvy now" 🙄

I'm not one of those parents who will not touch a drop of alcohol if I have DS with me - I will happily have a glass of wine or two with a sit down meal, or a drink or two in the pub, but somewhere that requires my attention to be on all the time? No way. As an example - we often have a glass of wine in the evening but I won't ever have any until after I've given DS his bath. Same for the afternoon - I would have a drink with lunch if we were having a meal out but not within 2 hours of DS's bathtime. And I don't drive, but wouldn't ever get in a car with him if I was drinking.

We stopped off for a pub lunch once when travelling from Newcastle to Bristol and the place we stopped at had a softplay. The best thing about it was that the soft play area was behind perspex so that you could see the little darlings but couldn't hear them . I soo wish I could find that place again. ...

How about adding a lounge area which is separated from the main hall by soundproof / smell proof walls, with live feed on the play area so you can keep watch?
Seriously, it's the noise that gets me

What would be the point of going through the time and effort (not to mention the costs) of getting the venue licensed and obtaining a personal licence to then enforce a one drink limit. Also whether you would even be able to get a licence is dependent on your local council so may not even be possible.

When my eldest DD was little I really wanted a nice soft play in our town centre. I went as far as pricing up the equipment and working out an income model. I found that town centre rents were too high to make it work (which is probably why there isn't a facility went I live). My favourite soft play is the one which has the best coffee and food, whilst being clean and varied enough to maintain a bit of interest. It's in a rural barn based activity place which also does stuff for older kids (scout type stuff like archery).

I think you need to cost out your business model to check it's viable and understand your local market.

I have another idea I have been mulling over recently (not telling as it's too good!)

When my eldest DD was little I really wanted a nice soft play in our town centre. I went as far as pricing up the equipment and working out an income model. I found that town centre rents were too high to make it work (which is probably why there isn't a facility went I live). My favourite soft play is the one which has the best coffee and food, whilst being clean and varied enough to maintain a bit of interest. It's in a rural barn based activity place which also does stuff for older kids (scout type stuff like archery).

I think you need to cost out your business model to check it's viable and understand your local market.

I have another idea I have been mulling over recently (not telling as it's too good!)

Seriously? The UK is so boozy! (I live overseas) Everything revolves around having a drink at any possible opportunity. From a diatance it's

Do you not have Chuck E. Cheese in the UK?

We do not.

Awful idea.

Softplay is about the kids having fun and socialising. It's not about parents.

You are meant to supervise kids at softplay -the staff do not do it for you! Why would anyone want to sit quaffing the latest fad alcohol, that they think makes them cool, at flipping soft play?

I'd rather be in the ball pool!!

Peony I'm English but fully agree. Everything and everyone seems to require booze. Oh, and tea LOL

Nothing wrong with tea !!!

Agree on the booze though.

Yeah, TripTrap. Every time I come back to the UK I'm at how booze rules. But that's a whole other thread. Get me in & out of all softplays asap. Mad houses. Why would anyone want a glass of fizz there?

Thanks everyone.

There's clearly a really mix of opinions. From a toy filled sound-proof perspective box with zoo keepers situated in a Parisian style cafe to a parent-child shared space where parents play with their children and therefore don't necessary need or want any refreshment because they are solely focused on their LO.

I'm not entirely sure how I work that into a business model but the general principles of clean, no plastic furniture / park beeches, nice food and an alcohol limit (if served) are all helpful.

The name also poses an issue as I'm guessing prosecco and playtime might just be a little bit, provocative...? 😜

I think IKEA have it down pat - dump the kids in a supervised ball pit for 2 hours whilst you aimlessly wander round kitchen utensils - you might want to expand that model

Am a bit that you've referred to anyone who disagrees with you as trolls?

The reality here is that we do have a huge drink problem in the UK, and the idea that you feel that parents need alcohol to facilitate their visits to soft play will be seen as an issue by many. In principle there's nothing wrong with the idea of having a facility which serves alcohol such as the pubs etc mentioned above, the issue arrises when you combine the idea of soft play with the idea of alcohol. So e.g. Pub which happens to have a soft play area/children's park/play area is completely ok because it creates the idea of a family atmosphere, parents chatting, having a drink and all the family eating together when the time is right but the kids being able to run off to the play area in the meantime. A soft play area which serves alcohol to help parents get through the experience however creates an entirely different picture, and not one which we should be advocating as part of a children's play area.

There used to be one when I lived it Devon. A three story soft play that adults could go one, was big enough for adults too and it was licensed. You could hire it for Adult birthdays on the evening. It was amazing but the toilets were rank, but so are most soft play loos

Whilst prosecco & softplay sounds like a fabulous idea, it's just not something I'd be comfortable with for me. I don't fancy rescuing a stuck/ lost child from the top far corner whilst tipsy!

That said, decent tea, coffee & homemade baked goods with options for food allergies that go beyond gluten free would make the soft play induced headaches easier to bear!

Didn't hurrah for gin do a cartoon of this exact thing? (soft play + prosecco bar). Except, y'know, it was a joke.

Wannabe I haven't referred to everyone who has disagreed with the idea as trolls; lots of people have said they wouldn't be comfortable with it and that's fine. There were just two comments which I felt were unnecessarily provocative. One which I have acknowledged I may have misread about the cleanliness of a licensed soft play, and one which was critical of 'yummy mummies in Chelsea tractors'. I'm really happy to take feedback on the idea but I personally feel there is too much mudslinging and criticism of each other on mumsnet when being a parent is tough enough. To me, The feedback wasn't about the idea but about the poster's view of particular 'types' of parent.
I would see this type as cafe as somewhere for parents to come and socialise knowing their children are enjoying themselves in a safe space, a bit like the pubs you describe, but without the microwave food I always seem to encounter there.
Thanks for your feedback.