Your thoughts on a dedicated 'baby/toddler only' soft play

[Sarah2525]

Hi All! I'm scoping the idea of opening a soft play area just for babies, toddlers and upto 5 year olds in a busy, growing town in the south-west. I've been a single Mum since the day my son was born- he is now 13, becoming independent and it feels as though my time has come to start a real venture and work for myself.

My rationale for focusing only on a young age group- I find the huge play areas can be overwhelmed by bigger children running around, a louder noise level and very limited space/activities for babies & toddlers.....maybe a ball pit, small slide and a few padded toys. There is one huge play area already in my town on an outskirts industrial estate and a second older one is being build outside town in 2022.

There is currently nothing dedicated to babies/toddlers and nothing in the town centre. My son is a teenager now, but I kept my sanity as a new Mum by meeting girlfriends once per week for coffee/baby playtime. That facility was knocked down to make way for new housing and it has not been replaced, so there is a notable gap in the market for a baby/toddler only play area.

What are your thoughts....

• what would you like to see in a dedicated baby/toddler play area- for both yourself and for your children?
• do you know of any decent play areas right in the heart of a busy town/city centre? What makes them good?
• do you think there are any pitfalls of keeping a play area to 5 years and under?
• would you use any other integral services i.e. hairdresser for children? Baby yoga/massage classes? Any other ideas?
• parking is always an issue. Would you be happy to pay for parking in usual town centre car parks to go to a play area?

Any feedback and ideas would be really welcomed. The more research I can do beforehand, the greater likelihood of success, as opening any business is a big risk. Thank you for your help x

Would parents with 5 year olds and older, who are at school, not be getting this in an ordinary soft play?

In the school holidays it would mean I couldn't go as I have a 10 year old and a 4 year old.

I think 5 is still too old for soft play and to be in the same room as babies and toddlers. I go to a soft play each week thats attached to a cafe which is lovely because you know you wont have the general public moaning about children/ babies making noise while they have tea and cake.

They also do different groups in the morning depending on age then after lunch it's open to anyone before school ago.

I think I would use it when my son was little...he's 3 now and I think he'd be bored by just having little ones around. These sort of things tend to tail off a bit when most of them are at nursery at three so your market might be the 0-3 group with allowances for up to fives to cater for siblings. I think city centre location is ok. We had a fab one that offered crèche facilites so mums could shop though nobody seemed to use that much. The real hit was the messy/creative play they offered...that was fantastic and they were always busy. It was set up like a really good nursery but run as a stay and play. We also have an imaginative play one locally that's very popular. There's another that offers baby massage and groups. I guess what I'm saying is that soft play for under fives might not be enough on its own but if you add a few bookable and paid for groups or creative play you might well be successful. Good luck

Most parents wil have a mix of ages probably a 2-3 year age gap. So if you're restricting to under 5s you'll be cutting out a big chunk of your market.

I think sessions in an existing soft play would do better.

It is a good idea in that there is a market for it, yes but it's a small market. It eliminates children with older siblings. Mine are almost 2 and 4. I'd rather not have a limit and police my 4 year old appropriately. Though I appreciate some are over boisterous.

Most soft plays near me have dedicated toddler areas. They are great and most people use them correctly. But sometimes the toddlers are the worst that's just how they are. We went last week and 2 year old was shoving and biting my youngest. His mum was there and actively helping and reprimanding him but that's just what kids are like some times.

I do agree that the dedicated toddler areas in existing soft plays are usually a bit rubbish though.

This wouldn't work for me as I have a four year age gap so need something that is suitable for both children. Most large centres near me do have a separate baby/toddler area.

To answer your other questions:

• cleanliness is very important to me. I hate a grubby play area.
• location, I don't mind an out of town location, especially if it's a bit cheaper. Most play centres we visit are in industrial parks.
• I took both my sons to hartbeeps and baby sensory classes when they were younger, so a class and play deal would be attractive to me. E.g pay for a class and play for £1.
• good coffee is absolutely essential. Home baking also a bonus. Reasonable prices, lunchtime meal deals.
• I wouldn't want to pay for parking on top of an entrance fee. All of the ones we visit are free parking.

It'd be quite limited though, really only first time mums on mat leave might use it. The rest of us have older kids lugging around with us, or have established friendship groups and play at each others houses etc having done soft play to death.
If there is a yummy mummy demographic you may pull it off, but I'm not sure it's a viable business unless overheads are really cheap.

There is a soft play centre near me that sort of does what you say. I used it a lot when mine were very little and it is incredibly popular locally. They hire out the party rooms to baby music classes during the week too.
PM if you want me to pass along their details...you are far enough away not to be competition.

We've have one near us that is primarily for under 5s - it has a baby area and a small double storey soft play area. Over 5s are more expensive and it's too small to keep them entertained for long. Its much better for under 5s than a big frame as from age 2 ish they can go around by themselves and you can keep an eye on them while having coffee - the bigger soft plays are just too big and they get lost / stuck. It is also quite a lot cheaper than the big soft plays - particularly important when you have toddlers who still have midday naps so you only end up going for a couple of hours.

Not a soft play but we have a sort of small world place near me that is very good for 5’s and under. It’s got a cafe, has one side for babies - 2 year olds (little ball pool, walkers, jumperoos, soft blocks etc) then a little small world area on the other side with little bakery with the Velcro cakes, baking trays etc, dress up, pushchairs, dolls, shop, post office etc.

They also run clubs throughout the week which if you attend you then get free entry into the play area and they do parties etc.

I wouldn’t like to pay for parking and then have to pay to get into the venue.

I loved the town centre soft play when my oldest was very young, because I could then walk around town after and he’d fall asleep in his pushchair so I could have coffee in peace.

Most big soft plays have toddler sections already. You’re restricting yourself to parents of only one very young child, whereas I can take all 3 of mine to the same soft play, the 6 year old can use the big bit, the toddler can use both and the baby is protected from the big kids in the baby section. My 3 year old would be bored staying in the baby bit. In term time every soft play is for under 5s, so you’ve only really got a market who are looking to escape the big kids for 13 weeks of the year.

You could make it work by holding baby and toddler sessions there, make it a cafe with a room for baby sensory/jiggle wriggles, that sort of thing, with a small soft play so that parents stay afterwards for a coffee or lunch

- what would you like to see in a dedicated baby/toddler play area- for both yourself and for your children?
I would love this! An area especially for babies/crawlers. No toddlers allowed in and strict rules on that. Lots of baby toys that can be easily kept clean and things for them to safely crawl on/pull themselves up with. A designated area for toddlers with age appropriate slides and such with it being an area that would be easy for parents to access. I think having a self serve coffee machine and vending machine would be nice for parents. A small selection of nibbles, too, even if it was just a vending machine with choc and crisps.
- do you know of any decent play areas right in the heart of a busy town/city centre? What makes them good?
I hate mine, tbh. People don't supervise their children, let toddlers and children in the baby area, no rules, it's unpleasant. Also they are grotty and cleanliness isn't great. Poorly trained staff who don't step in when needed and uphold order.
- do you think there are any pitfalls of keeping a play area to 5 years and under?
Some parents will complain their 7 year old can't come but I'd honestly rather they didn't if I was going with small children.
- would you use any other integral services i.e. hairdresser for children? Baby yoga/massage classes? Any other ideas?
Baby yoga and massage classes would be great. Baby music/sensory classes could also be a thing. Maybe a morning offer where mums can have a free coffee or something between a certain time.
- parking is always an issue. Would you be happy to pay for parking in usual town centre car parks to go to a play area?
As long as parking is close by and there's always spaces available I wouldn't mind paying for an hour or two. Parking would need to be fairly close, though.

But surely all soft play is (largely) toddler only until 3pm anyway? I love taking DD to the big soft play in the mornings as she gets a go on the big kids' frame as well as the toddler bit.

If you were to do it, make the frames fairly big and varied - DD, as a fairly nervous 2.5 year old, is already finding the under 5 area a bit boring.

Should add that I think the one near me makes a good chunk of its money from weekend birthday parties for 3 to 5 year olds. They offer a reasonable deal and are much better for that age demographic than the big frames as you don't have to supervise anything like as closely.

Why is this in health?

I think this is a great idea but there should be a dedicated area specifically for non-walkers, and this be strictly enforced.

My DS is 9months old and crawling, and just beginning to pull himself up onto his feet. I’d love to go to a soft play area for him to play and explore safely, but I wouldn’t be happy with older, bigger, walking babies and toddlers careering around. Toddlers are rough, it’s just how they are, and it would be great to have a space just for smaller babies to play safely in. There could then be a bigger area for the confidently walking children.

There is a local soft play for 0-6 year olds. Really nice place. The older kids run around and cause pretty much as much chaos for the younger ones as though.

You're coming at this as a mother of 1. However, if people have more than one child they are going to be unable to come as soon as their oldest child hits 5. I think you're better off with a normal soft play but really target parents of toddlers and pre-schoolers with incentives (cheaper entry?) top come during school hours when older kids are at school. Then evenings, holidays and weekends you get enough staff on to properly police separate areas so you don't get huge kids running amok in the toddler area.

There was a play barn near me that was dedicated to under 5s. It had a special area for under twos and a larger area for over twos with soft play, ride ons, slides and other toys. Both areas in the same massive hall so you could keep an eye on both areas at once wherever you were. It did a roaring trade and only closed because it was family run and the owner passed away. We loved it there.

Meant to add, it meant we could go there at the weekend when the DC were small, without the worry of them getting trampled.

I’d echo comments made by several others.

First off, good coffee (and focus group this widely, a lot of people have no idea what good coffee really taste like) is essential.

The facility like this near me is not in the centre of town. However, I stopped going once my second child (I have a 3 year age gap) was moving. I couldn’t supervise the big one sufficiently whilst also checking on the little one.

2-4 year olds are FERAL, even the nice ones. And a lot of people used the “safe” atmosphere with no big kids as an excuse to drink the shit coffee and chat to their friends while ignoring their little darlings, who would either be expecting me to play with them or taking lumps out of my kids.

Interestingly, this place closes in the school holidays because it’s obviously dead, because no one can take their school aged children in.

I went to under 5s one once. It had loads of those big plastic climbing frames/slides etc, ride on toys, playhouses etc. Book corner. An area with playmats for babies.

But most importantly.... Nice cake.

In term time I can go to any soft play and get this.... school holidays and weekends I wouldn't be able to come because I have older children.

However, as a parent of 'climbers' I tend to visit BIG soft play places. There is a small one near us which is lovely- not very high but much cleaner than average and does really good food for parties. It doesn't have an age restriction but the size of it means people with more physical children are less likely to visit. It also reaches capacity fairly often- they stick it on facebook when they are full, so its certainly well used. However it means I don't rule it out as I could take an older child, but customers would probably be self-selecting as there's less interest for kids around 4+.

We had one of these open near us - it was always empty and it closed within six months. As PPs have said, it excluded too many potential customers because if one sibling is over the age limit clearly that rules it out for the whole family. It had an incredibly patronising and naive mission statement thing that basically said there was a nice park nearby for older kids. I imagine most people took the whole family there instead. I also tended to find the coffee/cake was nicer in local cafes, and when kids are v tiny they are no hassle in an ordinary cafe. Once they're on the move I'm not going to get a chance to drink the coffee anyway so might as well take a flask to the park.