Moving to Cambridge- playgroups/nurseries/soft play etc etc

[Gilby]

Hello. We're uprooting from our flat in London, to Cambridge in the next couple of months. We don't know the area so we're doing a recce next week, and bringing my 16 month old son along. We decided that as well as exploring where we might want to live, we'll take in playgrounds and soft play/ playgroups for him. We also have a 3 year old daughter, so local knowledge for entertaining the two of them would be very helpful. I also need to get him into a good nursery, and we'll probably be living in the Trumpington/ Addenbrooke's area (she says, without knowing anything about it).

Not a part of the city I know particularly well but the Botanic Gardens is always a good place to run around (nice cafe too).
Easiest soft play might be Whale of a Time in Bar Hill or Cheeky Monkeys in Fulbourn.
A city map should tell you where the playgrounds are.

Homerton Children's Centre near Addenbrookes has several good play sessions. I think there's another Children's Centre on Alpha Road in Trumpington. They'd also have information about nurseries etc.

Thanks very much for those CC and CM- I will try to look into them before next week. How about general stuff to do in Cambridge? Any particular toddler classes (music/ swimming) that you would recommend?

Sorry, I'm not done many structured groups with mine. We went to Messy Play and Friday Friends at Homerton until DS recently started nursery school, and otherwise just roamed round the Botanic Gardens and Lammas Land (good playground and large paddling pool)

Indoor hang-outs tended to be the Central Library and Livingstone's cafe on Regent Street , which has a small play area.

www.sealsswimming.co.uk/ start at 3.5

I would recommend Seals Swimming both of my DCs attended from 3.5 years until they completed level 7.

www.cambridgeshirechildrenscentres.org.uk/fawcett/

Hi,
Ragged Rascals is excellent, they are in Shelford opposite Scotsdales Garden Centre (which is also fun for little ones!) RR is on Mon, Tues, Thurs 10-12pm and has a great selection of softplay, bouncy castle etc and is run by two lovely ladies. I go there most weeks with my 16 month old son. Scotsdales is fun as there are animals & fish for kids to look at and the restaurant is large, good food & plenty of highchairs!

I live near Addenbrookes and it's not far at all. Also Homerton Children's Centre has lots on for little ones.

The churches near us also have toddler groups including a music group on a Wednesday at Queen Edith's Chapel..I've never been but my husband quite often takes our little boy there.

I hope this is helpful and good luck with the move!

Central library is fantastic, my 3 yr daughter loves spending hours there and its always a task to get her out of there. There is a new soft play area in linton near the linton zoo called the spotted giraffe, way better than cheeky monkey in fulbourn. Jesus green has a childrens playground next to the river (weather permitting). Shepreth wildlife park is also good.

I can only second Lamma's Land, Botanical Gardens, Livingstones Cafe and the Central Library but Cambridge also has lots of free museums v centrally located in town which can be quite a bonus in bad weather, my 2 year old daughter really enjoys the Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences or "Dinosaur house" as she calls it. We also had fun in the Fitzwilliam Museum esp in the mummy section. If you are looking round Addenbrookes are you perhaps attached to the NHS/University? In that case I'd have another couple of pointers...

Apologies for long delay. We are moving a lot later than expected- on Thursday- eek. Lipgloss, yes, my husband is working at Addenbrooke's so any extra pointers welcome. My daughter will be starting at Morley Memorial in September so if anyone else has any other info/ knows any other mums I would love to hear from them.