what kind of things would you like to see in a kids indoor play centre?

[npg1]

Would like some opinions please for research.

What would you as parents like to see in these places?

Most have dirty tables, toilets ok but not fantastic, food not brilliant, mainly chips and fish fingers which I think shouldnt be available for children.

If there was a creche facility where you could drop your children off for a couple of hours, would you use it?

Any other opinions on facilities?

Thanks

Our local indoor play centre tried a creche for a year or 2, but I don't think it ever took off. Must be hard work for staff, so many LOs!

Cleanliness and good visibility to see what kids are up to would be my top priorities.

I don't mind DC having chips or fish fingers, better than always having sandwiches, certainly. But I would like the chips to not be fried in hydrog fat, beef lard much better (veg oil probably too expensive).

A bar!

I would like there to be a sensory room for special needs children, dd2 has autism and cant cope with the noise at a soft play center which is why we only go when its quite.

I don't mind about the food being healthy as its not as though you take your children every day (a one off portion of chips wont hurt).

provide things like bouncy chairs for babies, strict seperate area for 1-3 year olds and the rest of the play area easily accesible to parents (when rescuing is needed).

you need lots and lots of high chairs (i always get sick of waiting for one to become available)

i have heard a lot of storys about one quite a way from me (but would like to go) that has an outside play area (with sand pit, park, and small farm) I think this is a great idea.

Good parking is a must (even better if you can manage parking with wide spaces).

i can not comment on food because i never really eat in these places, but good tea/coffee and cakes is a must.

I like it that some do loyalty cards to encourage you to come back time and time again or get a discount on a party for attending 10 times etc..

seperate room that can be let out for classes, photo's etc.. is always a good idea.

I also like things like a home corner, dressing up box, painting area (with short craft classes).

Free laptops!

decent coffee, homemade cakes and plenty of sofas.

Don't mind the chips option but like the sandwich/pick and mix type lunches too

decent parking

our local one closes for a day after each school holidays for a "deep clean" which is reassuring

Our local one is quite good. They even serve decent children's meals with carrots and peas. It would help a lot if the menu indicated whether food is dairy/nut/wheat etc free.

Cleanliness and safety are my priority, with decent drinks and cake coming a close second!

I would not use a creche.

the exit - can't stand the places and no amount of good intentions can make these places profitable and pleasant.

I'd like it big enough to cope all the way up to 12 year olds (or those the size of: I have a just-turned-10-year-old who hit 5 foot while he was still nine, and has been long shut out by that 140cm-and-under barrier many soft play places have).

Obviously, there'd be separate sections for tinies and giants - with the giants' section more of an adventure/obstacle set-up than your trad soft play.

We've just been in Denmark (home of every child paradise imaginable, really, just as you'd expect) - the Tivoli gardens have a fantastic indoor play space, the basic concept being that no floor is just a floor - it either spins or wobbles or is rumpled rubber hillocks carefully painted to look flat or makes a crashing sound when you run across it. Ladders with moving rungs, and human-sized hamster wheels too. I went in one - it was SCARY. (All the children gathered round to gasp at the boy who braced himself in a star shape and went right round.)

Creche - there is another children's adventure playground we loved, in Paris, which is strictly for 7-11s only and NO PARENTS allowed. (It has staff, so perfectly safe.) That was a huge hit, so, yes, I'd definitely use a stay-and-play facility. But I think only for older ones - so, maybe, not strictly a creche.

Like the idea of free laptop use - but definitely a supply of GOOD magazines and the daily newspapers.

One of the ones I go to regularly has lovely fresh-baked cakes from a bakery - they are definitely an attraction It also has a race-track with go-karts on which is always very popular (runs every hour or so at an extra charge of £1 per go)

Another place has 'music time' so once during the morning and once in the afternoon, they have a little stage area where one of the staff stands on and all the children gather on the mats and they play 3 'action' songs such as Dingle Dangle Scarecros, Wind the Bobbin up, If You're Happy and You Know It etc.

Personally I wouldn't use a creche and I don't mind chips etc on the menu as we don't eat lunch there very often so, when we do, it is no big deal if DS1 wants chips and sausage rolls

Child size loos/potties/loo seats and steps. Decent baby changing area

Decent coffee

Gluten free cake

Easy parking

No coin slot machines

Separate party rooms

I agree with Apostrophe. Those places are like torture for me, and they always stink of piss.

I go under duress once a year or so and hate every second of being there.

At least the option of a spag bol or veg or something along with the fish fingers and chips.

Hand towels in the toilets rather than hand dryers.

Clean toilets with enough paper etc, and they should be regularly cleaned throughout the day too.

Good service - in getting in, ordering food, speed of food actually getting to the table etc.

Security is very important.

Parents who look after their own LOs rather than expecting others to do so! Some of the people who go to the ones in our local area are almost neglectful while they sit and read the paper or chat to friends while their DCs are crawling off

Lockers to safely store handbags/changing bags/etc. I don't feel comfortable leaving my bag with wallet & mobile just laying around while I supervise DS (who's only 14 months) but I also don't feel comfortable lugging a bag around while I'm supervising/playing with him.

I second the lockers thing. Our local place just gives out shoe bags (which all look the same i may add) and then you have to leave your handbag/changebag/jackets etc just lying around. I'm constantly checking no-one's loitering with intent!!

Thanks everyone for being so helpful! Love all your ideas!

a space for football, best bit of one our local centres is teh empty patch of carpet netted all round with a goal and a basketball hoop at each end and a LARGE supply of soft footballs.

Clean play area.
Access to any drop slide locked away when not supervised at the top.
A circuit round the small kids area that does not HAVE to go through the ball pool.
Sit and rides.
books for reading to tired kids who need a pause.
HEck - just take a look at teh play dome in honiton, its pretty good.

My favourite bits for trhe different soft play centres we go to are...

• Something for the babies to do - one those leapfrog centres (the ones they sit in and the activities are around them and so on..) bouncing chairs, toddle trucks and the like...

• A completely seperate area for the little ones... one soft play has it round the corner from the big area, so it is out of sight and quieter than the area for the big kids. Also, lots of seating there - there is never enough seating in this area. One soft play even has a section for the real littlies (0-2) and then a mid section for the 2-5s, as not all 5 year olds are ready to fight it off with the 10 year olds!

• Make sure the little ones cannot get down the slides that are too big for them. One soft play has a slide that is for 4 plus, and my DD has gone down it a few times, not realising that it was too scary for her... yet the other slide that is too big for her, requires a step to get to it, which she is not yet big enough for her to get to it.

• Make sure there is something nice for children to do that is not slides - not all kids like slides!

• Bouncy castles are great as an alternative.

• And I second what the others have said about magazines a definite, clean toilets (esp the baby change, they often stink!), chips are okay but something healthy too, decent coffee, loyalty scheme, separate room for birthday parties (or something special for them!)

However, the most important thing is to keep it clean. I drive to a soft play right over the other side of town (25 mins away) rather than go to the local soft play (5/10 mins away) because the local one is dirty and smelly.

I've just been to one here, they had

4 separate roofless rooms set aside for party rooms.

the play gym thingy had 3 slides. 1 completely enclosed and straight, 1 enclosed and wiggly, and 3 very fast straight slides next to each other. These were a big hit. The enclosed slides generated a lot of static, so some earthing is advisable.

An under 5's football area. Soft floors and sides and soft balls, it was restricted to 8 children at a time. This was DS's (2yo) favourite bit.

They had lockers rentable for $1 for bags and as you went past the checkout a big area of shelving and hooks for shoes and coats.

A wrist sticker system with barcode. (similar to airport luggage tags) Everyone had to wear one and were scanned in, then you had to be scanned out. Child had family name on it, and they had our address/phone in the computer.

here is the website zigzagzoo

I agree with the goat...godawful places.

I normally HATE them with a passion but I went to a newish one this week and was really impressed.

It was light (natural light plus daylight lighting)
Well arranged (seating in the middle, most parts visible)
Clean
Great, healthy, reasonably priced menu.

Downside was lack of parking. Also for some reason it wasn't too busy (but I've heard it gets too full a lot of the time).

I normally HATE them with a passion but I went to a newish one this week and was really impressed.

It was light (natural light plus daylight lighting)
Well arranged (seating in the middle, most parts visible)
Clean
Great, healthy, reasonably priced menu.

Downside was lack of parking. Also for some reason it wasn't too busy (but I've heard it gets too full a lot of the time).

Oo I've always wondered how to do replica posts!