What would YOU like to see in a soft play area?

[elliesmummy]

For example, I would like to see healthy, organic snacks & meals available, plus lockers for bags/purses.
What would make your ideal soft play venue?
tia

standards of cleanliness

stuff for big and little kids

a baby area

no snacks

good seating - cafe within sight of kids but not earshot

no way out for kdis apart from through cafe

Punishment for big children who constantly play on the baby section.
Fines for mums that pay no interest in what their children are doing.
Agree with healthy snacks
Plenty of high chairs
Absolutely no pick and mix stands.

all of the below and a special effort to make them not smell of wee!!!

a way to stop them smelling of feet

no pick n mix or those bloody bubblegum machines with toys in

a way to stop them smelling of feet

severe and lasting punishment for vile big kids who throw balls at the littlies

have i mentioned the feet thing?

Message withdrawn

lol swiper - wee/feet all the same really!

clean standards
healthy snacks
cctv and security gates so u know kids cant leave building.

I heard about a restaurant somewhere that ha s akids soft playt in the middle that is surrounded by safety plastic so u can see everything going on inside etc and was well lit but also gave the parents some peace.

Ditto the comment about chairs / cafe where you can sit down BUT still see all of what is going on. And a completely separate bit for little ones so that big ones can't crash their play area. NO annoying repeating music !

aircon (I nearly pass out in these places in summer)

ability to see kids wherever they are in the soft play bit

adult monitors roaming the soft play weeding out the bullies/kids too old

only one way out - monitored by an adult and only opened by adults

(p.s. feel strongly about this having 'lost' ds in snakes and ladders for almost half an hour)

Ban on all the nasty cheap food these places sell. But being a big kid at heart, I would like an Adults only slide!!!

Decent food!

Security tabards like my local Brewsters so if they go near a door an alarm goes off.

Kids over 8 should not be allowed shoudn't they be mugging old ladies by then?

Healthy snacks and meals, and drinks
Comfy seating for adults
Able to see children all over the soft play area
Certain times where older kids are NOT allowed in (inc out of school time) - so the little children get to have a go without being pushed about, barged into, etc.
OR better toddler/under 5 areas - with big slides/climbing areas
Proper supervision - so rough behaviour can be stopped fast
Reminders to parents to watch what their children are doing (and some form on sanction for those that don't)
One way in and out, which children cannot get out of on their own - with a sign in/out system running along side

Oh, and adults allowed on the equipment with their children - much more fun

We got a questionaire from the Almond Valley Heritage centre we visit that asked just this! They are redesigning their soft play area so I'm going to add everyones suggestions to see what happens.

I had also written about mothers/fathers who allow older children into the area for under 5s. And by that I mean kids around 10 years old not ones at 6! Some can get a bit boisterous when there are sometimes babies in there.

I wonder what exactly they are planning as my dst (3) love the area. Total freedom.

Deffo the food thing, but also a bouncy castle. One of my local ones has got it and its great. Unfortunately Its dirty so I don't go there. Shame. So clean too I guess!

a quite room for nannys to lay down in while a trained animal trainer takes the kids for an hour

and in that room vodka and i-pods

aromatherapy, soothing music and a rum and diet coke on tap please

I would like "ways up" to be height-restricted ... i.e. tiny children are not able to get up there (and need rescuing).

I would like parents to keep littlies out of the section designed for older children

I would like the "way in" not to be exclusively via a ball pit, as some children don't like ball pits.

A reasonable sized section for toddlers who climb....

DD is soooo bored with the little tiny ball pool, and diddly slide - she is off and clambering up im with the big kids who then shove her out of the way.

As a side issue, what age range do you think soft plays are for? One of our local ones goes up to age 12 - but just think age 12 is a bit old for such an enclosed play area? And have to say that my experience of there is the older ones just run around causing mayhem for anyone younger, and are not really using the equipment int he way it was designed for.

Our local(ish) one is really nice, lovely squishy sofas for the parents to loll about on drinking lattes and rather lovely hot chocolate. Food is cooked fresh and is usually pretty good. They have footie on on saturdays for the dads, and it shares a building with a Vue cinema so you can pack the older kids off in there for a couple of hours.

You still get the crappy uncontrolled kids, and I do have to growl at the older kids who come bounding into the baby bit, but it's the best one I've been to by miles.

Oooh, I wanna live near you!

There is one by us that does adult sessions one night a month - sounds great!!!

Cleanliness, decent fire safety procedures, trained adult playleaders, reasonable maximum capacity.

Baby swings and chairs for babies.

Staff who will clean up properly when parents have left.

Good reasonably priced food.

NO SLUSH PUPPIES!! Grrrrrrr.

The one in Bamber Bridge in Preston which is called Cheeky Monkeys is excellent apart from the Slush Puppie!