Softplay.. what do u love.. want to see.. do better at.. hate at indoor play

[Missismumto2]

Myself and my sister in law r at the very start of opening up our softplay/indoor play area and i want to know what you mums love, wish it had, do better at in these areas.. please help us out in any advice you guys would have 😊 Thank you

I'd like my kids' white socks not to turn black.

Nice building with windows (natural light) and decent air con and heating

Separate areas for different ages eg bigger kids, toddlers and babies (toddler area is especially handy when they are not quite big enough for the big kid bit)

All areas cleaned regularly and thoroughly

Low sinks or step stools in the toilets for toddlers to wash hands

Some comfy sofas in the cafe / seating area

Good quality food and drinks for adults as well as kids

Thanks for your comment justajot made me laugh, i will be sure to keep that in mind

Everything @NameChange30 said! Plus somewhere secure and sheltered to store pushchairs.

PS DO NOT have those hideous ride on machines that you have to put money in, with the annoying lights and music - I've already paid (probably a small fortune) to get in, I want my child to actually use the soft play and not spend the whole time whinging at me to spend more money on a stupid machine.

Secure entrance and exit and a layout where parents can sit and get a full view. When I’ve been to soft play, the children seem to just disappear at and you can’t relax thinking they could have gone off with another adult. Also other parents are terrible at supervising!

Decent food - softplay food is always cheaply made junk.

Not too big - smaller scale soft plays are always better.

Bear in mind that sometimes parents have to climb up and help their child so don’t put those laundry mangle type roller things in - I used to have nightmares about getting stuck in that thing.

A bloody good slide.

Keep the place immaculately clean - softplay always feels grubby and the places must be so germy!!

My local soft play has TV screens, with cameras in the play frame, so that you can keep an eye on what's going on without being in there.
There's about 9 cameras so you get a snapshot of most of the main areas (it's a huge play frame spanning over 3 floors)

Decent (hot and cold) food and drinks.

Another one from my local soft play, they have those ride ons (like the ones outside supermarkets) + little dance machine type things and offer tokens at reception so the kids can use them for free, as many times as they want.

Make sure it's clean and sanitised often.

A nice assortment of 'equipment' in the baby and toddler areas. Themed stations for the toddler areas are fun too.

Plenty of natural light.

Also, a bulletproof security system at the entrance. Locked gates that can only be opened by staff and a way of checking who the child is leaving with.

Staff keeping an eye on things as some parents are quite frankly shit at making sure their kids are behaving ! That's why I no longer go to soft play

Clean and empty the bins regularly in the baby change

Windows/natural light/fresh air where possible

Mother and baby groups/ our local one did a Friday night youth club for 9-12 years olds/ Halloween parties etc in the youth club/lights, music

Decent coffee/chairs/jugs of water that's free, juice that's not extortionate/ well priced light snacks/small plates of food/bananas/apples

Tables cleaned regularly

No tat in machines for kids to want

Rewards scheme for regular goers

Good luck!

Clean, proper ventilation, secure exit, separate small children area, a ball pit that’s not incubating bubonic plague, good coffee and good food for adults and children (not beige horrors), comfortable seating area with a clear view of all areas, decent toilets.

Swept floor. Wiped tables.

Consider sessions for kids with SEN if at all possible. Our local one does it but it’s 730 to 830 on a Saturday morning which is a bit early for me but I get it needs to be at the start/end of a session. Good luck

Sensible staff who help you.

A loyalty card for hot drinks and entrance.

One by us opens from 10 til 10. Serves booze and everything. Great for when they've napped at the wrong part of the day.

Clean toilets

My main criteria are
Real food
Clean
Staff who are willing to speak to children if they see them behaving dangerously eg will actually enforce the age restrictions for the baby and toddler area.
Big but not too difficult to keep an eye on children while they are playing.

No mice!

somewhere that is clean

Lockers so I can store my handbag / other valuables safely if I am there alone with DC. I used to have to go and rescue DS occasionally when he got too adventurous!

I detest leaving every play cafe or softplay smelling like a deep fat fryer from staff cooking , so if there's a way to stop that.

The option to eat food you bring yourself and not be tied to only eating what’s on offer in the cafe. Some people have restricted diets and allergies which is a massive pain when eating out and if I’ve spent £6 per child to get in (x3) no way do I want to pay £5-6 each for food there, having the option is good but I don’t want to be forced, if I’m not forced I’m more likely to spend a fortune on cuppas without feeling like I could of taken them for a day out at a theme park for the same money!

Clean equipment- one near me uses a new spray clean technology which they do every month/week whatever so everything is sanitised to a good standard.

Good security. Loyalty card. Evening events for older kids or adults. Shoe storage.

Comfy chairs
Newspapers provided
Soap in the toilets
Handbasin that kids can reach
Alternative to hot air hand driers
Clean
Sections to reduce noise
Decent coffee and coffee cups
Natural light

YY to hand drier alternatives, DS hates them (too loud) and I know a lot of other kids do too

Natural light and no loud music please

Definitely no music. Totally not needed.

Being able to see my children reasonably easily from the s

Sound proofing on the walls to dampen the shreiks/minimize echoes