Catering for babies in soft play

Around 50% of children’s entry tickets in indoor play are for toddlers and babies. PlayNation spoke to Cathy Dunlevy from Head Over Heels – which runs multi-award-winning indoor play venues in Chorlton & Wilmslow – on why it is important to cater for this segment

Why is provision for babies such an important part of soft play centres? Babies and very young pre-school children are available almost every day of the week, which is very different to school-age children who tend to visit mainly at weekends and during school holidays. If you want a soft play centre to work well throughout the week, you need to think carefully about how you cater for this age group and on weekends and school holidays ensure these spaces are well managed and protected from the higher-energy play of older children.

Why does soft play work so well for babies in particular? Soft play is ideal for babies. The padded floors mean adults can sit on the floor with their children while they crawl, explore and start to learn to walk in a very safe space. Sensory play, role play, dressing-up and shared activities all work really well at this age because they encourage interaction and heart warming moments. Attractive spaces matter too as parents naturally photograph and share these early experiences and this is great organic marketing. Bringing families in at this stage also builds a longer customer life cycle.

How does that work in practice at Head Over Heels Wilmslow? Babies and very young children start in The Village Green, our fully enclosed early-years space with a large padded floor space, mini climbs and slides, role play spaces and dress up, sensory room and toddler stage. On quieter weekdays, when older children are at school, play naturally flows into other ground-floor areas. Families can enjoy our interactive immersive sensory room, Safari Falls, along with spaces like the large ball pool and disco area. We also replace our electric cars with ride-on vehicles that are better suited to this age group. We’re increasingly seeing mums meeting online and choosing the centre as a place to meet in person, alongside lots of local parents and grandparents. We regularly have families travelling up to an hour to visit us. Weekdays lunchtimes can be very busy particularly during the winter. This is helped by our toddler show with the mascot just before lunch, which naturally leads into café time.

Parents matter just as much in the experience – how do you cater for them? A lot of it comes down to the details and we are always working on improving the experience. Babies are precious, so parents need to see that spaces are genuinely clean and well cared for. Temperature and music matters for everyone, as do good toilet and changing facilities and somewhere comfortable to sit. Quality food and drink makes a big difference too, especially when people are staying for a while. We also offer unlimited play during the week, so families can relax, stay as long as they like and really enjoy their time together.