Baby Boo-boo's nursery is shut for part of Easter so it's been a chance for us to get out of the house. I decided that to avoid the mayhem of the Brixton Rec's soft play with big kids bouncing through the baby ball pit, I'd go check out another toddler's world for the under 5 yr olds. Having visited the one in Clapham, I expected more of the same - lots of plush new equipment and a gaggle of small children and parents enjoying it.
So we headed to the Crystal Palace National Sports centre with a new plan hatched about how we would get from the bus stop to the place avoiding the steps unlike our last sorry attempt. We caught the number 3 bus and got off the second to last stop. However as soon as we got off, I realised we would have to do serious back tracking to find a gentle slope down to the sports centre.
Sod this, I decided and we took the steps - bump, bump, bump and then some more... and some more! At least it was all down hill. We finally got to our location and entered the wonderful sports centre - I do love the architecture. We bought a ticket - £4.75 for the baby to play - and headed through the centre to the back.
An area was cordoned off using a large inflatable barrier and inside was a sparse collection of toys for the little uns to play with. It was quite different from the abundance of the very new toys at Clapham! Some things seemed too old for the baby Boo-boo (who is one and walking), other things were for younger babies (sensory mats) or better for structured play (musical instruments). Many of the one o'clock clubs I've been to have better set ups than this and are free!
It wasn't a bad space and with a little bit of investment into a few new pieces it could feel like it was worth the entrance fee. For me it was a chance to let the baby run, walk and crawl around without too much to worry about so at the end of the day it fulfilled it's role.
If the centre wants a better attendance, than it should get a few new bits of equipment and make it look fun!!
Crystal Palace National Sports Centre Information
Crystal Palace National Sports Centre is located at Ledrington Road London, SE19 2BB.
Non-membership kids pay £4.75 a session.
The centre can be contacted on 020 8778 0131
The opening times of the Toddlers' World are:
Monday 10:00 to 12:00pm
Tuesday 1:00 to 3:00pm
Thursday 10:00 to 12:00pm
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Want to know more about soft play facilities in the Lambeth area and beyond? Read the following:
- our review of soft play at Peckham Pulse Healthy Living Centre
- our review of soft play at Brixton Recreation Centre
- our review of soft play at Bertie and Boo Adventure Island
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