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Wakefield

Cloud 9 - Ossett review

So this place came highly recommended on my previous post however, I have struggled to see the hype and thought I would share my thoughts. I know these are just my opinions but I was really disappointed.
We attended for a two hour play session - 6 month old baby. When we arrived it quickly became evident that this was not what I had thought it would be.
Firstly, to enter the building you have to go up some steps (There are 5 and they are metal). I arrived with baby in the buggy on my own so had to carry the buggy up the steps with baby. Now I am 6 months post C-section and just at the point I can lift buggy and baby together - a month ago I wouldn’t have been able to. There is no way to get anyone to come out and help.
Secondly, there is no where to keep buggies. There is no allocated space and nowhere to put them next to tables. So it was just buggy chaos.
Thirdly, the place was overbooked. It was rammed, there was no seating available. I did get a table but I couldn’t get to or from it as they were so close together as soon as someone sat at a front table the back ones were inaccessible.
Fourthly, there is no actual baby area allocated in the play room. There is a separate baby area tucked out the back. This is not accessible as it is only for those who have booked baby sensory and can only fit 6 in. There is nowhere else for a non-mobile baby to play. Now I thought this was my fault and I had booked the wrong ticket, however there were other mums with under 1s who also had nowhere for their children to play. This begs the question if you only allow 6 babies on the baby area then why sell baby tickets for the rest of the play area when there is no where for them to safely be on the floor. Surely limit your baby tickets at 6. I did go into the baby room to look and honestly it was pitiful at best. A handful of toys, a ball pit, a bubble lamp and a couple of wall toys - very little “sensory” involved. Lots of cushions and large teddy bears which made it look full of stuff when it was actual quite bare.
The actual play area was dirty - we were there first session so I would have expected it to be clean. Now, I let my boy eat sand, messy play, etc but this was just dirty, The toys needed to be cleaned, floors needed cleaning and even the gates to the baby area were dirty and did not secure properly.
Finally, it did not feel safe - the mirrored bits were sharp, there were cable ties with sharp ends pointing out of the play frame, we found two cable ties on the floor (by we, I found one and my son picked the other up from under a toy) and bits of sharp plastic on the toddler ball pool.
There is no safety feature to stop children walking out the main front door - one toddler successfully opened it but her mum grabbed her - why is there not a safety feature on a main door to the outside?
The baby area is out the back, there are no children over 12 months allowed in there but you cannot view any other area of the play area from it (it’s like a cupboard out the back through a corridor room). Meaning if, like some of the mums today, you have a toddler and a baby, there is no where safe for both to play. Others I have been to, the baby area has been in a space where you can still view the remainder of the play space and therefore the toddler could go and play whilst baby was in baby area with parent - this also links into having no safety feature to stop children running out the building (or for that matter randomers getting in)

In comparison to the other play areas/ play cafes/ sensory rooms i have visited this is by far the worst one.

Edit to add - I did tell them about the cable ties and she told me someone had already told her and she would sort it when she had time. For me, the safety of the children is paramount and making a cup of tea for an adult could have waited two minutes whilst you sorted it. I know I as a mum wouldn’t have minded waiting