Sprouts Kids {Local Love}

S wouldn't let these beanbag turtles out of his sight.

There's a new baby/toddler hangout in the 'hood. A friend of mine emailed me a little while ago about a new place called Sprouts opening in Leslieville, and because I like any place where S can run around and tire himself out before nap time, we went to check it out last week.



In many ways it is very similar to Gymboree, but bigger. And while Gymboree has very scheduled drop-in times (often during nap time), Sprouts Kids is open for drop-in play all day long. Perfect for Sunday mornings, which can be the tricky time slot to fill around our house.

Playing in a fort under the big slide.

The indoor playground is packed with a ton of fun things for little ones; slides, climbing structures, a velcro activity wall, Duplo tables, these super fun bouncing toys, and there are even a couple of built in trampolines. I often wish they made Jolly Jumpers in toddler size because I know S would still use it daily. A playground with a trampoline is the next best thing.


For the parents, there is complementary Starbucks coffee and tea in the snack lounge. And yes, you can use one of their mugs to bring your beverage into the playground area. You can bring your own nut-free snacks, but if you happen to forget, the vending machine at this place sells Baby Gourmets and whole wheat fig bars. As a nice bonus, the music they play isn't 'kid' music, and it's actually music you would love to listen to.

Jumping toddler = fuzzy picture. But worth it!

The first visit is free, and then I bought the 6 drop-in play pass for $55.

They also have a slew of classes for newborn babies up to 6 or 7-year-olds. You can sign up for dance, science, arts & crafts, or even a kids book club! If I was still on mat leave, I could see myself spending a lot of time here.

My suggestion - go early. By 11am it was pretty packed, but I feel that really shows the demand for more places like this in the city.


xo
Jenn