Jumptopia - As good as the reviews

We have read a lot of good reviews on Jumptopia. We caught a good deal for Triple Adventure at Marina Bay and off we go. Truly as per the reviews, it was great fun both for the kids and the adults. Basically, I would describe the place filled with giant bouncy castles. There were variations but by the 3rd spot, we , the adults were pretty much like...kinda the same. LOL!

For certain days that were non-peak, you could actually stay the whole day within the vicinity. But to be quite honest, we stayed for 2.5 hours and we were literally dead beat! The place was considerably humongous, so even though there were a lot of people, the crowd was well scattered and not rowdy. 

Internally, there was a food truck and it was great to see that the price was reasonable. It gave us the necessary yummy fuel to stay longer. The sweetener was that the kids could go home with a complimentary Partiz name band. We ended up buying stuff from their shop as well because generally the price was ok. On top of that, I also shared on my social media, so the kids got additional goodie bags to bring home! You can a token for the claw machine if you like their social media page. So with that, I gave it a try and I can assure you the claws are so weak, it isn't worth investing. 

Personally, I thought it was a great event to bring the toddlers during the holidays. With sales and promotions, the price can add up to be still within acceptable range. Parents beware, some of the ball pits and hinoki pits can be pretty insane. I had a hard time keeping my socks and a few times I dropped my phone (with a bit of fear that it can never be found)! Gasp. 

** Use the discount code "BABYNFAMKLOOK" when you book through Klook for a 5% Discount. Applicable to All Klook Activities with min. spend of SGD50. Discount capped at SGD15.

Artground - Finally made it there

Finally, we made it to the orginal artground at the Goodman Arts Centre. Actually the kiddo has been there with the school and the pictures looked super amazing. We were actually pretty excited. Like most indoor playgrounds, you had to bring your own socks. But unlike other places, the area would be re-curated after a period of time. 

Personally, I am not a huge fan of the current theme - M.A.P.. But the kids seem to have an absolute blast. There were different areas that provided them various sensory experience. Admission into The Artground’s Arts Space is free, with a refundable deposit of $15 per group booking when you book online. There is a bit of hassle to set up an account, but given that it is free, it is worth the hassle. Haha. Each session was around an hour which might be a little short. 

The Artground also sometimes host special art programmes. This time round, it was the Beam Show at the WhiteBox. No photos because it was disruptive to take them, but it was really engaging and  enjoyable. Even though a part of the show was in the dark, neither of the kids freaked out and was fixated throughout. 

Overall it was a fun day out but there is nothing much other than the Arground there that was suitable for the toddlers. We travelled out after to have a meal :) This artground is a bit further for us, so it is unlikely we will go frequently. But I am pretty impress with their curated programmes and may actually sign up for the Holland's one :)

KidsSTOP - Mess-ive Science Party

Back at KidsStop yet again because this party seems too fun to be missed. My friend brought her kids there and told me it was really well suited for my kids, so I decided to take plunge. Quite honestly, my first impression was that the tickets didn't come cheap...because I was so used to my discounted price LOL!

Having been there, I have to say it was definitely worth every penny because it had activities that the kids probably won't be able to try at a normal indoor playground. This included - bubble play, hunting for uv candles, spin art...just to name a few. We even snag a door gift. 

Apart from that, some of the labs were open and it was an eye-opener to see how big the place actually was and how much facilities it had. The children also enjoyed their first magic show. It was not just the kids, it was obvious that the husband and I had fun too. It has been a while since I indulged in such child-like party activities and it did bring back joyful memories. 

Each slot was 3 hours. The kids pretty much spent the first 2 hours enjoying the new activities and the last hour holding their father's hand showing him their personal favourites in the usual hangouts. Overall, the event was very well organised and there was barely any queue at any stations etc. Don't get me wrong, the place was packed but they did manage to disburse the crowd well. 

For lunch, we decided to try the Stellar Kitchen Bar which had stellar reviews. (No pun intended). The food and drinks were really good. We know it is good when our picky eater ate 2 slices of their pizza. Apart from that, the price was also reasonable. Initially, we wanted to eat at the nearest mall instead because the food at attractions are usually quite meh. But this was really good and is way more convenient. :)

Great family day out and totally worth making a trip to the west!

KidsSTOP - Most reasonable indoor playground in the west

We went to KidsSTOP yet again. This is really one of our most frequent hangouts simply because of its affordability. The last time we went was nearly a year back (you can read our review here), this was the first time the #2 is going there with her brother. Saving hack: If your parents are senior citizens, they can bring a toddler that is less than 18months FOC!

Coming to this place with 2 kids honestly was havoc, I might have over-estimated myself. How I envisioned the whole experience was both my kids wanting to play at the same station...But most of the time they were at separate stations which were not within eye-distance. In the end, I spent most of my time with the younger child because my older kid was more sensible and could understand instructions better. Note to self, children have independent thoughts too...haha.

Something that was new for us was The Little Ant Kingdom. To be quite frank, I am not sure what was the exhibition occupying that space previously. But with this, the whole indoor playground experience is complete. My older kid spent quite a lot of time in this area...because new equals more fun! There was a nice slide, climbing structure, ball pit and lego building area. 

The toddlers expected me to join them in most of their activities. Even though this place was spacious, some of the corners could be quite tight and prove to be a test on my flexibility. If it is your kid's first time here, you could probably need more than 1 session for the kids to "properly play out" all stations to their heart content. My kids have came here a few times with their respective schools/ caretakers so they pretty much have their own favourites. 

If you are Singaporean, you must be careful when booking your slots because Singaporeans enjoy a huge discount! I almost failed to select the right category and had a shock at the price. We will definitely be back soon...for its biggest birthday party because the activities seem interesting and is something that is not usually offered by other indoor playground. :)

KidsSTOP - Fun, educational and value for money

Am so happy to share this place - KidsSTOP with you guys, this was where we initially wanted to go on the eves but there were no slots. No wonder because we only spent $4 (free for kids below 18 months). It was rather fun and instagrammable. It ticked all my checkbox. 

From baby's perspective, he probably still preferred Pororo Park more since everything was made to his height. And there were structures for him to climb very safely. KidsSTOP, in comparison is a little more suitable for a toddler and every station seems to forcefully put in some science concept. 

Basically, KidsSTOP is under Science Centre and it feels more like a government non-profit project. For Singaporeans, it is $2 for adults on and $5 for a child (above 18 months) during off peak. The husband bought a ticket for our kid by mistake and even managed to do a refund at the counter rather effortlessly. Profiting attractions probably won't do that. 

Given the price tag, I wasn't expecting much. But I was blown away once I step in because all the exhibits were so thoughtfully put together. It has everything what an indoor playground (which charge you an arm and a leg) has at such an affordable price. The space area was also huge. My child only managed to play (maybe a quarter) of whatever that is available. 

Not every exhibit/ station is suitable for a toddler and even within the exhibition, some probably won't be appropriate either. The farm area was one place we played the longest and I even managed to chat with a tourist Mum and gave some insights how the education is like. So, my poor kid has been labelled "home-schooled" because we decided to let him start school like in our time around 3-4. 

But this apparently is perfectly normal overseas. To cast all this name-calling, I will be doing a post/series on the "curriculum" I have for my kid so that more parents would feel assured taking this normal route. For info, my kid is still considered advanced as per the PD. That's why I always get a bit riled up when people speak of my child like he is going to be a retard simply because we didn't choose the kiasu route. Proud Mummy moment was when my son followed the other older kids and managed to slide down himself too!

Exhibits suitable for them apart from the Farm includes the nice shiny sand play to dig for Dinosaur bones (my son hates sand haha), tessellation glow in the dark exhibition (nice photos but he doesn't stay too long inside cos there isn't much to do), engineering area (super fun but limited number of people can go in, I was stuck outside while the guys had fun) and the supermarket area (which apparently had a cooking area which my kid didn't venture to cos the area is pretty big)

But don't worry, cos kids make their own fun. Even in the unsuitable exhibitions, you can just keep a watchful eye over them so that they won't trip and fall. I took him on a hurricane stimulator (bad idea!) and it probably left him scarred. Bad Mummy moment, oops. I do try a lot of things with him sometimes to find out what ticks him hehe. 

My boy was obsessed with this wind generator which spells danger everywhere. He did learn how to move a wheelbarrow and mustered courage to walk through a veil. So, money well spent. The toilet is also very children friendly. This boy was so at ease he took a dump in the middle of his play. 

KidsSTOP was even fun for us parents! And after a good play, there are lots of lunch  and shopping options at JEM, West Gate and JCube. Whee~~Will probably sign up a membership for him when he is older because we do see ourselves going there quite often!

Pororo Park: Free before 1 year old

The rising Covid cases was quite a turn-off, but after much thought we decided to head to our first ever visit to an indoor playground - Pororo Park. Marina Square was very sparse on a weekend and there were mostly families loitering around so that very much set my heart at ease.

Some tips to make your trip more enjoyable or to obtain more bang for your bucks:

1. In terms of pricing, my initial thoughts was that the price is quite steep. If your child cross 1 year old, it would cost nearly $30+ for a 2 hours slot. Try to go before baby is 1, and he can go in free. For both parents to enter (and enjoy), it would cost only $15.


2. Pororo Park isn't very big (given that adults are more used to USS size playgrounds), but there is a good 10 stations. It is probably considered massive for baby and to be honest, he spent a lot of time on the Gallop Station and the Jungle Gym.


3. Each session is about 2 hours. Try to come on time (we didn't) otherwise there might not be enough lockers for you and your child may not be able to enjoy the full experience. We had 2 parent to 1 so one of us was forever lugging the diaper bag and carrier around. (Update: Heard from the other mums, the lockers ain't very clean)





4. There are no shows during the Covid season. Just photos opportunities which you needed to queue for. Personally, I think you can give it a pass cos it is quite silly really. 


5. There are specific timings for the rides and you can queue for the ride again. My child really loved the Gallop Station so we went 3 rounds on it, that did take up a lot of time for other things. If you can afford it, it is ideal for both parents + 1 helper to enter the premise. Your helper can help to queue while 1 parent go on the ride with child and another to be the photographer. 


6. Generally. Pororo Park was very clean when we visited. Nonetheless, we still lugged around our sanitiser cos baby is still at a stage which he tries to put everything in his mouth. And I am too paiseh to leave his saliva-ed toys around. 





7. You need to wear socks (both for the adults and the little one!) Okay la, the socks ain't very exorbitant. $3 for a pair and the quality is still pretty decent. So don't be too hard on yourself if you forgot to bring a set. 


8. Bring lots of milk and snack for the little one. My boy had a milk break halfway. He found a cushion and just posed there to drink -_- He had to take the train himself. No fussing, maybe cos he had a snack in his hand. 


9. Bring a sweater too! The temperature is not cold, but if your child is young, just don't risk it!

Overall, we did have a lot of fun and met many other kids around his age. It was quite assuring cos I used to think he was pretty slow in his development. But seeing other kids who are progressing around the same pace makes me feel that at least he is not alone.

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Note: Laptop is down, so posts won't be as frequent!