Baby Discos...

Today I went to our first Mini Manouvres, so I thought it would be apposite to review the three different baby discos I have attended.  They seem to be a booming industry and justly so.

Firstly, two disclaimers: I used to host the discos for East Renfrewshire and the Mini Manouvres we attended wasn't in their usual venue but commissioned as part of The Spree (and may I also say how magnificent Paisley's The Spree is).

Let's start with East Renfrewshire Culture and Leisure.  Details about these, usually seasonal, discos can be found on the Eastwood Park Theatre website.  They take place either in the theatre or in the large community halls that are Carmichael Hall or Clarkston Halls.  The halls are huge and the capacity is limited so the children get a lot of room to run around but it also feels like they are rattling around.  These discos are more like a very old-fashioned children's party.  There are balloons and lots of games and songs including things like Sleeping Bunnies and Heads Shoulders Knees and Toes as well as Musical Bumps etc.  The toilet and baby change facilities are good and there is copious parking.  Overall, I feel this disco is best if you are attending with lots of friends.

New to the scene is Be Bop Bairns.  We attended this at Platform at the Arches, which is a fantastic, nostalgic venue.  There is a street food market in the first few arches and then the back two are closed off for private events.  So there was a great choice of very tasty food, which you can take in to the disco (also a bar and coffee vendor).  The furthest arch was used as a disco space and the first had face painting, crafts and soft play blocks.  There were lots of balloons but also a few naughty children popping them, which really scares Angus.  The DJ hosting was excellent, there were so many different games including a lot of singing along to Greatest Showman.  Angus thought the games were excellent and joined in, even though he didn't know any of the other children.  He especially enjoyed keeping the giant Wubble in the air with the other children.  There was definitely a community spirit.  This one is a little more grown up than East Ren's and I just loved the vibe.

Finally on to Mini Manouvres, this is usually held at SW3G, which I have never been to.  The commissioned event was in the Spiegeltent.  The USP of this disco is that it accommodates parents and their musical tastes too. 

Mr GFN and I are not so into the dance/house scene, so the middle third of the party (which is the longest disco of the three reviewed) didn't appeal so much, as it's music time for the grown ups.  I suspect in it's ordinary home, this is a big hit and there is a bit more drinking and dancing involved.  There were a few games at the start and end but this disco had the most alternative activities: soft play blocks, Duplo table, craft, bubbles, face painting.  If this was a 90s indie disco, we would be there every time.

If you have any questions, please comment below.  We love a baby disco and I think they'll continue to be part of our social lives for a long time.

Almond Valley

Farm/park/activity centre places are invisible to you until you have children.  Then they pop up all over the place.  Almond Valley is one such of these and is a gem.  The USP is that it is a heritage centre with information about the history of farming and mining in the area, I have yet to look at anything about this!  

We have been twice, both sunny days in September.  The first visit was a Wednesday during term time and it didn't get busy at all.  We went more recently on Saturday and it still wasn't very busy.  There were very few children over the age of Primary 1; it is a haven for pre-schoolers.

It's not too expensive but they do ask for top-ups, for example a charge for the soft play, £1 per person to ride the train (a 20 minute trip)...

...and 50p per person for a tractor trailer ride.  

There is so much to do though.  Lots of little play areas like this one:

A couple of them are indoors but overall this is a dry day venue.  There are two areas to the centre.  The area nearest the reception has museum exhibits and most of the animals.  Walk around the field and you can get up close.

Around the Mill Pond there are smaller animals and more farmyard animals.

Some of our favourites are the pigmy goats...

...and Smokey the colossal pig.

Over the other side of a bridge is Charlesfield.  This has lots to try including trampolines, a bouncy pillow, indoor sandpit, more play areas, pedal karts...

...and round the back a few more animals and dry sledging.

There is so much to do that you can easily fill a whole day and it is suitable for both new walkers and older children.  There are two sets of toilets but none at Charlesfield, so it wouldn't be the best day out if you are toilet training but they are well equipped for baby changing.

The cafe is fairly reasonably priced and has a glorious selection of traybakes.

The whole centre is easy to get around with a buggy and doesn't get very muddy.

It is around a 45 minute drive from Glasgow.  If it was a bit closer I would consider an annual pass but I don't think we would make it four times a year.

Finsbay, Milngavie

Finsbay, in Milngavie, was a spontaneous choice for lunch before visiting Kilmardinny Loch (or the Gruffalo Trail, review here).  It was Saturday lunchtime and seemed popular as it was fairly busy.

They were able to accommodate the buggy at our table.  The decor is young, trendy and fun (a bit mid-century modern, I'd say).  There was an aquarium at the back, on the way to the toilet, which we went up to have a look at a few times.  The staff were welcoming to Angus but there's no children's menu; which is odd as there are toys for children to play with.

Angus had soup; he loves soup and our food was tasty too.  The drinks selection was good too.  I can't quite put my finger on it but I don't think I'd go back though.  Perhaps the service was a little slow, despite being friendly.  Perhaps it felt a little stuffy.  I just didn't feel that relaxed.  I think that, despite some toys and books, really it's a grown ups venue and best to leave it to them.

The toilets and baby change were fine.  We parked in the Marks and Spencer's car park for free.  The cafe is close to the town centre.

Paradise Island Golf

I'd been quite lucky for a long time, Angus hadn't spotted Paradise Island Golf in Soar, Braehead.  Then he did and I decided to treat him to some Big Brother-Mum alone time as a treat.

Whilst Gran cuddled Douglas, we went for it one rainy Wednesday afternoon (term time).  It was very quiet, there were perhaps two or three other groups on our course (which meant that Angus could have several goes on the exciting holes and not hold anyone up or get in the way).  There are two courses to choose from: the Tiki Hut Trail (I've done this one a few times before) or Maggie McCaw's Challenge.  I don't think there's any difference in difficulty or interest and Angus chose the latter.

There is a good range of clubs to choose from and Angus, who is on the shorter side (95cm), took the smallest, purple putter.  A couple of the 18 holes were a little less interesting (and repetitive) than others but that doesn't bother a three year old.  He especially enjoyed finding the next number hole and the holes where the ball goes down a gulf, along a tunnel and out.  The course is very well maintained and it was hard to enough to be a challenge for me but easy enough for Angus to manage each hole in less than 8 shots.  He did get a hole in one too.  The booming voices from the tiki huts and talking totem pole were amusing rather than frightening for him.  It took us between 45 minutes and one hour to complete one course.  I don't think I would do both courses in one session.

Overall it was really good fun and brilliant for a rainy day.  We had a great, relaxed time together with lots of laughs.  This session cost £8 as under 5s are free between 12-5pm, weekdays during term-time.  There is also a VoucherCloud offer of two play for £10 any time except all day Saturday and before 5pm Sunday.  So it's not the cheapest activity but not bad for a treat.

We didn't use the toilets, so I can't comment on them or the baby change.  You definitely couldn't take a buggy around.  I think the youngest age for this activity would be two and a half but that might be stretching it.  He got more out of it because it wasn't beyond his capabilities (at three years and five months).

Obviously the free car parking at Soar is plentiful and easy.  We had lunch beforehand at Wetherspoons which was cheap and cheerful and quite healthy as Angus had cheesy pasta with veg, apple slices and a glass of milk (don't forget they do bottomless coffee too!).

Big Music for Minis 2017

This is our third time attending this amazing festival of music for under 7s (and we have a three year old!). Young families take over the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall one weekend every October and the organisers drip information out over a long period of time.  I think concert tickets went on sale in March this year but the details of the whole programme came much later.

I plan meticulously, you can get the programme leaflet ahead of time at libraries or Glasgow Life venues.  We only had the Saturday free this year, so we arrived for 12pm for Toddler Tales (well, earlier to queue, you need to queue for the free events), then had lunch.  After that we went to our ticketed concert, which was Melody Quest - a trip around the world with Owen and Olly from Children's Classic Concerts and the NYOS Camerata.  All of whom played a great variety of short pieces magnificently.  Tickets were £5 each, an absolute bargain (Fun Box the next day were also a steal).  After that we stopped for another free event, Creative Martyrs' Kids Cabaret.  Angus laughed and laughed.

I think you could spend the day just at the free events but the tickets are subsidised, so why not?

This year for lunch we went to the Encore Cafe in the Concert Hall and it was £21 for three sandwiches, two drinks and two cakes.  They were okay.  Last year we went to the John Lewis Cafe, which was a bit nicer.  Lots of people take a picnic though and I think I might next year.

Overall, the atmosphere is great.  Loads of music of all different genres, all of which Angus has really enjoyed.  It's a great introduction to concert-going.  I can see us going for many years to come.  Bravo Glasgow Life.

There is a buggy park and the changing facilities are okay.  Entering the venue is difficult with a buggy as the front has lots of steps and there are two lifts at the back, which get queued up.  Go buggy-free if you can.  On the Sunday you can park for free north of the city centre, where the meters are off.  Or you can park for £3 all day in Buchanan Galleries or Cambridge Street car park.  Parking on the Saturday is much more expensive.  You can pay a lot to park in a car park. The meters aren't really an option as you will probably stay for more than three hours.  We park and ride on the Subway.

Baby 'n' You Beginners Baby Yoga

Organised fun for babies starts early...with Douglas (baby #2), I enjoyed this block of classes so much I did it twice!

Baby 'n' You is an independent business run by Suzy out of the Scout Hall in Dowanhill.  With Angus, I did Baby Massage and Baby Calm, followed by Beginners Baby Yoga, all of which I recommend.

I was worried that I wouldn't be able to manage Baby Yoga as I have problems with my back, but the focus is mainly on the baby.  Both my babies loved it and I'm trying my best to keep up bits at home with Douglas; although it's mainly the bits for assisting windy tummies I practice!  The difficulty of the moves build up over the four weeks.

Suzy is very welcoming; I find the fact she's a paediatric nurse very reassuring and useful when I've had questions about the boys.  The classes as a whole are warm and friendly, through the time for tea at the end of each session, I've made good friends as well as starting my journey into Mum Life as I bump into these mums around and about.  I think this is a unique aspect to these classes and a great touch.

The sessions are quite fast-paced, which seems daunting at first but I picked up the moves and the songs quickly.  There's a good balance of simple moves, more complicated ones, quiet time, props and songs.

With Angus I remember sitting out in the garden, drinking tea and chatting in the sun...no luck with this maternity leave.

Since then parking restrictions have come in, which means you can't pop down to Byres Road and continue the party in a cafe or nip to the shops as easily.  You can still park for free nearby.  Obviously there's a baby change!  The price for the block seems quite high at first but it keeps the class sizes smaller which I prefer.

Wild Adventure

The need to visit this soft play, Wild Adventure, came about after so many different people suggested we check it out.  It's in Drumchapel and feels a little out of the way but was worth the journey.

It's a fairly standard soft play but the place feels easy.  We visited on a Monday morning and it was very quiet, just us and may be two or three other families.

This first photo is of the main frame.  It's got lots of explore but is still suitable for preschool age.   I think older children would have fun in there too.  At the back is a football pitch area, which is Angus's favourite part of any soft play frame.

On the other side is the babies and toddlers section, which had plenty to keep wee ones entertained.  Behind a screen to one side is a learning area, this has various activities and there is a theme each fortnight, which is listed on their Facebook page. It's planned out nursery-style.

The cafe fare isn't very inspiring; the usual nuggets, baked beans, pizza...  I had a Mexican chicken panini but the chicken was reformed.  For the children's lunch deal, they can pick and mix from a selection, which led to Angus selecting a hot dog and garlic bread for his lunch.  Milk was included though.  The coffee is good.

The seating area is particularly well thought out: it goes right across the width of the soft play.  This makes it very easy to see your child all the time.

Toddler time is £3 but I can't find other prices, suffice to say, it's very reasonable.  There is no car park so you need to park on the street.  This wasn't a problem on a Monday morning.  The toilets were plentiful and basic.