Review - Eden Kids Corner

On Saturday we got up bright and early and headed into town to check out the opening of a brand new 'kids corner' soft play area in the local shopping centre.

Eden in High Wycombe is a modern shopping centre with a good range of high street shops, restaurants, a bowling alley and cinema. It is also located in the middle of town with the bus station on site, loads of parking, the library and a large House of Fraser. Despite disliking clothes shopping for myself, I spend a lot of time in Eden. It's great for a bit of window shopping and often runs activities and events.
 
The news 'Kids Corner' is located in a previously quiet and unloved area of the centre which has now been given a new lease of life.
It's bright and airy and has been decorated with jungle themed murals. In addition to the small soft play area, there is a new Toys UK store (moved from another unit in the centre) and a new deli area with some outdoor seating.
For the opening the organisers had laid on a number of activities, including some face painting, a balloon modeller, safari trail and even a visit from Mr Potato from Peppa Pig. We've been to a number of their events before, they are always well thought out and this was no exception. Lily loved having her face painted and the balloon modeller went down very well with all the children.
It was busy and a small crowd built up in time for cutting the ribbon. Lily enjoyed the soft play area despite there being a lot of children in the space. I really liked the look of the equipment which was great for little people to explore and the jungle theme is well done. There was also a small space for children to leave their shoes which I felt was sweet.
Eden suggests that you can sit and watch your children play whilst grabbing a coffee but this wouldn't appeal to me. I feel like you're not actually close enough to sit at the tables and still see your child properly. Unlike a dedicated soft play facility, it would be all too easy for a young escapee to make a break for freedom. However, I imagine it would be fine for older children and I saw plenty of parents chatting whilst their children ran off some steam.

I had a quick look in the new 'Sam's Deli' and it looked very nice. There seemed to be a great selection of fresh meats and salad items, a decent range of coffees and some freshly juiced orange juice. I'm planning on going back in the next week or so to check it out properly!

Unlike some other child-friendly destinations nearby, I wouldn't necessarily head to there just to visit the Kids Corner. However, I would certainly recommend it if you're going shopping as it makes the experience so much better for young children. This week they will be running a number of Halloween themed activities and workshops for half-term and I will definitely be attending one or two if I can fit it in around packing and moving. You can find out more info over on their website here.

Family Fever #ToddlerApprovedTuesday

*I have not been asked by anyone to write this review and all opinions are my own*
Coombe Mill - Fiona said...

A Kids corner is always handy to have.

Our Cherry Tree said...

It is! And it's free too :)

Unknown said...

This sounds fab, especially for the kids that a little older #ToddlerApprovedTuesday

Our Cherry Tree said...

It's great and always seems popular! x

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