My Daughter’s First Indoor Playground Experience

Why Choose Indoor Playground

Creativity for kids and toddlers are around the community, in which we have playgrounds, park, and libraries in each commune to enjoy the rest of the family time with learning and fun. With our days as young parents, we are thinking about how can we let Laia (our daughter) enjoy and learn at the same time, all year round. Of course, with this freezing cold weather, we cannot go and walk at the park. I have considered so many alternatives, like playing at home, but since she stopped going at the créche due to so many administrative issues we had with my schooling I have to think of something else. One of the great ideas, the indoor playground. We have to wait until her age is suited to go with other kids and where will be put her in. Searching for nearest playgrounds I have found few of them around the town. One of them is Kids Dream in Merchtem a neighbouring commune and they offer to play time for babies 0-4 years old, provided that parents would survey them while playing.

We have chosen indoor playground because of the ambience that Laia can see some more other children and this help her psychologically rather than staying home all week. Also, the following points include:

1. We won’t have to be always in a shopping mall where some playing machines are available for kids. It will avoid our shopping and be buying unwanted stuff.
2. Safety, this is nice about an indoor playground, it is soft baby friendly.
3. Comfort, with this weather now we have to go look for the toilet every now and then, imagine walking at the park and wanting to go to pee for parents is not convenient.
4. Changing tables and warming kids meal plus snacks for parents.
5. BIG and FREE parking. Which you guys know how important is for parents saving time not going round and round for nothing.

The Playtime

So, we have entered the vicinity of the park. While Marlon, my husband looks for the parking at the back of the building. Laia and I started to play direct. The receptionist is very friendly, asking her age and letting us know where we can play, how much is the rate and all. I have only put down my purse and removed our jacket with Laia, we directly went to the playpen. She adores balls, tents and slides. So, she started looking and observing but funny kicking the ball and grabbing them with her hands, then shouting and throwing the ball out to my direction. A good start I thought, but she definitely doesn’t want yet to be alone and she sticks hold on to my legs, my shirt. This is completely okay because she is playing with me. We went up to the stairs and I grabbing her with me while on my playing mode too. There’s a small tunnel, that I went in, thinking that she will follow me directly, but she cried first. She cried while crawling in the tunnel towards me. It was a panicked look on her face but It was a success for me to let her in the tunnel. After the tunnel is a hole, going down the ball pool again. So, we went in there and she really enjoyed playing with the lots, of course coming in more children at her age with parents, I have let Laia be sociable to say hello and play with others kids, she went being possessive thinking that all the balls are hers and the whole playground is ours because Mom is here with me. I explained to her, that there are others kids she can play with. The agreed to be a good girl after. Looking and observing her how she would start sociable and comfortable, then comes Papa.

Marlon switched turn with me and grabbed me a cup of coffee first. I enjoyed looking at them and taking pictures while having my coffee. Finally, Laia climbed up alone going to Papa and then made her first slide. Yeeeees! She is into it now.

There she goes climbing her own because she knows at then of it Papa is there to meet her. She starting minding other kids too and not bumping into them. She carefully makes her move every way she goes. I could not take some more photos, but I did manage to have this video taken:

Laia has started to open her dimensions of learning at the créche with children like her, other babies with her same age and we don’t want to take away from her the chance of being with other toddlers of her age. When I was a child, I played outside with muds, with traditional outdoor games we have in the Philippines that I miss now. One day Laia will learn so much of her roots and of course, when we go to the Philippines, I would like her to try, jump ropes, Pantintero, Piko, Tagu-taguan or Hide and Seek, even Langit Lupa, that we all use to play for the sake of being outside, learning camaraderie and inventive smart ideas of creating her own game without having too quick of an option of tablets and computers. We prefer her to try the real games and interactive participation with others instead of remotely non-physical games.

Also, check out down below the home playing materials that you can use for your toddler available in Amazon France for Belgium, and of course to some other part of the world under Amazon. I personally selected them, and I think they can also be good for Laia and this weekend we will see our best option. As we have other kids at home, they can always have something to play.

That’s all, for now, folks, and hope to come back at Kids Dream every two weeks for more fun. And oh, they have a loyalty card for 10 collected stamps each visit, the 11th visit is FREE! Until the next adventure!