Sky Zone Toddler Time
With the holidays behind us and many months of cold, wet, snowy days ahead of us, we needed to find a new place to burn off some of this never-ending toddler energy. So, we tried out Toddler Time at Sky Zone. Currently, toddler time is only on Tuesday from 11am to 12pm and is for children 5 and under. Sky Zone is located at 3644 Boston Road on the southwest part of town.
Now, I need to start by saying that I am a little hesitant about trampoline places. Being a nurse, I know there is always a risk of a larger kiddo pile-driving your little one. So, I had some serious reservations coming into this, but heard great things.
When you get there, you will need to sign a waiver for yourself and any kid that is there with you. You can also do this online if you don't want to do it while holding a squirming, fighting toddler. Not like I had that experience at all.... You only need to fill out the waiver once though, so not too bad. Then you pay and get your special socks for jumping. It is $10 per child to jump for the hour and that includes socks for your child. Socks for non-jumpers are $2. If you go again and bring your socks, it is only $9. Saturday Toddler Time is slightly more at $12 per child, plus $2 for socks for non-jumpers. They have free locking lockers right by the front door and you can then go ahead and put all your millions of coats, boots, bags, etc into. I thought this was a really nice feature so that you don't need to worry about anything being grabbed like at some of the other activity places that just have open cubbies.
Then you get to head on back to the jumping areas. There are three main areas for the Toddler time.
The first area is a large trampoline room that has lots of soft toys for the kids to play with, such as pool noodles, soft balls, and fabric tunnels. This was a crowded area and my son was not feeling it, so we moved on. But, this is a great place to be able to keep an eye on multiple kids playing and visit with other moms. As a side note, parents are not allowed to jump at all during toddler time, they just need to stay on the padded area between the trampolines.
Next was the basketball court type area. There were three of these "courts" with a hoop and ball and the kids could bounce along with safety nets along the sides. We actually skipped over this part too because my son was feeling unsure of the entire situation at this point.
And, finally farthest back is the area with small trampolines and a foam pit. My son warmed up here (finally!) and started bouncing. And LOVED it! He spent the rest of the time we were there in this section. This area in general is great for your kids that are a bit unsure of the place because it isn't as crowded and the trampolines are a bit smaller, so less chance of crazy bouncing. The foam pit was actually pretty well taken care of with no obvious stains, no wet feeling when you go in, and it was filled up the top of the trampolines, so kids could climb in and out on their own easily.
Overall, I was impressed with how clean and well taken care of the place was. There wasn't a "gym" smell and my socks were actually not dirty looking after walking around and bouncing around. My concerns with safety were also well taken care of. All of the trampolines were in great condition with no tears, rips or areas where the mat doesn't completely cover the spring part. They were really secure with thick padding for falls. They also had an employee at each station to monitor for safety. And, they were actually doing just that. No one was chit-chatting or checking their phones. They were interacting with the kids a bit and keeping an eye out. Which I loved. And, the parents there were all really right there with their kids. Usually when we go to places like this, there is always one kid that is running amok with their parent is no where to be seen. And, with trampolines, that makes me really nervous. But, not this time! Maybe this is because of the age limit, or the multiple play areas, but I liked that I didn't have to worry about anyone rough-housing and a trip to the ER.
Another side note, the place is large and open with music playing and kids laughing and screaming. So, it can be a bit overwhelming to kids that are sensitive to noise. I wouldn't say it was loud, but I know my son instantly was unsure when we walked in. I do know that they do sensory nights where they turn down the music and make it a bit less overwhelming for kids that are sensitive to noise, etc. Which I really appreciate that they do.
They do have a small food area with a lot of sweets (candy, chips, slushies, Dippin' Dots, and pop), but they also had a selection of fruit and other healthier options for only $1.
I will admit that it is a bit pricey for an hour of activity (especially if you run a bit late, like we did) at $10 a pop. Especially if you have more than one kid to jump. And, it would be tough to keep track of more than one kid since there are three different play areas. There definitely isn't good sight lines between all three places. I also wish they had more hours that you could drop in for jump time. By the time noon hit, my son was having a blast and it was tough to get him out of there.
Overall, I was actually really impressed with Toddler Time at Skyzone. It took a good 10 minutes for my son to relax and jump, but once he did, it was tough to get him to leave. And, the best test of all, he took a good nap that day. I was impressed with the safety of the trampolines and the cleanliness of the entire place. Even though it was a bit crowded, there was plenty of room for jumping and it looked like everyone was having a blast. We will totally be back!
Disclaimer: I was given free one-time passes for Toddler Time through Lexington Family Magazine for my Mom Report in the February magazine.
