There was so much to miss in lock-down, family, friends, school, the shops! I never knew how much we would miss being able to visit a soft-play centre. Soft-play is where we like to go to let the children burn off some excess energy. Soft-plays can now reopen with Covid-19 measures in place. 360 Play Basildon invited us to review what their soft-play centre has to offer.
360 Play Covid-19 Safety Measures
There are lots of Covid-19 safety measures in place to make your visit safe. You now have to pre-book your visit to limit visitor numbers. In-between the available time-slots the centre is closed so that it can be fully cleaned in preparation for the next group of visitors.
On arrival at 360 Play Basildon your temperature is taken and you must use the hand sanitizer provided to sanitize your hands. As you enter the soft play frame you must also sanitize your hands. You must of course stay at home if you have any Covid-19 symptoms.
Face masks must be worn at all times unless you are sitting at one of the tables.
360 Play Soft Play
The soft play frame at 360 Play is the biggest soft play I have ever seen. There are approximately six levels split over two floors. Due to the Covid-19 restrictions, you can only enter from the ground floor. This didn’t stop the children from exploring every inch of the soft play frame.
When we go to a new soft play one of us has to guide Ethan through it. Sometimes he wants us to stay with him the whole time. Other times he is happy for us just go around with him the once. He needs us to do this to show him the entrances and exits and how to move around inside the soft play frame. Thankfully he was happy with me going around once with him. I think the reduced numbers made it easier for him to enjoy his time there too.
We discovered rope swings and spinning circles as well as rope bridges. There were lots of things to climb through and well as glass floors to walk across. For me, it was one of the easiest soft plays I have had to navigate my way through. I could make my way to the top without fear of getting stuck or having to squeeze through any tiny spaces. My feet also didn’t cry out in pain as I made my way up this rope bridge.
We found two slides inside the frame, a small slide on the second floor of the building, and the big orange slide. This slide takes you from the fourth floor of the frame right down to the bottom. This is one of the biggest slides I have gone down in a soft play. I’m very proud of myself for sliding down it!
Soft Play For Toddlers
360 Play also caters for toddlers. On the second floor of the building, there is a soft play frame that is perfect for the younger members of the family. It includes its own slide and there is lots of space for little ones who are finding their feet.
There Is So Much More To Do At 360 Play
At 360 Play Basildon there is so much more to experience than soft play. So much that the children didn’t get the chance to play in every area! You will be able to discover The Big Outdoors, 360 Street, Musical Carousel, and Dodgems.
The Big Outdoors
We have never been to a soft play that has an outside area for play. I love this idea as it really makes 360 Play perfect for all weathers.
In The Big Outdoors you will find a sandpit perfect for building sandcastles.
There is also a climbing frame including a big twisting slide.
You will also discover themed playhouses. Before the Covid-19 restrictions, I’m sure these would have been filled with items to help with role play. We still have fun sending Ethan to jail!
The Big Outdoors also has lots of seating areas, all positioned with the Covid-19 rules taken into consideration. There is also a water area filled with paddle boats that the children can take to the water in. The children didn’t get the chance to try these as they were too busy having fun in the other areas.
360 Street
360 Street is a huge interactive play street located on the second floor of the building. You will discover a Vet’s, Supermarket, Luigi’s Pizza Parlour, and Twirl’s Boutique.
Just like the playhouses in The Big Outdoors play items have had to be removed from the buildings at this current time. This didn’t stop our two from letting their imaginations run wild.
They both danced their socks off on the catwalk and Ethan drove the fire engine.
Musical Carousel
On the second floor, you will also discover the Musical Carousel. Our children love a carousel but they were too eager to get in the soft play to stop to go for a ride.
Dodgems
Where we used to live the local soft play had dodgems in them but locally we haven’t found a soft play that also includes them. I was excited to see that 360 Play has them as Ethan and Little E have started to get very good at driving themselves in little cars.
I thought the children would select their own dodgem to drive in but Little E wanted to jump in with Ethan. It was a good thing as she helped him navigate their way around the track. She also got the dodgem moving again when they got stuck.
The dodgems are cleaned thoroughly after each use making it Covid-19 safe for every driver.
Our Thoughts on 360 Play Basildon
360 Play has been our only experience of visiting a soft play since the easing of lock-down. I did wonder how I would feel returning to a soft play but all of the Covid-19 precautions are being followed. We felt very safe during our visit.
The children loved it there and it was really nice to sit down and enjoy a hot chocolate for an hour or so whilst the children played. It was good getting to enjoy a form of normal, something we must have all missed.
For our family of four, the price to enter would be £26.90. Everything is included in the price with unlimited rides on the paddle boats, dodgems, and carousel. We will be visiting again as there is so much to do there and the children really had an enjoyable time.
DISCLOSURE – We received entrance to 360 Play Basildon as a gift. This was for the purposes of this post. We always give our honest opinions, findings, beliefs, and experiences of our days out.
