MegaKidz at Mid Valley

We went to Megakidz on Saturday to let Hayley experience an indoor playground for once and to let her learn to play with other older kids.

The entrance fee for weekend for 2 years and above is RM25 and for 2 years and below it's RM12.50. For weekday it's RM9.50 and RM19. For parents it's FOC. Both kids and parent will need to wear socks to be in the play area. In case you've forgotten about socks, socks are also available for sale at the counter. We bought ours at RM6 per pair.

Since Hayley just turned 2, we were charge RM12.50 only. We got there around 6pm and thought we could easily get her to spend an hour there before we head for dinner at 7pm. At the Megakidz, they have various play areas dedicated for different age groups.

When Hayley got there, she didn't dare to play anything and just walked around staring at other kids. When she got to the toddler area, she saw some balls and all she did most of the time is to play with the ball (pick it up, toss it and pick it up again). Isn't that great, RM12.50 for her to play with some plastic balls :-(

There were giant air bouncer for kids to bounce on and she was excited and kept bouncing on the ground but refused to bounce on them. At one point, she made friend with a little girl who is slightly older and kept following wherever the little girl is going. Even when the little girl hop onto the bouncer and asked her to join in, she refused.

We left at exactly 7pm and that was because I was bored. She wasn't playing with anything else and I was just tailing her walking here and there to make sure she was safe. Although she didn't want to leave, we managed to coax her to leave with no fuss.

We are definitely not going back there for a while. Here are the pros and cons from our observation:

Pros:

• There is a cafeteria in the premise for parents who would like to get a cup of coffee while waiting for their kids (when the parents got bored)
• Parents can enter with their kids at no cost, you can follow your kid and make sure he/she is safe. If you're tired, there are some small stools at the side for you to rest on.
• Older kids (at least 4 and above) can keep themselves occupied while you shop for a couple of hours as they have the 'drop and shop' programme (at a different cost of course).
• The entrance fee is per entry basis so its value for money as kids can play as long as they like.
• You'll not find some of the facilities there in the normal playground in your neighbourhood.

Cons:

• I think the place is suitable for older kids, at least 4 and above unless if you are planning to stay there with your kid for the entire time. It is definitely not suitable for a 2 year old.
• The staff on duty who are supposed to watch over the kids to make sure they play safely are not really doing their jobs. While I was there for an hour, I could see older kids running around dangerously and banging into other kids. The staff who mostly look like high school students just walk around with their nose in the air and they definitely do not look trained to manage kids.
• Adults and kids are supposed to wear socks in the play area but I could see some parents without socks, some adults with shoes in the compound.
• I dislike the flooring the most. I do not know what material it was but it was slippery especially with socks on. My little girl who likes to run almost fell twice! They should use rubber flooring which would be safer for kids especially if they fall.
• As the kids are free to roam everywhere (parents are suppose to accompany their kids in the play area unless its the drop and shop programme) I could see some of the older kids bullying the younger ones and the parents are not around to guide or defend them.
• Hygiene is also a big issue. I saw some kids with bad runny nose running around the place and i wonder how often the things gets wiped or wash!

And because my camera was in another bag (told you I hate changing bags), I didn't manage to snap any photo of Hayley walking around and having fun at he giant playground (that's what she calls it) :-(