PlayZone,
Clonard Retail Park,
Wexford,
Ireland
Big new indoor playcentre for Under 12s but layout could be better.
One of the rainy afternoons in Rosslare last week, we decided to head into Wexford to see what the new indoor play area was like. We brought 4 of the gang with us, ranging in ages from 5yrs to 9months.
As the centre is relatively new all the equipment looked clean and safe. There is seating and picnic type benches very near the front door for parents to sit. There is also an additional seating area at the back of the play area with leather couches and a TV.
Theres a great range of slides, climbing frames, ball pits, soccer areas and all of the kids age abilities were catered for.
Whilst the kids had a good time playing, the day we were there, it was packed. We were unable to get seating in the front and only managed to grab a table towards the back. This meant that the entrance of the centre was obscured from our view.
It was difficult to keep track and an eye on the kids, unlike other playcentres such as Chuckies and Lumpyland on Cork, where the playarea is along the back and all the seating is up front. There also didn’t seem to be much security or checking who was leaving and with which kids.
This is hopefully just due to the volume of children and adults that were there that day and fingers crossed is something that will improve as the centre finds its feet.
The bathrooms were clean, the coffees/waters reasonably priced. Cost was €8.50 per toddling child and older for 90mins playing.
Rated 3/5 on Aug 12 2007 by ManicMammy
August 12th, 2007
Just 3 months ago, one evening when I was bathing the 2 year old, I noticed an odd bump on his back. I hadn’t noted it before. Its very close to his spine and is very obvious when he moves some of his muscles and not so noticable when you look at his back from another angle. The skin isn’t discoloured so it didnt look like a bruise. It was a bit odd, so we decided to bring him to the GP.
“Has he suffered any recent trauma?”
“Not that I’m aware of, but he has 2 older brothers and a sister who are fond of wrestling and the usual hurly burly of kids, so its possible he got a knock when I wasn’t present”
So we were told to wait for a couple of weeks to see if it reduced. It didn’t. Next step apparently was an XRay. This happened just 3 weeks ago. After nearly 3 hours waiting in the hospital’s radiography department, we were seen. He was so scared. He’s just barely 2 and had no idea why he had to strip to the waist and lie up on still on an XRay table. He bawled and bit his hand. I reassured him, caressing his blond head. The staff were good and eventually he calmed down and lay still.
We rang for the results 2 weeks later, no they hadn’t been sent out to our GP, eventually they were faxed through. It seems now that its a “persistent swelling”? Huh? What does that mean other than its a swelling that hasn’t gone away? I’m so ignorant of biology. Sometimes I wish I’d followed a medical path rather than engineering. Googling “persistent swelling back child” is not a good idea. Next step, ultrasound.
I’m getting more concerned. Normally I’m a “glass half full” person, I don’t usually worry unnecessarily. Don’t want to fuss or be a mad overly concerned, anxious parent but I’m scared. I want to know NOW what the heck it is and whether its dangerous or will just go away of its own accord.
Is it as result of something I did? I discovered I was pregnant with Fionn 2 days after running a marathon but later in that pregnancy I fell and broke bones in my foot. So I went from being very healthy and fit to being immobile. I had an XRay. Did that affect him? Should I have breastfed him for a longer time? Guilt.
I hate this sense of powerlessness. I hate the waiting. He’s his usual happy, energetic self, running around playing with his siblings. If its nothing should we really be subjecting him to tests and investigations?
Shur it’ll probably turn out to be nothing. Won’t it?
UPDATE: Ultrasound showed its probably just a contusion aka bruise of the muscle between his ribs and back. Phew. Huge sigh of relief. He seems fine. Stress over. As my mother would say “the joys of parenthood”.
August 12th, 2007
