Mr Baffled and I took the little Button-Pusher to Peppa Pig World recently. In ours, as in many households, PP is a big favourite, and we figured a trip there, was an inevitability, so why not go and have a family day out? Oh and also, Mr B read that children are free until they’re a metre tall! B-P’s been 98th percentile almost since birth, so we realised we had only a small window to try it out without breaking the bank!
So Mr B took a day off work, we bought our tickets (£24.25 / adult if booked in advance), and off we trotted on our little piggy adventure. Now if ever there was an event capable of pushing the stress buttons, I was pretty certain a theme park about a talking pink pig in a dress was it. By the time we arrived I was steeling myself for many meltdowns (from B-P and other toddlers) and preparing mentally for counting to ten and taking calming deep breathes.
But I have to say: it wasn’t that bad. Really it wasn’t! It was really well done, incredibly sweet, well maintained and clean. Honestly, it was a lovely day out for everyone and B-P had a ball. So instead of blogging out the pink pig stresses, I thought I’d share my top 5 tips for enjoying a visit to Peppa Pig World:
1. Tag your toddler
If, like me, you forget to bring the identity bracelets you bought online, for days when you go to crowded areas like say, a children’s theme park, you can get handy ‘lost child’ stickers to write your mobile number on. After the entrance, just passed the loos, on your left hand side you’ll see a lost children and first aid sign. The sticker dispenser is here. Keep a spare one back for when your LO gets wet (see #5. Muddy Puddles below!).
2. Pram hire is available
If you forget your pram or decide to leave it at home, you can hire single and double strollers. After the entrance, turn left and you’ll find the information centre. £8 for a single and £12 for a double with a £30 refundable deposit.
3. Think carefully about Miss Rabbit’s helicopter ride before you queue up
Poor old Miss Rabbit: overworked or what? That said she always does seem to enjoy her work and is clearly someone who puts a lot of effort in. Except when she thought about the design of her helicopter ride that is. It’s quite fabulous to look at, it really is. But its design does not lend itself well to speedy embarkation. This means you will stand in this queue for quite some time, i.e. more time than the average toddler’s attention span can handle. My little Button-Pusher spent most of her time trying to push ahead of other children and parents, politely declaring “my turn! I have a little turn now!” Mr Baffled and I spent the time trying to explain the arts of queuing and patience. Honestly even I was bored of the sound of my voice by the time we got into a helicopter: no wonder B-P had stopped paying attention…. Go on this ride as early as you can in your day before the park gets too busy.
4. Pick your visiting date and time with care
Obviously I appreciate that many people are only ever going to be able to visit either at the weekend, or during school holidays. And I of course also appreciate that I’m posting this after some schools have already broken up. But if your child is under school age, and you can go in term time, then do. Arrive as early in the day as you can before it gets too busy, or eat an early packed lunch in the car and go in as most people sit down to eat their lunch (between 12 and 2). This will limit the number of people queuing and make life that bit easier. As already mentioned, children get in free if they’re under 1 metre. There’s no height restriction for most rides, though they don’t recommend children under 12 months use them. And there was a really quiet half hour when it emptied out just before 5pm, but it didn’t close until 530. We crammed 3 rides into that half hour!
5. Bring a swim nappy and swimsuit
If you jump in muddy puddles, you must always wear your boots. Well, in the Muddy Puddles water play section Peppa should be advising wearing a swim nappy and a swim suit. Or at the very least have a change of clothes in your bag and a spare identity sticker (see tip #1 above). I left Mr B alone for 5 minutes and returned to find our bare foot daughter squealing with delight as she ran through a series of water jets and puddles. Clothes soaked through and a rapidly expanding nappy. She was drenched to the bone. But she was as happy as Peppa in poop. It was adorable to watch and I was thankful we did have a change of clothes with us. I really wish I’d known to take a swim nappy, a swimsuit and a hand towel though.
Honestly I thought the day was going to push my buttons wildly, but I had a great time! It’s a really really lovely theme park for toddlers and pre schoolers. It’s well done and maintained, relatively small and contained, and there’s a good sized soft play in the middle if it’s raining or too hot. Yes it was a bit pricey, and the food was just ok, but B-P loved it! She’s still talking about the ‘special fair’ she visited and how she met Peppa at Peppa Pig World. And all said with such delight and a big grin which just melts me.
So I guess it did push one of my buttons after all: the smiley heart shaped one.
You can find out more about Peppa Pig World (and Paulton’s Park which PPW is in) here.
Baffled & the Button-Pusher 