Rumpus Rooms

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>> Also I suspect many threads posted on here are from Tanya, the owner of
>> Rumpus rooms, herself under different guises trying to play up her business (
>> Keryn and Eos????...

Our advertising agreement prohibits them from even attempting what you've described. Unlike a lot of other sites, we tend to be tougher on our advertisers than the other "drive by spammers". I can personally assure you that is it not the owners or stakeholders of Rumpus Rooms.\

They're from real members.

Now, let me put on my "support the advertiser" hat and get a word in...

I'm a bit surprised by the virtriolic nature of your post. Sounds way too personal ... is there something that happened which we could help you fix?
 
All parents want to give their children the best. Everyone is free to choose whatever they think is the best for their children.

I always take my daughter to parks, playground, beach, etc and do art at home and I even run my own Mother group. However during rainy days, I have no choice but to stay in door, Rumpus Rooms is one of my choice, besides Gymboree free play session, toy library and the public playrooms.

Gymboree free play session, is great but I have to keep following my daughter to ensure her safety (she is 2 years old) and sessions are limited.

Toy library, it's free with good toys but very difficult to book and too short time and too far for me ($55 taxi per journey or 30 minutes bus ride - my daughter cannot sit still in bus)

Public playrooms, spacious, free, clean, with some toys but not too many. However, in the afternoon or weekend or public holiday or summer, there are many many bigger kids, like 9 years old jumping and running around!

Rumpus rooms, it costs $120 but I bought the passes which is cheaper. I must admit that I always got stuck in the traffic whenever I go there. Now I just walk down from Caine Road or Soho. However, it is easier for me as I am coming from Pokfulam which is nearer and I have a 2 years old who can walk very well and willing to sit in the light weight pushchair.

Why I go to Rumpus rooms?
When the weather is bad, I have limited choice of places to go to entertain my daughter.
When I have visitors from home, who want to catch up, I will go to Rumpus rooms as I don't have to follow my daughter all the time but can sit down at one corner to chat with friends. The room is not too big so I can always watch my daughter whether she is hurting other smaller children. She is gentle most of the time but a 2 years old doesn't know whether her act can cause injury to younger kids. I always intervene to make sure no kids are hurt.
When I want to socialize, usually I will invite mums that I know to go together and chat.
When I just want to sit down and do nothing and say nothing.

I do agree that too many toys do the children no good but once in awhile it does no harm, right?
I don't really like the song time (in fact, I don't like any song time or circle time in any playgroups as I hate singing those children songs again and again!!! However I have no choice, because that is my job as a mother) I prefer playdough time or just do nothing. I have sing enough children songs from other playgroup so a quiet time at Rumpus rooms is what I need :)

Some mothers prefer to socialise at home (invite other mums around) or parks or restaurants. I used to do it eveyrday when my daughter was a baby. However, for me, now, once in a while is good but to do it more often means that I have to tidy up the house and toys before and after (that is still ok because I just hired a DH recently) but my house is too small to have more than 2 children running and jumping around! In parks I can never have conversation more than 1 minute because I need to follow/chase my daughter. In the restaurant is even worse! I can never finish my meal, let alone chating! I need to feed my daughter (which is a challenging task itself even we are at home), entertain her, chase after her, etc. Any mothers with a walking toddlers will understand this.

I tried a few times meeting up friends who were visiting HK in the restaurants, I ended up feeling stressed and angry and embarrased. Most of my friends are not married. They don't understand that toddler cannot sit still or eat properly. They probably think that my daugther is very naughty or hyperactive. I couldn't have proper conversation with my friends. My friends probably think that I have such a "terrible life" being a mother!

So, I tried Rumpus rooms. It worked perfectly. I can sit and chat with my friends. My friends were impressed that my daughter can play nicely/independently. Best of all, my daughter was happy!

I am not a supporter of Rumpus rooms, I am a mother with a 2 years old daughter who constantly need ideas and places to entertain/stimulate/educate my child and hopefully some social life for myself.

Rumpus rooms may not be the best choice but it is one of the choice, especially when I need to socialise or a quiet time during my "working hours".
 
Oh my, happymum what a tirade!! You clearly have a personal issue with RR!

$120 is way out of my budget but as a non-wealthy, New Territories-residing Mum, I'm not exactly the target market so that's fine.

On a rainy or boiling hot day, most of the activities you suggested are impossible in Hong Kong. Likewise, inviting a few friends over for an arts and crafts session is not always pleasant, living in shoebox apartments as most of us do.

I would love to be able to use RR as an option for somewhere interesting to go that's outside of home, on a day when it's not suitable to be playing outside. My little son loves being completely free to play and wander as he wants, no structure, no lessons or anything. He doesn't have heaps of toys at home, so it's nice to play with some new ones at RR.

I've only been twice since like I said it's a long way from my home and out of my budget. But if things were different, I'd go there at least once a week.
 
Every single one of us wants the very best for our babies, however we go about it, either by sending them to every type of class going; keeping them at home and showing them flash cards away any other children's bugs, or somewhere between the two. There is no right or wrong answer, we do the best we know how, based on what we have read or how we were brought up.

I am a Mum of a 25 month old. I have Mum-friends in Happy Valley, Stanley, Mid Levels, the Peak and DB etc and I want to see them. I wish someone else had started a Rumpus so that I could have chilled out with my mates, without trashing their apartments, stung their club bills, worried about the weather / polution factors of the day etc, then I would have been there with bells on - but they didn't.

I started Rumpus - with Mums in mind. It is not perfect. Nowhere is.

Thankfully, many many mums love it and some come every week and use it as their meeting place of choice. Others come when they have friends in town with babies, others because the weather is bad or simply just because they felt like it! Other people only use it for Birthday parties.

Of course, we have helpers there too. Its HK. Some mums work, They want their children to have simple play time around other children in a "safe" environment so that when they go to playschool or pre-school, it won't be such a culture shock. We have tons of things for them to do, either in little groups or solo - it is up to them what they are in the mood for. Normally the older toddlers come in the morning (15 months to 28 months) and younger one (usually 8-14 months old) in the afternoons.

I honestly don't know what else to say other than sometimes I really, really, really wish someone else had started it so that I wouldn't get so hurt by the personal attacks like Happy Mum's. Then again I am really heartend by some of the positive treads too.
 
I am sorry if I offended anyone with my "tirade" and actually nothing personal is meant...I guess I am just picking on the RR as its the most recent "baby/toddler experience" I have been to in recent month....... I have tried other more "educational " places and I equally do question their worth.Its just when I took my child to places such as RR or Baby gym or Panda or Kinder (can't remember which)...I have to ask what value they are giving to him. I take on board the Sai Kung readers' problems but I guess that I still have diffuculty in the idea of traipsing into central for the sake of your child...surely there's something more productive to do elsewhere. I too am off most of the time on my own with a very active young 2 and a half year old. maybe I was a little put off RR by the high price and when I went the lack of people to "just chat" to. helpers......no thanks.
I think Wee keen ideas are good and I noticed a thread posted elsewhere that was very positive and helpful.
Dont mean to be too harsh but really not just RR everywhere...does anyone else think they are a rip off??
 
What an interesting thread and really I can see both sides to the argument! I have to agree that practically every activity for little ones here are far too expensive. I envy my friends in London that have Baby Yoga , playgroups and rooms all for free! My husband phsically flinches when I mention that is time to re enrol for classes, I have 3 children so certainly could not afford to pay $100 + per activity especially when my husband and I have just had a 4 course set lunch in Soho for $138. I spose there is no perfect answer!!!
 
I agree to some extent with happymum, I have had sort of a similar experience at rumpus.I had a helluva time finding it in the first place but I had to negotiate some tricky paths and roads with a bubba in a pram. I was left feeling a bit disappointed...don't know what I expected but the wow factor was not there for me. I was there with 2 helpers and a group of mums who did not include me but spoke only in their own language...I did hear one of them talking good english to the lady on reception. It was very much drop inish...but again I too felt the age range catered for was huge...My child at the time was neither toddler or little baby and I felt that I was scared of her getting hurt by some of the older children dashing around.Maybe they need to schedule age specific time slots.
It is a nice place and has a fun feel but again i agree...lots of money to just sit for an hour or so. I have also found that I have met new friends mostly over repeated exposure, I did go to rumpus a few times...but there was never the same set there so I made no lasting contacts with fellow mums and dads. It did have a going there for the sake of it feel.
I do think HK is hard if you're a mum who is not working and trying to do lots with a youngster. Positive ideas are good and it would be cool to share ideas.
 
I sometimes look at this website but have not felt the need to post a message before! But just wanted to say that I agree with zoeb. I think the Rumpus Rooms is fab. I have been going there since my baby was 3 months old. She is now 1 and she loves it more and more.

I think some of the negative comments on this thread are pretty harsh. We live in an expensive city, and so personally I don't think it is too expensive compared to other similar options for activities in the Central district. I know there are lots of free things you can do in HK, but sometimes with a baby it is not so easy to take a trip out to the beach / park etc and the weather is not always ideal. I guess I am lucky that the RR is quite convenient for me to get to, so it is a very easy trip out of the apartment for us. But the best thing for us is definitely the "drop-in" factor, ie no stressing about getting to a class on time and then your baby is not in the mood etc. No making detailed arrangements. And you can stay as long as you want. Plus we love all the toys! There are so many to choose from, I think it's great. It also gives me the chance to see what my baby likes to play with as she grows up so I get some ideas about what to do with her at home.

In my opinion, the owner Tanya does a great job. She is not pretending to be a teacher! She is a Mum who had a good idea to set up a lovely playroom in Central. We love the song circle by the way! The RR is just a very relaxed place where you can chat if you want, or just be quiet and only play with your baby. You can go with friends or on your own.

Anyway, this message is quite long - sorry! Just wanted to give a big thumbs up to the Rumpus Rooms!
 
I agree with the fact that the 'drop in' thing is a big positive! I would never bother going if it was a lesson/class type of atmosphere. Most children's centres in HK are too structured - it is a good thing that the kids can just be free to play.

And :eek: on the 'helpers...no thanks' remark!!!!
 
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