Review Kidville Mumbai

I have been watching the Kidville board opening soon since Diwali at Atria Mall and have seen them at so many kids exhibits that stepping into their first centre in Mumbai was just natural. I did review this place way back in December but was not so impressed back then with the set up or staff only to revisit them again before I pen the review down. Located on the 3rd floor at Atria this 8000 sq feet space is sprawling with all things kid. As soon as you enter you are greeted with sensomatics and a huge fish tank that kind of catches the childrens attention. As you proceed to your left is a baby salon, with 2 chairs and a huge mirror with some >Jenerations baby styling products for kids. This all organic baby stuff is sulfate & paraben free priced at Rs 900 for 250 ml. They have styling gels, hair shine, shampoos & conditioners. While the daughter was busy sitting in the mock car chair I checked out the shopping section which had really attractive looking products but the range was quite restrictive. They had a few farm and bath toys by Alex that were restricted to 12 – 24month olds. They also had a few toys & DIY kits from Melissa & Doug that were spread here and there. If you were expecting the complete range then nope they don't have it. These were more the shape sorters and decorate your mirror & piggy bank types. On sale were some organic paints & colours by Clementineart priced at Rs 595 for a pack of 6 crayons. Clemetine Art I browsed through the shopping section briefly as they have a limited collection but quite stylish from Kidology & some imported stuff. Disappointed they didn't have any footwear for kids yet! They also have some organic & edible make up for little girls which I was a little surprised to see make way through a large shelf above the girls section. Accessories could be given a skip with a few clips & bands here and there. Think the daughter had her share of the car by now and I headed towards the playspace which may excite 12 – 24 month olds but for a 3 year old, 7 minutes is all you can spend. I left the daughter in to try it while I spoke to the staff but she was out in no time. The traffic lights, some water play and a few push cars is not as exciting for them I guess. Priced at Rs 550 + taxes for 1 hour I thought it was steeply priced for what was on offer. The staff is quite polite and takes you through their program quite patiently. They have a range of classes across music, gym, dance and enrichment. Some of the interesting ones are Ballet, basketball, Rocking Railroad, construction junction and some fun science stuff. Priced at an average of Rs 12000 – 15000 per semester(16 weeks. With quite a complicated & tiered membership program you got to do a good job of understanding it. Kidville also hosts birthday parties that can cost you Rs56,000 for 15 people to a big blowout that costs you Rs 82000 and the packages include a basic welcome room, games, an art project, a birthday theme cake, food and return gifts. The classes are quite spacious and built with some great finesse but the programs and the people conducting it is a mystery. For parents like us who are so involved it is a big deal to know how qualified is the teacher conducting a session for my child. An international chain thats laid out well with lots of organic stuff is not all that we are looking for. Even if money wasn't a constraint I would need a reason to go back to Kidville except the Ballet class which seemed slightly off beat than everything else that it had to offer. Kidville, Third floor, Atria mall, Dr Annie Besant Road, Worli, Mumbai (09820045970). Image Courtesy: IndiaPRwire, Mumbai Boss, Clementineart, Jenerationsbaby & Kidville