Grocery shopping with kids is not my idea of fun — I avoid it at all costs.
As weird as it may sound to someone who isn’t a parent, grocery shopping is actually my time. It is a time when I am kid-free, with a coffee treat in my hand, making my way through the store (and my shopping list) at a leisurely rate.
So when I’m faced with a moment where I need something at the grocery store and I have three little ones hanging out with me for the day, I panic a bit. Sometimes I resort to just letting everyone have scrambled eggs for dinner (breakfast for dinner is cool, right?) but sometimes my grocery shopping trip with kids is just unavoidable.
So when I heard from a few friends that the Big Y in Avon offers a supervised play area, I thought that might be the solution to my grocery shopping challenge. I couldn’t wait to try it out!
A few Big Y locations in Connecticut and Massachusetts offer this little piece of heaven — Little Y Kids Club.
There are currently eight Big Y locations that offer this service with three being in Connecticut (Avon, Manchester, and Tolland). They all have the same rules and the same schedule.
The supervised play area is for kids ages 3 – 9 and they can stay there for up to two hours!
Here are the details:
The Basics
- Supervised play area
- Kids can stay up to 2 hours
- No cost. It is FREE!
- For ages 3 – 9 years old
- Available everyday except Tuesday and Wednesday
- Operates from 10:00 am – 7:00 pm
Other Items to Note
- You need a Big Y card to participate (FREE too, just sign up at customer service)
- The staff to child ratio is 1:10 with a max of 20 children allowed in the space at one time
- Parents/guardians must remain inside the store while their children are at the Kids Club
- If the child needs to use the restroom, parents will be notified to return and assist the child
- Children must be dropped off and picked up by the same parent
- If your little one is under the weather they can’t use the Kids Club during that time (I’m sure that isn’t surprising)
- No personal toys, food, or drinks are allowed in the play area (great news for kids with allergies)
- Toys in the play area are deep cleaned once a week
In Avon, the Kids Club is located in the front corner of the store, right near the customer service desk.
Before we headed over there, I made sure our first stop was at the restrooms (located in the front of the store, near the produce section). There are no restroom in the Kids Club area so it is best to go before dropping them off (thanks to our reader, Erin M., for the restroom tip!).
Also, if you have a little one who isn’t old enough for the Kids Club (like I do), you can get one of these fun carts for them to enjoy while they are shopping with you.
Once my crew was ready to go, we made our way to the Kids Club area to check in. The first time you visit, they will ask you to fill out a card for each child with some basic information. One of the bits of data they collect is the child’s birth date which they also use to track a special birthday treat for Little Y users. If your child visits the Little Y anytime during their birthday month, they get a birthday gift — a coupon for a free slice of pizza!
For security, each child will receive an arm band and name tag to wear. Parents receive a matching arm band and also get a beeper that will be used if they need to notify you to return early for any reason.
All checked in and ready to play!
Once inside, the kids can check out all the fun activities available. Of course my kids made a bee-line to the wee video games, but there were a lot of other interesting things to explore (which they eventually noticed)
Each week the store has a different craft theme displayed on the wall and all the crafting materials for that theme are available for the children to use.
They also have coloring, books, pretend play, video games, and more in the Kids Club area. There were plenty of things to keep my little ones engaged during their visit.
Since only two of my kiddos were old enough for the Kids Club, I still had one little munchkin hanging out with me for my shopping trip. So Sweetheart and I went to pick up a few items and check out the rest of the store.
One thing I noticed is that the store has a nice cafe area with plenty of food and drink offerings to enjoy. Basically, you don’t even have to be grocery shopping while your kids play, you could be eating, drinking, and catching up on the latest Out and About Mom blog post!
While we were checking out the coffee area, I noticed a sign that mentioned a cookie club. So I asked what that was all about and they let me know that children can get a FREE cookie during their visit. They had chocolate chip cookies that day.
Sweetheart was excited to dive into her cookie treat and I was excited to have her entertained for a short time while I shopped.
As we were walking through the meat department in Big Y, Sweetheart noticed another fun feature of the Big Y Kids Club — they have a few monitors located throughout the store so you can see how the kids are doing while you shop.
It was nice to be able to check and see how the kids were doing without having to go all the way back to the Kids Club (and risk them wanting to leave early!).
Sweetheart and I only had a few items to pick up that afternoon, so we made our way through the store pretty quickly, checked out, and returned to Kids Club to pick up Bruiser and Sparkles. (Note that I didn’t go put my groceries in the car before I went back to get them. Little Y Kids Club rules are that parents (or guardians) must stay inside the store while their little ones use the Kids Club program.)
So with grocery shopping done and the kids all having a fun time, we were ready to tackle the rest of our afternoon. Now I’m just dreaming of the day (in the not too distant future) when I will be able to drop off all three of my little ones at the Kids Club and have a nice, leisurely shopping experience. I’m looking forward to that.
If you are interested in trying out the Kids Club program, be sure to “like” their Facebook page for the latest program information. Not only do they offer the open play times, but throughout the year, Little Y will host special events for its visitors and you can find out those details on their Facebook page.
Have you tried the Little Y Kids Club? Tell us about your experience in the comments section below.
Kids Club at Big Y World Class Market
255 West Main Street, Avon, Connecticut
Ph. (860) 678-1322
Hours:
Monday: 10:00 am – 7:00 pm
Tuesday: Closed
Wednesday: Closed
Thursday: 10:00 am – 7:00 pm
Friday: 10:00 am – 7:00 pm
Saturday: 10:00 am – 7:00 pm
Sunday: 10:00 am – 7:00 pm
Pricing & Rules:
The Basics
- Supervised play area
- Kids can stay up to 2 hours
- No cost. It is FREE!
- For ages 3 – 9 years old
- Available everyday except Tuesday and Wednesday
- Operates from 10:00 am – 7:00 pm
Other Items to Note
- You need a Big Y card to participate (FREE too, just sign up at customer service)
- The staff to child ratio is 1:10 with a max of 20 children allowed in the space at one time
- Parents/guardians must remain inside the store while their children are at the Kids Club
- If the child needs to use the restroom, parents will be notified to return and assist the child
- Children must be dropped off and picked up by the same parent
- If your little one is under the weather they can’t use the Kids Club during that time (I’m sure that isn’t surprising)
- No personal toys, food, or drinks are allowed in the play area (great news for kids with allergies)
- Toys in the play area are deep cleaned once a week
Details:
- Stroller Friendly: YES. The store is stroller friendly.
- Coffee Mug Friendly: YES. Bring your own coffee to enjoy while you shop or purchase a coffee in the cafe area.
- Restroom: YES. The restrooms are located at the front of the store, near the main entrance.
- Baby Changing Station: YES. There was one in the women’s restroom.
- Parking: YES. FREE parking is available right in front of the building.
- Food for Sale: YES. Coffee, pastries, lunch items, and more.
- Outside Food Allowed: YES.
- Cash Required: NO. Credit cards are accepted.
- Dress Code: NO.
- Evening/Weekend Hours: YES. Kids Club is open until 7:00 pm everyday and open on both Saturday and Sunday.
- Discounts: Not applicable – it is FREE!
- Birthday Party Venue: YES. Let your child and their friends explore the back areas of a grocery store for their next birthday party! All the details can be found here.
- NEW: Marie-Chantal Luxury Children’s wear – Giving one lucky reader a chance to WIN $500 to spend in their online store. Marie-Chantal is a global lifestyle brand creating unique and beautifully crafted designer children’s clothes and gifts for boys and girls from newborn to 12 years old.
- Connecticut Children’s Medical Center – The state’s only free-standing hospital that offers comprehensive, world-class health care to children. Based in Hartford, Connecticut Children’s also provides services at several locations throughout the state.
- The Independent Day School – Located on a rural campus in Middlefield, CT this private pre-school, elementary and middle school serves families from over 20 communities.
- Mandell JCC – The Mandell JCC, Zachs Campus, 335 Bloomfield Avenue, West Hartford, CT, welcomes and serves families and individuals of all ages, stages, backgrounds and faiths. Our fitness, wellness and recreation, arts and culture, camp, early childhood education programs, classes, clubs and services are open to all. You Belong Here!
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Big Y does birthday parties too!