Frequently Asked Questions

Here’s just some of our wonderful feedback.

The short answer to this is that you won’t know until you come and try it!

Messy Play is not for every child, or every parent. Everyone has their own comfort zones regarding mess and babies will pick up on your worries if you aren’t relaxed in a messy environment.

It is important that you consider the timing of the session and ensure that your baby has had enough food and sleep before the session in order that he/she gets the most out of it.  messy monkeys is very stimulating for a young child and so please try and avoid any other activities straight before they come to us!

We don’t usually offer taster sessions because we have limited numbers at the sessions and so it is tricky to add people in when the groups are full.  If a term is up and running and sessions aren’t fully booked then you may be able to attend a one off session at the discretion of the group leader.  Please note though that we do find that often little monkeys need a couple of weeks to really settle into messy play – sometimes in the first couple of weeks they can be a little overwhelmed but by week 3 they have relaxed into enjoying exploring and for that reason a taster session might not give a fair reflection of how they’d enjoy the full term!

We have lots of people asking if their child counts is a baby or a toddler – sometimes it’s hard to tell just by their age 🙂

Baby classes are for 6 months onwards and then we move up to Toddler classes when monkeys are starting to walk steadily.

Toddler classes are for monkeys who are walking about and they are welcome to come for as long as they like – up until they are sick of getting messy – usually about 3 and a half when they fancy doing something a bit more focused and they might be ready for some messy science 🙂

Younger siblings are very welcome at the sessions and if they are tiny babes in arms then we won’t charge you to bring them along. However we will ask you to pay once your baby is able to take part in the session and wants to get involved in using the craft materials etc – there are discounted rates for siblings.

We welcome parents attending with their twins – twice the fun and twice the mess!  Toddlers are very happy messing about without too much supervision but for babies it is easier if you have a second pair of hands to help, especially when your little monkeys are on the move! Messy babies do like to explore with their mouths as well as their hands so it is important that you are able to pay close attention to what both of your children are exploring!

We are very careful to ensure that we don’t overbook sessions as it can be intimidating for the little ones if the venue feels too crowded, and for this reason please check with your group leader if they are able to accommodate you!  Once siblings are a bit older and in secondary/high school they can come as grown up helpers!

Obviously if your child is off school because of illness they can NOT attend a class!

You will need to bring spare clothes and a towel with you as well as your enthusiasm and a relaxed attitude to mess!

Babies will be fine in an old vests and nappies but feel free to bring an old pair of trousers if you want to cover up their little legs. Toddlers are welcome to wear an old t-shirt and pants/nappies but again, old trousers will be a good idea for those who wish to remain fully covered up! We try our very best to ensure that we use materials that won’t stain however we can’t promise that your child’s beautiful, white, linen trousers will survive a messy monkeys session so old clothes only please! Children will be bare foot so don’t worry about old socks or shoes.

We advise that you wear old clothes too. There are toilets on site so if you need to get changed before and/or after you can do so – we will be more than happy to look after you child while you are doing so. We want you to have fun with your child so don’t want you to worry about getting splashed or glooped in the process!

We understand that babies (and parents!) get poorly from time to time and so we have a policy in place that allows you to receive a discounted rate for a subsequent term of messy monkeys if you miss classes due to illness.  

Your class leader will ‘roll over’ your missed classed to the next term and discount the price accordingly for up to 2 missed classes per term.

Unfortunately because we have to purchase materials and book venues in advance we cannot offer refunds for missed messy monkeys sessions without notice, so please let your class leader know at least 2 hours beforehand please!

It is also possible to swap between days / venues during a term so chat to your group leader and see what they can do!  We want to make sure you get all the mess you’ve paid for!