Gymboree

I don’t know why this particular place is categorized under ‘Children’s Clothing’ as it is a play gym for small children.
Anyway, I’ve taken my son to this Gymboree for baby classes and we were assigned in a small, sunny room — which was fine. The room was clean and the play items appeared to be in good shape. The instructor was nice and engaging for the infants.
Yesterday we decided to go for ‘Open Gym’ and this part of the facility was frightful. My daughter was crawling around on the mats and when she got up, I saw dust and dirt particles covering the knees of her black leggings.
As I studied the area, I could tell that the carpet hadn’t been vacuumed in weeks — there was a heavy layer of dark-​grayish dust on top of it and the areas alongside the walls were completely caulked in dust.
This place also had a couple of red balls for the children to play with that were obviously old and deteriorating, as the color was wearing off and the balls were turning a rusty orange color.
The turning point for me was when my son crawled over to some equipment and before he could get hold of it I noticed dust, crumbs, and old, dried-​up spit up hanging out on the bars of this thing! I felt so bad for having let my kids roll around in that filth. We got home and I immediately changed their clothes and washed them down.
Not worth the $ 49 «membership fee» that only allows you to sign up for classes (no other benefits are included unless you’re enrolled in a class). Along with the $ 49 «membership fee» you pay another $ 60/​$ 70 just for a class. If you’re not enrolled in an active class, ‘Open Gym’ is $ 9 for your kids to lather up in a sewer and individual classes are $ 20 each. It’s a joke all the way around.

I was totally unimpressed with these classes. The equipment seemed dirty (plus I saw a bug walking around), and the «teacher» had an awful screeching voice. I will save my money and take my kid to the free story times at the library for socialization and the park for physical activity.

Happy to be at Gymboree, HAPPY WE’RE HAPPY! Trust me when I say if you go here once for an open gym you won’t be able to get this freakin song out of your head. The set up is about right for my almost 2 year old. He did hit his head a couple of times on some of the wooden play equipment and the slightly padded floor, but we can’t put them in a rubber room (can we?). Make sure you check out a free class before signing up, and get a deal in the local Parents magazine vs. paying membership fee.

My daughter had a lot of fun. The play areas were made of high-​quality equipment. I will be back.
I purchased a Groupon Certificate for $ 39.99 for 1 month for Gymboree. I admit I waited until the last minute to use it, but the Director of this location was very kind and professional (also it was Christmas Eve). The lady who was there on Sunday when I brought my 2-​year old there for the first time was so kind and fun. My daughter absolutely loved all the things to play on and use (wooden rocking boat, inflatable tubes to jump into, slides, tunnels, balls, etc). The lady also had activities for the kids during the hour class. After class they had open gym time and my daughter was able to roam around and explore — parents must be an arms length of their children to ensure they don’t get hurt or hurt other children.
I am considering continuing the membership for future months so that I can attend the weekly class. When you are a member, you have access to open gym time throughout the week which is a nice plus (but a bit far for me to drive for just that).
Highly recommend.