Babyccinos in Waterlooville: The play cafe making fitness more accessible for parents during the summer holidays
A play cafe is combining children’s entertainment with parental keep-fit sessions over the holidays
Babyccinos Play Cafe, in Waterlooville High Street, is running a whole host of fitness classes throughout the summer holidays and beyond allowing parents to exercise without worrying about needing childcare.
The play cafe has been running parent and child fitness classes since its opening in 2025 and has now added more classes to its list.
Parents can participate in one of the classes - from yoga and pilates to HIIT and strength - while their children aged 0-6 can play safely in the soft play area.
The owners of Babyccinos, sisters Harriet and Olivia May, are both mums who have struggled in the past to attend fitness classes due to limited childcare options, so wanted to create something that allowed parents to still exercise without the added stress of childcare.
Harriet said: “As mums we know how easy it is to put yourself at the bottom of your priority list, but exercise is really important for your physical and mental wellbeing, so it should be more accessible for parents.
“While there are good creche facilities in local gyms, you often have to pay expensive membership fees and are tied into a contract. Here you can just book a class and turn up whenever it suits you.”
The team of fitness instructors who run classes at Babyccinos are experienced trainers.
One of those is Emilie Borsley from ENB Fitness, who will be running a weekly Sweat & Sip class from 12th August – where parents can come along for an hour-long circuit-style workout while their children use the play cafe’s facilities.
Emilie, an experienced personal trainer, has been teaching parent and child fitness classes since 2021.
She will be running three classes in total - a Wednesday morning HIIT-style class, a Thursday morning strength class and a Thursday evening strength class.
New to join the team is Harriet Wheatley, who is holding weekly yoga classes on a Tuesday evening, giving parents the opportunity to unwind without their children in tow.
Mum-of-one Kim McDowell, from Wellness With Kim, runs weekly Pilates classes at Babyccinos on a Thursday morning, but is pausing during the summer holidays to spend time with her son.
Emilie’s strength classes will replace these sessions throughout August.
To book a class, go to linktr.ee/babyccinosplaycafe