6 child and toddler friendly cafes on the Isle of WIght

Cafes have come on a long way since I was a nipper.

They used to be places which served one type of tea in floral china on wobbly saucers. Nowadays, they serve decaf vegan latte macchiatos and smashed avocado on toast. Well, apart from the ones who are using mismatch floral china on wobbly saucers in a self-aware nod towards the past. 

Anyway, child one recently suggested that we share ideas for cafes on the Isle of Wight which are particularly good for younger visitors. 

So here goes:

1. Board, Newport

The Isle of Wight's only board game cafe is in Newport town centre. Not exactly the most picturesque location on our beautiful Island, but it's a welcome shelter on a stormy day. You pay a small cover charge to have access to all the games and then order whatever you like. 

If you've not been to a board game cafe before, these aren't the sort of places which have a copy of Connect 4 with half the pieces missing. There are loads of interesting games to choose from, including some complicated ones for grown ups which take all afternoon to play. 

Youngest player rolls first.

Next week's half term weather isn't looking good! If you're stuck for things to do on the Isle of Wight, come to Board! The Islands only dedicated board game cafe! pic.twitter.com/VUg4yqfcHq

— Board (@BoardIOW) February 12, 2020

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2. Arty Shakes, SHanklin

There are a few pottery painting places on the Isle of Wight, but if you want to combine it with a sugar rush then head to Arty Shakes in Shanklin.
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Last time I checked, you paid a four pound fee for the paints and glazing and then buy whatever you want to paint (from about three pounds). I recently spent forty pounds painting a mug and a cupcake at Center Parcs, so Arty Shakes seems pretty good value to me. Needless to say, I felt like a mug. 

Other pottery painting options on the Isle of Wight include Isle of Sweets Craft Centre in Shanklin which is great value and very friendly but not really a cafe, Fired Art Ceramics in Ryde (not really a cafe either, but they do painting and glazing) and Chessell Pottery Cafe in the West Wight (more of an emphasis on the cafe side of it than there used to be, but you can still paint pottery there).

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Kitty aged 12 has painted this fantastic plate. Well done. Can’t wait to see the finished product

A post shared by Jason Carrie (@artyshakes) on Apr 12, 2019 at 1:48am PDT

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3. Brown's Golf Course Cafe, sandown

Brown's Golf Course Cafe doesn't look anything much from the outside but inside it's a lovely light and spacious cafe with toys for toddlers. 

The golf course also hosts free Campfire Sessions on some evenings with live music, fire pits and the like.

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4. Comicoffee, Newport

Newport is also home to ComiCoffee, which will probably appeal more to older children (and Dads).

It's a half-coffee shop, half comic-book store which can be found in Pyle Street.

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Delicious homemade Vegan cakes on the bar today â–¡â–¡ Viennese fingers filled with either Chocolate or Vanilla buttercream or Chocolate Cupcakes All Vegan and absolutely scrumptious â–¡â–¡â–¡ #vegan #Comicoffeeuk #vegancake #viennesefingers #chocolatecupcakes #vegantreats #homemadecakes #ilovewight #isleofwight #new#coffeehouse #coffeeandcake

A post shared by ComiCoffee (@comicoffeeuk) on Feb 9, 2020 at 3:23am PST

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5. Soft play cafes

I reckon there are two types of parents at a soft play area. 

The first is the parent who runs around with the children, offering 'supervision' whilst trying not to smile too much or say "weeeeeeee" too loudly when they go down the slides (that's me).

The second is the parent who orders a coffee, sits down with their phone and leaves them to it until one of the children turns up at the table and says "daddy, Harry's hurt himself...".

There are a few soft play areas on the Isle of Wight with cafes attached. Tapnell Farm Park is probably my favourite as it is a large space and has a proper cafe. However, it is part of a larger attraction so you pay about ten pounds to get in and really need to spend a few hours there.

A more recently opened option is Monkey Madness, which is attached to Amazon World but runs as a separate attraction. The cafe area was quite small when we visited, although that was a few months ago. Leave a comment below if you've been more recently and can offer an update.

Other soft play areas are covered in our toddlers' guide.

Soft play at Tapnell Farm Park

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6. Freshwater Coffee House

The Freshwater Coffee House in the West Wight was very child-friendly when we popped in a little while ago, even though we blocked off a big chunk of the cafe with our huge pushchair.

There's also a fairly good playground nearby in the playing fields in Freshwater. NearbyFreshwater Bay is a great spot for children to fill their pockets with stones and then argue with you about whether or not they can take them home.

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#Open #stormciara . . You may need to wrap up like Vera (drive and walk safe) but we are intending to be open 10-1pm as usual. . . Breakfast/Brunch Burritos . . We’ll have children’s movie on too - to keep the ‘children’ entertained - a clue - it will involve a very nice giant or a strong willed seafaring lady who saves her island . . We look forward to seeing you #bebravetfch . . . Stefan #thefreshwatercoffeehouse

A post shared by TheFreshwaterCoffeeHouse (@thefreshwatercoffeehouse) on Feb 8, 2020 at 11:52pm PST

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And finally...

As it is February and howling a gale outside, it didn't occur to us that some Isle of Wight cafes are perfect for children in the summer. 

Thanks to Andrew for the suggestion of Besty and Spinky's Cafe in Ventnor which sits alongside the Isle of Wight shaped paddling pool. 

You don't have to visit the cafe to use the paddling pool, but it's an excellent opportunity to drink a latte whilst your children try not to fall into the 4-inch deep Solent.

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The paddling pool has water in! And is looking lush after a lick of paint and a spruce up! And so begins our summer... (It did not feel like summer in the water! Proper chilly!) . . . #ventnorpaddlingpool #ventnor #ventnorseafront #bestyandspinkys #summeriscoming #outside #waterplay #cantkeepthemout #thankfullyrememberedatowel #familife #instakids #toddler #preschooler #instamum

A post shared by BridgetBakes (@wasawells) on Apr 10, 2019 at 10:12am PDT

Know of any other child-friendly cafes on the Isle of Wight? Comment below if so...