Gymboree Play & Music

The good: The instructors are smiley and friendly, there are lots of mats so kids can play pretty safely, although cheesy the kids like the songs. They clean the toys? They have a good make up policy to discourage you from bringing your sick child. Kids can climb around and get out their energy… it is fun for them!
The not so good: The instructors are young and not very professional or knowledgeable about children. They struggle to keep everybody engaged in the class. I always find hair on the mats. yuck! I don’t feel like they clean things often enough or well enough. There are always sick kids there, coughing or snotty. I wish that they would enforce their policy and ask people to leave.

Today we attended the play and learn 3 class. First impression of the girl teaching it was not very good. I had a bad vibe from her from the very beginning. Throughout the class she kept singling out my daughter because she wasn’t running around with the other kids who were all over one. She’s only 9 months but almost walking on her own so we were told by the Poway location to check out the next level class. Upon check out she wasted no time trying to get my to sign up even after I told her I would need to think it over as we tried out another location yesterday. She again told me my daughter was not social enough to be in that class level. I told her the other location stated if the kids wanted to explore then they are more than welcome to. She said «oh so they don’t have any structure». My daughter did not have nearly as much fun at this class as she did at the Poway location. The teacher just had an overall bad vibe and we will not be coming back.
Also, at the Poway location they have a «soiled» toy box. And asked parents to hold on to the toys their children put in their mouth so they can be cleaned as well as not to let other children get their hands on it. I witnessed kids putting toys in their mouth and then tossing it on the ground for the next kid to do the same. I believe this location has «no structure»

We have been taking our child to this facility for the last 4 – 5 months. The instructors are wonderful. They keep the kids engaged with songs, interactive games and use very thoughtful methods to slowly progress the children through each activity. Our child is learning about shapes, size and the space around them. All of this while doing a very physical activity is a safe place. What I like most about Gymboree is they make sure the class is separated by age and that the parents must be engaged in the activity with their child. This is not one of those drop your kids off and get on your phone or read a magazine type places.
We look forward to it every week.

I take my daughter here and she loves it! The teachers are very nice and great with the kids. For $ 80 a month (4 classes $ 20 a class) I wish there were more open gym times. Currently there are 3 days of open gym, with 2 of the times being during dinner time.
3 stars because the gym could use some cleaning. I wish the mats were wiped down between every class, as I have found drool and spit up on several occasions while my child is playing. There is also a lot of hair and dust on the mats. The toys/​balls/​music toys are also not cleaned between every class. Great place to play, but could use some cleaning!!!

I’ve only been to one class so far, but I’m writing because there are so few reviews, none of them recent. My daughter (12 months) and I had a great time. The instructor was wonderful, very excited to play with the kids, kept the class interesting and the kids moving. All the mats seemed clean. I found only a couple of tiny hairballs (actually sounds more gross than it was). The mats are all connected with Velcro and some of them weren’t, causing them to shift a little. However, since the place is jam-​packed with mats, none could go too far to cause an issue. There were 6 kids in the class, so there was plenty of space for them to play on their own, or together, if they choose. Very good size, but don’t know if it’s always that way.
The price is steep, $ 79/​month if you only go to a class. If you’re able to make the open play times as well, the price becomes much more reasonable.
Didn’t get 5 stars because of price and the slightly older equipment. I’m definitely considering enrolling.

In general I love Gymboree and so do my girls. I have taken both of them to classes and it has been great for my less social one year old. Granted indoor play gyms always kind feel germy and claustrophobic to me, I like Gymborees’ general feel and cleanliness! I totally recommend it!

Love taking my 15 month old here! The teachers are so nice and always remember all the students in their class. Very clean, the staff are friendly, and it’s played a huge role in socializing my kid and watching her skills develop. Also the SpotOn card has been awesome here (even if the machine is down half the time). I believe if you check in a certain number of times you can get a free months worth of classes. Worth every penny!

I took my son to Gymboree class today– he is 16 months old; a bit on the young side for this particular class but I thought we’d give it the old ‘college’ (more like pre-​school) try.
The Good:
1. There were a lot of things for him to do
2. It was very clean (regardless of what the other posts say)
3. There was simply no way for him to get hurt– everything is padded
The (very) Bad:
1. When you walk in there is MASS marketing of toys. This means that when you come
and go your child will whine and scream for a new toy– Very bad planning (or very good
depending if your are the marketer or parent I suppose)
2. expensive– It is a toss up between a week of groceries or a monthly membership ($ 75.00).
If you have the money and the time– I’d say try the free one-​day play and make your own decision.

Wont ever go to this place again! First off, they do not wash the toys, My nephew spit up in the toys and his throw up was still in the bin the next day when we went for another summer session class. Also after I let them know I was canceling they started being rude to my nephew and me. That kind of behavior from the «teachers» is very uncalled for. they are also really rushing the classes.

My review would be 5 stars for my experience. I took my 4 month old to class last saturday and she loved it. The teacher was wonderful too. My 2 star rating is due to the assumption that people can come during the week or have nannies that can come during the week. It is sad that a working mother without a nanny can’t participate once or twice power month on a per session basis. When requested the answer was no that we can pay for a while month when we can only attend once.

My son has been enrolled in Gymboree’s play and learn class since he was 9 ½ month old. This place is terrific. At beginning, we just hoped that he would learn crawling side by side with other kids. After 10 months, he has not only developed various moving skills, e.g. crawling, walking, running, squat, jumping; he is also very social, very fun and happy. I have to say his social skills is out of my expectation, and I believe the class has played a big role. He loves to wave hi, byebye and to play hi five to strangers. One day he even gave a kiss to Miss Rachel. It is very touching to see my son grown up in such a great way.
My son attends Sunday morning class and Sunday afternoon play time. Every Sunday becomes his favorite day. He loves his teacher Miss Rachel. Miss Rachel is well trained, pays attention and sings high praise to every kid in her class. I highly recommend her class.

My 1-​year old daughter and I have been going to Gymboree for 2 ½ months and we love it. Every week after class I notice something new that she has learned and it’s amazing to watch. She is now walking and climbing all over everything. Our teacher, Amanda, is great with the children and leads a very interactive session. After the kids get exhausted climbing on the equipment, there is great mat play with bubbles, parachute time and songs. Even though we go in the middle of her nap time, my daughter really enjoys exploring everything and gets so worn out she takes a 3 hour nap after class. I would definitely recommend this to all my friends with little children.

I am giving this one star because I payed for 2 months ($ 125) and only went three times, because my son got sick two out of the three times. You cannot go to class while they are sick (although some must go because my kid got sick), so I kept missing class because he got sick from class. It would be a great place for him to learn and have fun if they sanitized the place better. By the way, I am a stay at home mom, so my kid is not exposed to a lot of germs… he would get sick a few days after Gymboree class. He has only been sick three times out of his 16 mos. of life and he got sick two of the times from Gymboree. I don’t recommend this place… at least at a young age when they don’t understand that they should not put everything in their mouths.
Reply to comment from Caitlyn:
I have seen the toys after class wiped quickly with a cloth that has a blue chemical sprayed on it… that is not good enough. At the YMCA they constantly soak their toys in a sink of soapy water throughout the day which is very sanitary and awesome. And, as you say… that you can make up classes as long as you are enrolled. Well, after being charged for a couple of months ($ 75 a month) and then not even be able to go because my kid is sick from attending Gymboree classes, then I realize that I am wasting money! So, I had to cancel… which means I cannot make up classes because I am not enrolled.

My 2-​year old daughter and I started going to this Gymboree shortly after it re-​opened under new ownership in early/​mid-​2009. It is a wonderful program, and this particular location is exceptional. The teachers are well-​trained and able to communicate with kids of all ages. I feel very comfortable having them interact with my daughter. The facility is also super clean, which is really important to me, particularly during cold season. We have taken numerous play & learn classes at various levels and have attended a handful of birthday parties there as well, and my daughter has a blast every time. «Gymbo» the clown is one of her favorite characters (we have the hand puppet), and she loves to sing the Gymboree songs at home, which tells me she is really getting a lot out of the classes.

We have been going to Gymboree in Solana Beach since my daughter was 14 months old and we love it! The classes are so fun for the kids and I love it because they learn so much while they play (each class session, the teachers have different words or concepts that they teach the kids)! The owners are great people and have done such a good job making it a fun, safe and clean (the equipment and toys are cleaned in between every class!) place to take your kids. My son is 7 months now and I can’t wait to start him in the classes. We have gone to other kids play gyms and they do not compare. I highly recommend Gymboree in Solana Beach!