Center Parcs can be an expensive place to visit, but it’s great for all the family – even the babies! To help save on costs, here are 5 of our favourite things babies can get for FREE at Center Parcs.
Free baby food at restaurants
Every restaurant at Center Parcs has free Ella’s Kitchen baby food pouches! If you ask your server, they’ll give you a choice of a few different options, or even a menu to choose from. Or you can order it on the app if you’re ordering on your phone.
One point to note – it’s “subject to availability”, and we found they did run out quite often when we were there. It’s quite a popular service (and the pouches are great for snacks on the go, too!) So it’s definitely worth bringing some of your own food or pouches too.
Free swim session with inflatables
Book this in advance because it fills up quick! The Baby Dolphins swim session is designed specifically for 0-3 year olds, and it’s FREE!
This 30 minute session takes place before the rest of the pool opens, so the little ones have the pool to themselves to splash, play and have fun with inflatables.
There’s more information on the Center Parcs website, where you can also book a space for your upcoming break (if there are any left!).
Free soft play
If you need a safe space for your little ones to stretch their legs and roll around, we found most of the restaurants at Center Parcs have a soft play section they can explore for free!
Some of them are quite small, just a padded area with a few soft play blocks, and some are huge, with slides and climbing sections for the older ones. We knew it would be great for keeping our eldest entertained, but surprisingly, I think we actually got more use out of it with the little ones!
Free drink in Starbucks
Starbucks regulars will already know this one, but did you know you can get a FREE cup of steamed milk at any of the Starbucks on site? Just ask for a “babyccino” with your order, and they’ll give you a little lidded cup, filled with warm, frothy milk especially for your little one, at no extra cost!
Cots and high chairs
Although it’s not technically a “freebie” in the normal sense, you might be relieved to find out, that cots and high chairs are provided in your Center Parcs lodge, at no extra cost!
Each lodge has one cot and one high chair (usually found in the store room near the front door, you will need to get it out yourself and assemble the cot). Bear in mind that cot bedding isn’t included, so you will need to bring that – plus a few spare sheets just in case!
As with any cot provided on holiday, I would definitely recommend giving it a quick wipe down before using, and probably bring your own waterproof mattress protector too, to cover the mattress before you put your sheets on.
Need more than one cot or high chair?
If you need more than one cot or high chair, that’s not a problem. You can request them at the time of booking, or contact guest services and they will add it onto your booking for you. In our experience, the second cot and high chair were a bit less… sturdy? (I assume because they are taken round from lodge to lodge) but they still worked fine and we didn’t have any issues.
These are just a few things babies can get for free at Center Parcs, that we found during our recent trip… Are there any others? Let us know!
Read more:
Our ultimate Center Parcs packing list (with over 200 items!)