Becoming a parent is a huge deal. Suddenly everything’s changed. You’re not in charge of your timetable, how clean your clothes stay, and you’re exhausted.

When we have kids the places we used to go to don’t want us anymore, and where they do want us, we don’t want to put one foot through their welcoming doors. Soft play centres are not what anyone dreamed of when they thought about becoming a parent. If anything, we all pretended they weren’t there.

Why can’t it be done differently? When working out the concept behind Peace + Riot, founder Caroline Newte Hardie decided she would start with what parents needed and wanted, and work up her ideas from there; happy parents mean happy kids.

So, what do parents need? Ultimately, they need to feel themselves and be supported in the toughest job of their lives. At Peace + Riot you’ll get:

• Perfectly roasted, seasonal house coffee, beautiful food from a menu developed by a team who’ve worked with brands like Fat Duck, EL & N, HOP, and VE Kitchen, and a gorgeous carefully curated drinks menu.
• The luxury of having Peace Keepers on hand to keep your kids entertained and happy whilst you’re there – no separation anxiety and no guilt, and loads of time to catch up with work or friends, or just tap out.
• A fantastic community to be part of; if you decide to become a member you’ll get access to an online portal where you can get in touch with other Peace + Riot members so you can make friends and build your network.
• A space to show off that #flexappeal: think less ‘yummy mummy’, more ‘multi-tasking legend’, less ‘career driven’, more ‘career dad’.
• To feel human again and maybe have a breather, and drink your coffee hot. It’s the dream.

“We’re getting the family friendly market wrong in the UK,” Caroline says. “There seem to be two options: soft play with bored and harried parents, or restaurants with bored and harried kids – and when you finally get to leave, someone’s crying. It doesn’t have to be that way. Peace + Riot is where no one has to compromise, because every family member comes first. Every time.

Head to peaceandriot.co and follow Peace + Riot on Instagram @peaceandriotco to stay in the loop. Sign up to their newsletter to hear about their progress and Peace + Riot’s Early Bird Membership Offer launching on the 15 May. Become a Founder Member and you’ll get 50% off the yearly membership fee, and you’ll get to benefit from free visits throughout the year, discounts on food and drink, discounts on goods and services from national partners (Parent Cloud, Big Clean Switch and more) and businesses local to their first West Dulwich space, as well as access to events which cover training for those returning to work, starting fresh and anyone looking for a boost to their sector knowledge.

More topics like this