05 February 2019
Hiya Sarah! In one sentence tell us, what’s your story and where are you from?
I’m Sarah Frow and I’m a mum of two from South London.
How did you come up with the idea for The Kids' Table?
I came up with the idea for The Kids’ Table when my son was about three and a half. He’d reached the age where he was out of a high chair and into everything. Gone were the days when I could go out for lunch with friends as I would do every week in my pre-parent life, pop him in a high chair, keep the snacks rolling and he’d be happy for hours. Many a time we would attempt a lunch out and bail early because he was getting restless as there was nothing more than a menu and half a wax crayon to keep him entertained. We then tried the few places out there that offer somewhere for the parents to eat alongside a soft play area but quite frankly they’re just not the kind of places I want to hang out in in my spare time. So I thought ‘What if I could create a pop up kids corner service for the places where me and my friends want to hang out?’. The adults would have a good time and can take a break from entertainment duties while the kids have fun too. So after a year of honing the idea, setting up the business and pitching to pub chains and restaurants The Kids’ Table was born. We’re now looking at all the aspects of parents’ leisure time that are compromised when kids come on the scene – hence our latest partnership with Boom Cycle. Any parent will tell you that the two main things you sacrifice when becoming a parent are the chance to socialise and the chance to exercise as much as you’d like so now we’re looking to give parents the opportunity to work out while the kids have fun too.
What does The Kid’s Table entail exactly?
We’re arts and crafts focused and change up the theme weekly so the children can expect to come to us and make anything from superhero cuffs and masks to snapping piranhas, dream catchers, spiral snakes, movie clapper boards and festival head dresses. We also offer face paints, temporary tattoos, bracelet making, loom bands, table top games, dinosaurs, cars and Lego building. All the fun is overseen by our creative team who are all DBS checked with childcare experience.
How about you, what’s your background?
I started out in publishing after gaining an English degree from university, I worked at a publishing house during my early twenties and then moved into consumer brand PR for ten years. I’ve always loved arts and crafts and used to work at a creative summer camp helping kids make papier mache creations and produce plasticine model animations.
What challenges have you faced being a Mum and running a business?
The last year especially has been a real juggling act – I had my second child in February and of course when you run your own business there’s no such thing as mat leave – everything needs to keep running smoothly regardless of the sleep deprivation and constant demands of a new born. I remember doing a radio interview when she was a couple of weeks old; I’d timed it perfectly so that I would do the interview in between feeds but the show overran and when they started dialling in she’d just woken up screaming for a feed! So I ended up doing the interview with her latched onto me in a corner of the pub where we were wetting the baby’s head! We got to the end of the interview with no screams interrupting it, but it wasn’t the most relaxing of experiences. I often get my eldest, who’s now five, to be my Guinea pig to test out the craft activities or model a face paint design for our Instagram feed... I am very keen on doing activities that he can get involved with too!
What do you do when you’re not working?
Mostly run around like a mad woman trying to fit in all the life admin that comes with being a mum! Dashing from rugby to swimming to play dates, getting homework done and making sure uniform is ready for the week (which I failed at this week when I realised all my son’s jumpers were wet in the washing machine and had to send him in on the coldest week of the year so far with no jumper. I felt awful).
What do you do to switch off?
Exercise – my neighbour and I share a personal trainer who we met through a buggy fit in the park we did when the babies were really small. She comes to the house and we’re put through our paces in the garden every week; Exercise is so important for your mental wellbeing and it’s made such a difference having a trainer to motivate me – I would never push myself hard enough when I went to the gym by myself. I also still listen to the hypno birthing tapes I used through pregnancy, I’ll take myself off, lie down and do some deep breathing to really get some headspace and switch off from the stresses of everyday life.
What do you do to have fun?
This is going to sound like a shameless plug for my husband’s businesses Rooftop Film Club and Social Fun and Games Club but I love the new wave of experience bars – somewhere you go to not only drink and eat but play crazy golf/lawn bowls/table tennis/darts or even curling – so much fun. My family was always one for adding games to the dinner table – whether it was Pictionary, charades or beer mat flipping, so I guess they also play to my nostalgia ...and perhaps also my competitive side.
