Lollipop Lane Selby Review: Role Play & Sensory Play for Under 5s (2026)

I recently visited Lollipop Lane in Selby with my toddler, my friend and her two young children. Lollipop Lane is a fun little role play and sensory play centre in Selby, aimed at preschool children. Sessions are 2 hours long and the space is kept to a manageable size, which I really liked.

September 2026 Update: What’s Changed

I want to flag upfront that Lollipop Lane looks quite different now to how it did when I first reviewed it in 2023, because it’s had a significant redesign. The themed play village — the vet, the beauty salon, the little emergency services station, the farm shop — has all been taken out and it’s now open plan.

To be honest, I’m not a big fan of the change. The shops were the thing that set Lollipop Lane apart. You can put wooden toys and sensory equipment in a room at home, but you can’t really replicate a little play village with different themed spaces for your child to move between. That was the experience, and it’s gone. What’s replaced it feels more like a well-stocked soft play area than the immersive role-play environment it used to be. It’s done tastefully, and the ethos is still there — natural toys, imaginative play — but it does feel like something has been lost.

What also concerns me is that Lollipop Lane now uses generative AI for their marketing. Their graphics, their logo, their menus — and I’ve seen that they’ve even had AI-generated images printed on cakes and cookies. A lot of people have raised this with them on social media and, as far as I’m aware, they haven’t acknowledged any of it.

I find this genuinely hard to get past. The brand positions itself around natural play, imagination, creativity, things in nature — and then uses AI-generated imagery, which bypasses all of that. It also feels like a contradiction when you’re essentially telling parents that screens and plastic and passive entertainment aren’t great for kids, but then building your entire visual identity on a tool that generates images by scraping the work of human artists without their consent.

There are loads of free tools — Canva, for example — where you can make clean, decent-looking graphics yourself. The fact that this was the choice feels lazy, and it goes against the values the brand is trying to sell.

I’m not going to tell you not to go. The play sessions themselves are still enjoyable for small children and the space is well-run. But I do think it’s worth knowing this before you spend your money, and I’d encourage you to make your own mind up.

Lollipop Lane Sessions

Lollipop Lane has limited spaces, so you have to book for a 2-hour session. This stops the play centre from becoming too crowded and makes sure everyone is comfortable. You can book the following sessions.

Under 5s

The under-5 sessions are the most popular sessions and run two to three times a day at 9:30 a.m, 12 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.

Under 2s

On a Thursday, there is a dedicated under-2 session from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. to give younger children an opportunity to explore Lollipop Lane without the older toddlers being overbearing (no shade on the older toddlers – but they can be A LOT!)

Quiet Play

On Wednesday between 12 p.m. – 2 p.m., there’s a quiet session with fewer people. This is great for children who are easily overwhelmed and are happier in a quieter environment.

When you get there, you sign in at the front desk. Then you can put your coats and shoes in the cloak area as no shoes are allowed in the play area. This is for safety reasons due to babies crawling around on the floor. Then you can play!

There are two hours to play and you can get drinks and lunch (or breakfast) if you wish. About 10 minutes before the end, they start playing tidy-up songs to encourage little ones to start tidying and know it’s hometime. We helped tidy, too, but there was no pressure to help.

Pre-School Play Village

Lollipop Lane has a little play village with a variety of shops and little businesses for your child to practice their role-playing skills. Role-play is fantastic for toddlers as it helps them practice their speaking, expand their vocabulary, and work on their social skills, turn-taking and problem-solving.

There is:

Lollipop Lane Emergency Services

This is a little police and fire station. There’s a jail cell, as well as a steering wheel that acts as a fire truth. Your toddler can dress up in police and fireman uniforms.

Lollipop Lane Beauty Salon

This was really sweet! It had some chairs and wooden hairdresser tools so you could pretend to give a haircut, dry and straighten hair.

Lollipop Lane Vets

There were lots of animals in there and little vet tools to treat animals.

Lollipop Lane Bookstore

This served as a little reading area with some beanbags so you could sit and have a read through the books.

Lollipop Lane Farm Shop & Allotment

The shop is complete with food and shopping trollies so you can play shopkeeper. There’s a little allotment next to it for gardening roleplay.

Lollipop Lane Cafe

Have pretend coffee and cake in the cafe!

Lollipop Lane Sensory Park

There are lots of sensory toys in the sensory park which are great for both older and younger toddlers. My son loved the little sensory floor tiles and the water light with colour bubbles and fish!

Baby Play Space

The baby play space shares the floor with the sensory park. There are lots of wooden toys, a jungle gym, a bouncer, blocks, stacking toys and things for younger children to explore.

Grown Ups Cafe

There is a proper cafe for grownups that serves drinks and food. The menu isn’t massive, it’s things like paninis, jacket potatoes, sandwiches and you can get kids meals such as sandwiches or toasties with crisps and fruit. It would been nice to see a couple of plant-based options on there. There was only a jacket potato and beans which I didn’t fancy as I had it the previous night, so I had a cheese and onion panini instead (I eat plant-based about 90% of the time, though if someone could make a nice vegan cheese it would probably be 100% of the time). But I assume they don’t because there’s a risk of food being wasted as it’s a small cafe and menu anyway.

You order your food and drink from the front desk and they bring it to your table. The seating area is quite small and crowded due to the size of the building. There was a lot of bumping into other people who were seated while trying to walk past. Also, my son went running past one of the little shops and someone was running out and he went flying into the table as there wasn’t a lot of space between the tables and the play village. I’m not really sure what they could do differently as if you put a load of toddlers in a room together, they’re going to run around and there’s nowhere else to put the tables!

Lollipop Lane Prices

Lollipop Lane is a pre-booked session venue — you can’t just turn up. Sessions are 2 hours long and prices are listed on the Lollipop Lane website. As a guide from our 2023 visit, session prices were in the region of £9–11 per child, with accompanying adults free.

Our Fun Afternoon At Lollipop Lane

So apart from those two little grumbles, it was a great afternoon. After my son got over his bump with the table he was back and into it.

It’s also a fantastic way to get some ideas of what your toddler may like for Christmas! I’ve got a balance board and sensory tiles on my son’s list now!

That was our experience in 2023 — see the September 2026 update at the top for what’s changed since.

You can check out Lollipop Lane and book your session here.

Frequently Asked Questions: Lollipop Lane Selby

What is Lollipop Lane Selby?

Lollipop Lane is a role play and sensory play centre in Selby aimed at preschool children (under 5s). It has a little play village with themed role play areas including a vet, beauty salon, emergency services, farm shop and café, plus a sensory park and baby play space. Sessions are 2 hours long and must be booked in advance.

How much does Lollipop Lane cost?

Prices are listed on the Lollipop Lane website at lollipop-lane.co.uk. As a guide from our visit in 2023, sessions were roughly £9–11 per child. Always check current prices before booking as these change.

Do I need to book Lollipop Lane in advance?

Yes — sessions have limited spaces and sell out quickly, especially at weekends. You need to pre-book via the Lollipop Lane website. Walk-ups are not possible.

What age is Lollipop Lane suitable for?

Lollipop Lane is aimed at under 5s. There are dedicated under-2 sessions on Thursdays for younger babies who find the older toddlers a bit much. There is also a quiet play session on Wednesdays for children who prefer a calmer environment.

Is there a café at Lollipop Lane?

Yes — there is a grown-ups café serving paninis, jacket potatoes, sandwiches, and kids’ meals. You order at the front desk and they bring food to your table. We found the seating a bit cramped, but the food was decent.

Is Lollipop Lane good for toddlers?

t’s specifically designed for pre-school children and the sessions are well-managed in terms of numbers. Our toddler loved the sensory tiles and the water light feature on our original visit. The venue has changed since 2023 — the themed role-play village has been replaced with an open-plan layout — so check the September 2026 update section for the current set-up before booking.

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