...to feel that the mother of the biting child at soft play should really have been keeping an eye...?

[misspollysdolly]

Especially by way of an explanation as to why he had bitten AT LEAST 5 children (seriously - and they were only the ones I saw him have a chunk out of while I comforted the friend my DD had taken with her) was that 'oh, this always happens when he gets over-excited'...?!

Well then, love, EITHER don't bring him to soft play AT ALL, or if you do, you trail him round the place rather than sitting with your mates and having a latte...

Fume...

[pagwatch]

[elmoandella]

this is a peeve of mine.

i despise mothers who let their children run amok in these places. i dont min a bit of boisterous behaviour as they are all prone to their excitable moments.

it's the ones who are actually harming, biting, punching the other kids. and their mums do nothing. absolutely zip.

especially when there signs everywhere saying "you must supervise your children at all times"

not
"f* off, and drink a latte, while pretending your devil children aren't yours"

[GivePeasAChance]

The moral of the story is never go to soft play places.

[Quattrocento]

LOL at peas. I avoided them like the plague. They always smell of stale urine and unwashed children.

[findtheriver]

Agree. Soft play places are the work of the devil.

[FAQ]

[jimjamshaslefttheyurt]

Well I said it on the other thread and I'll say it again on here. It is pretty impossible to stop a biter - even when you are next to them.

However, the Mum of the only child I've known to have been a really entrenched biter never went out to places with other children and she certainly wouldn't have been sitting drinking latte whislt he chewed others.

[sushistar]

My 9 month old crawls - fast - and would bite other kids if he got the chance. I think he wants to see what they feel like. So my entire life when we go to playgroup is 'No darling, leave the little girl alone... no, it's not nice to pull hair... don't bite mummy, it's naughty... don't snatch that toy sweetie, the little boy was playing with it - good boy, give it back, well done... no, we don't bite other children darling...' etc etc ad infinitum. It's boring and tiring, but I'd be mortified if he actually bit or hurt another child. I watch him like a hawk. I'd be really cross if another mum couldn't be bothered to supervise their kid and ds was biten as a result!

[scottishmummy]

dearie me never beeen to soft play and after reading this dont fancy it either

unwashed children
urine

eugh

wet boak

[findtheriver]

LOL scottishmummy.
TBH, if you were a being from another planet who had never heard of soft play, from reading MN threads you'd think it was some form of torture. WHY do people go? And pay for the privilege?!

[FAQ]

Just spent nearly 5hrs at our nice soft play (there are 2 others in town but they are disgusting) - DS's had a ball

[Quattrocento]

The urine smell always emanates from the ball pools. Always. Invariably. Then it sneaks and winds around the climbey things to reach you when you are drinking the vile nescafe coffee and wishing you were anywhere else. Or dead.

[Eddas]

there's nothing wrong with soft play if the children are watched by the parents. I agree with you misspollysdolly. DS was pushed/smacked by another child, I'd say she was around 12months, she was alone in the toddler area. Mother at a sort of nearby table, rather pathetically apologised but i'd seen the child do it to lots of other children.

I know children hit/bite etc and there's not a lot that can be done, but it's really annoying when they're not even being watched.

[theangelshavethephonebox]

Thankfully ds hates the ball pool - he's probably picked up on my bordering-on-psychotic aversion to them - ugh. I once saw a sign on one that proudly proclaimed that it was disinfected every four months. ugh ugh.

Anyway, with the pushing thing - ds is one of those likely to do a bit of pushing and shoving and I keep a very close eye on him for that reason BUT I do agree if they are into biting there's not an awful lot you can do to stop it happening.

[scottishmummy]

yes i am thinking soft play=torture.a sweaty mass of heaving,biting,incontinent,rough pushy shuvey children

errrr

no

will pass

[fedupandisolated]

DS loves these places and I hate them for exactly these reasons.
DS has Sensory Integration Delay and is impulsive, active and hyperloud when in places which stir his senses up.
He will rush about excitedly climbing, swinging and sliding. He has no concept of other children around him and pushes past them (have never known him bite though). Invariably he upsets another child at times (and I DO trail him for this reason) - I've never had a problem with any other parents BUT I have noted disapproving looks in the past. Believe me I want to scream at them THIS IS NOT MY FAULT!

So - I avoid going at all costs - just an occasional treat (for him but not me)

[Shoshe]

Do as I do, stand by the offending child and say in a VERY loud voice.

Who does this Child belong to, can You PLEASE supervise her/him.

Usually embarrasses the mother enough into watching them

9But not always.

[wasabipeanut]

I took ds to a soft play place earlier this week for the first time - it was ok actually. Certainly not smelly or dirty.

I must admit I did get pissed off with clearly older boys taking over the ball pool when the whole area was meant to be 3 and under (dunno where their guardian was) but ds much preferred the climbing stuff and slides anyway.

[Romy7]

9yo boys.
worse than 2 yos imvho.
watched three of them fighting their way around the hideous local softplay, shoving each other down slides (kicking and punching each other whilst they went, whether there was a tiny half way down or not). saw three small children crushed by two of them fighting on top of the little one (who couldn't get out of the way), not a parent in sight. they were shouting at little kids and threatening to hit them. i complained to the staff. was told 'it's the parent's responsibility'. told them 'i think you'll find the health and safety of small children on the play frame IS your responsibility, and if parents are not supervising their children then they should be asked to leave. it is dangerous and they are going to cause a serious accident.

[bethdivine]

To add to the urine smell story...The only time I went to softplay with DS another child pulled his pants down and had a poo next to our table. poor little boy was obviously potty training at the time and didn't know he was doing wrong, but it took the worker 5mins to locate the carer in the bar next door and when they did appear they didn't look at all bothered at their [i think] grandchild running around minus his pants. I think a small minority of people don't worry about the fact that their LOs might pee in the play area whilst playing when distracted and forgetting they don't wear nappies anymore, thus the smell of urine in these places.

[theressomethingaboutmarie]

My DD (11 months) went to a soft play with our childminder earlier this week. It was her first experience of one and her last we hope. A child did a poo in the ball pool within minutes of our little group arriving.

[PinkyDinkyDooToo]

I have a lovely soft play near me. THe staff are not just interested in taking your money for entry, crappy food and drinks.

They actually have staff in the playstructure to keep a watch on the kids. But most of them are awful