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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Soft play day before holiday?

137 replies

BabyDoge · 31/05/2025 20:10

I'm having a bit of a disagreement with DM and would love some other perspectives.

We're going on holiday on Monday, and DM has kindly offered to take DC out for a couple of hours so me and DH can crack on with packing. I was very grateful for the offer, until she said she's going to take them to soft play. I asked her if maybe she could take them somewhere else, as I don't think they should be going to a germ factory the day before we go away 🙈 But she thinks I'm being too anxious and it would be fine.

AIBU? I have no problem taking them to soft play usually, but the day before we go away just feels like asking for trouble.

OP posts:
Anonymous2029 · 31/05/2025 21:02

I am the same! DD doesn’t go to nursery yet and nearly always gets at least a cold at soft plays so they are a no go zone before holiday.

ButteredRadishes · 31/05/2025 21:02

pimplebum · 31/05/2025 21:00

Germs have to go in the mouth generally so get your mum to sanitise hands before eating

there will be germs at the holiday venue

Sanitiser isn't good enough, they need to actually wash their hands.

pimplebum · 31/05/2025 21:00

Germs have to go in the mouth generally so get your mum to sanitise hands before eating

there will be germs at the holiday venue

Lanzarotelady · 31/05/2025 20:58

BabyDoge · 31/05/2025 20:49

They've got 2 weeks off this time, so they've been off this week.

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So are you only going to go away when you can keep them at home for a week first?

Jk987 · 31/05/2025 20:57

I’m dumbfounded op. Let them have fun at soft play fgs.

ButteredRadishes · 31/05/2025 20:57

BabyDoge · 31/05/2025 20:48

Well I'm just going off standard incubation periods.

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But it's the day before their flight on Germ Land Airways, departing from Germ World Airport.

They'd be sick one day later from that ... So either way you risk them being ill.

ButteredRadishes · 31/05/2025 20:55

safetyfreak · 31/05/2025 20:36

Why is a 2 year old putting things in their mouth?

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🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Have you met a 2 year old?

RightOnTheEdge · 31/05/2025 20:54

It honestly would never have crossed my mind that taking them to soft play before a holiday would be a problem.

I've never heard anyone outside of MN going on about soft play being this nightmare germ factory full of diseased kids though. It's bonkers.

ButteredRadishes · 31/05/2025 20:54

DrinkFeckArseBrick · 31/05/2025 20:40

In your shoes I'd agree no soft play. Yes they may get sick from the plane but:

  • spft play is a whole other set of germs, and young kids are pretty gross, so going to shloft play increases the chances of sickness
  • you likely can't really go on holiday to where you're going, without going on a plane. Your mum can look after them for an hour or so without soft play

So not worth it for me

Lol, if you think soft play is worse... You're wrong. Airports are grim
People are fucking disgusting. I can guarantee you'll be touching othe peoples faeces, spit and snot at the airport. Breathing their germs in etc... people are coughing, sneezing all the time. Their don't wash their hands after toilet, and if they do they immediately touch door handles etc to go and nose round a shop, picking things up and putting down, and sit down at their bench, out their bags in the benches, touch touch touching things all the time.

Londonrach1 · 31/05/2025 20:51

The plane with recycled air is much more likely to make you ill. Yabu.

Original poster
BabyDoge · 31/05/2025 20:50

NuffSaidSam · 31/05/2025 20:38

What a strange question?!

Because that's developmentally normal is the answer.

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Oh good, I thought I had something else to be overly anxious about 🤣

OP posts:
ButteredRadishes · 31/05/2025 20:50

BabyDoge · 31/05/2025 20:32

This might be worth reiterating for others but yes I'm very happy for her to take them out somewhere, just not to an indoor unventilated room full of children.

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But ... you're taking them to an airport with a
thousands of people in close proximity, in public waiting areas where many people will be coughing, sneezing, touching things with unwashed hands, putting feet on seats, rolling dirty luggage around..... and then shoving them in close quarters for hours with a few hundred people on a plane...

Yeah, definitely soft play is the problem...

Original poster
BabyDoge · 31/05/2025 20:49

Lanzarotelady · 31/05/2025 20:38

I really do think I am living in a parallel universe - avoiding soft play before going away - never heard of anything so bloody ridiculous in my life!

What about school, finishing Friday going Saturday, what will you do then OP keep them off school?

They've got 2 weeks off this time, so they've been off this week.

OP posts:
PinotDragon86 · 31/05/2025 20:48

For me it would very much depend on the age of the children and if they were at nursery.
My son took a year of nursery to stop being sick on a biweekly basis, often ending up at the hospital due to respiratory type infections (always hit hardest at the weekend and no middle ground between GP and A&E) and being potentially asthmatic. A holiday for us was a very rare and special occasion so I would probably have swerved a soft play if he was under 4 as there was loads of other stuff to do, like walks in the park and such.
In reception after the baptism of fire at nursery I would have been fine about it.
Only you know your child and you are best placed to make the decision.

Glittertwins · 31/05/2025 20:48

Took our then 4 year olds after dropping cats off at cattery. Great start to the holiday for them, they had a great time!

Original poster
BabyDoge · 31/05/2025 20:48

Lanzarotelady · 31/05/2025 20:36

So they are capable of timing when they are sick?

Please OP cancel the holiday and get yourself back in your bubble

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Well I'm just going off standard incubation periods.

OP posts:
Original poster
BabyDoge · 31/05/2025 20:47

Justtryingthis · 31/05/2025 20:36

No, I absolutely get you on this one OP. Yes, there will be germs etc on the plane, but why take the risk to expose them to more germs if you don’t need to?
I’ve always done similar before a big holiday.. 🤷‍♀️

Yes I think that's what's stopping me, it's not needed. If they had a birthday party or something they had to go to then that would be different. But we were going to pack with them in the house, we don't need them taking out. Yes they'll have more fun, but there's plenty of other places they could go.

OP posts:
Lanzarotelady · 31/05/2025 20:46

BabyDoge · 31/05/2025 20:41

We don't "need" them taken out, we were going to pack around them through the day but she called today and offered.

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I bet she regrets that!

Lanzarotelady · 31/05/2025 20:46

Littlemisscapable · 31/05/2025 20:45

This.

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x 100

OP
You
are
being
bloody
ridiculous

Littlemisscapable · 31/05/2025 20:45

DappledThings · 31/05/2025 20:11

You're being ridiculous.

This.

DappledThings · 31/05/2025 20:44

This trope of "soft play is a plague pit full of hundreds of children dripping with every germ known to man" is something I've only seen on Mumsnet. Never heard anyone consider it more likely to make someone sick than anywhere else in real life.

Original poster
BabyDoge · 31/05/2025 20:44

safetyfreak · 31/05/2025 20:36

Why is a 2 year old putting things in their mouth?

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Almost 2 year old, 22 months.

Should she not be by this age? I've spent the entire afternoon stopping her (and failing) from putting DS' Lego in her mouth.

OP posts:
Loopytiles · 31/05/2025 20:42

Particularly inconsistent since DC1 is in (germy) school.

Loopytiles · 31/05/2025 20:41

YABU. Germs everywhere. rude to your DM after her kind offer. If DC1 gets that unwell each time, you’ve taken a risk booking a big holiday, it’s inconsistent to then seek to reduce risk of catching a bug in this specific way.

Original poster
BabyDoge · 31/05/2025 20:41

Lanzarotelady · 31/05/2025 20:35

If I were your mother I would be retracting my very kind offer!

Plus who needs to have their kids taken out for the afternoon so you can pack??
Are there not two of you anyway - one looks after the kids - one packs!

Are you normally this hard work?

We don't "need" them taken out, we were going to pack around them through the day but she called today and offered.

OP posts: