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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To wish parks had a baby crawling/cruising area

30 replies

Wholeboxoftissues · 23/08/2025 11:48

I've got a crawling baby and I'm finding it so hard that nothing in the world is set up for them except soft play and stuff that's only on in term time like playgroup. We take our older one to lots of places but the baby always ends up being carried or in the pram because there's never a safe area to crawl around in. And he's very energetic! Even at playgrounds it isn't great. He'll go on the swing for a bit, sits on my lap on the roundabout, then we sit on the grass and he doesn't go anywhere because it's full of spiky straw due to the dry weather and he doesn't like the feel of it. He usually stands up at the pram and plays with the attachments until we go home.
What I would love:
A nice floor maybe rubbery so it's soft for crawling but light colour so it stays cool and doesn't leave black stains on the knees
Shade
Really low bars to pull up on and dangling ropes with handles
Something that looks like a climbing wall only with tiny little close together hand holds
Little tunnel at ground level
Slow roundabout with the same restraint as a baby swing
The tiniest slide you can imagine
A really comprehensive busy board

I would love that, I'd be there every day.

OP posts:
PollyBell · 23/08/2025 12:07

We just let our child crawl and explore like they have done for thousands of years

BridgetofKildare · 23/08/2025 12:05

I agree - enclose areas just for small children kept free of dog poo, dog piss, broken glass, rubbish etc.
In my area you cannot let a baby or toddler play on the grass in the park for fear of injury/disease.

Somersetbaker · 23/08/2025 12:03

If they did have such a place, some arsehole would send their dog in to have a shit!

Bitzee · 23/08/2025 11:56

Have you tried other playgrounds locally because both of our closest ones have elements of what you describe- tiny slide, busy boards, low climbing that be crawled, tunnel etc.

Overthebow · 23/08/2025 11:56

Yes that would be great, but they are only at crawling/cruising stage for a few months whilst they are at toddler stage for a couple of years, so I can see why public parks are aimed at that age and older rather then the younger age which wouldn’t get used by as many. My DS was happily playing on the toddler area of parks by 12 months old, a baby crawling area would have been too young for him by then, at almost 2 years old he’s still enjoying the toddler areas.

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