Wtf is it with soft play

[TheSmallestOneWasMadeline]

And bigger kids ALWAYS over running the baby/toddler area?

I've been to 3 separate soft play centres in the last fortnight and it's happened at every single one. One of them had a ball pit in the toddler zone and loads of older kids were running and jumping into it, I had to pull my 1yo old out sharpish!!

The older kid area looks so much more fun - big slides, bouncy castles, loads of room etc so why does this happen?!

I am a newbie to all of this so am I missing something??

I was at soft play yesterday and encountered the same problem. An older boy of about 9 was throwing balls really hard at the under-fives, like he was bowling a cricket ball. When he threw one in the face of a six month old baby the mum asked the staff to remove him, and the older boy’s mother went nuts and started screaming about discrimination. The same mum gave her child sweets despite the “no food” sign and then refused to remove the sweets when the staff said no food allowed. It’s just bad parenting.

but the toddler won't go on anything without them

^ well that's not anyone else's problem. I'd be complaining about your kids.

2pm term time is the time you go.
you can get a good hour and a half in before they arrive.

My son is 4 and I tell him to get out of that area if I see him go in. If it's quieter and there are no babies in there, I'll not tell him to leave but watch him, then as soon as any smaller children go in I tell him to leave.
When my son was a baby and the bigger kids would go in the baby area I would tell staff to ask them to leave. People just think soft play is a place for their kids to run riot unsupervised.

I remember this being annoying when mine were small, then you get the opposite problem of tiny ones in the bigger kid bit, also with no supervision

I used to struggle with this when my DD was younger too. I tended to avoid soft play in the holidays, got sick of seeing 14 year olds in soft play for 8 and unders, the staff doing nothing and the parents saying they had every right to be there too (well no they don't when the playgym is for kids much younger)

My daughter did used to occasionally sit in the baby bit when she was a toddler but I always kept an eye on her and moved her if she was in the way of any babies. Usually she was just sitting quietly playing with a specific toy.

I did go to a soft play the other day who were really on it about kids staying in their areas. They did question my daughter going into the 2-5 bit but she is 5, she's just tall and was going in with her friend the same age. I didn't really mind it, I'd rather that than see older ones knocking littles down!

I don’t do soft play in the holidays, too many feral kids with shit parents. Not worth the hassle.

We had this yesterday at a splash pool. Older kid taking over and pushing my 4yo & 2 yo out of the way. He did it with other kids too not just mine. I had say to him no pushing a few times and another mum gave him a telling off. His own career no where to be seen.
Only a week of holidays to go!

It happens both ways, bigger ones in the smaller area and little ones going into the bigger area.
Go in term time, mine are home Ed and when we go in the week it’s usually really quiet and they often have the big play frame to themselves.

Its always the same. Soft play, the park… feral older kids barging smaller ones out of the way, teens taking over the slides. Cba.

Yes OPs child will be 7 one day. A like me she will ensure the child stays in their own area like alot of parents do.

One time I joined a mums group who met at soft play who were already friends and they expected that I would watch their children while they had a lovely cup of tea and chat. They gave me the you wouldn't mind watching our kids since your already up watching your boy line. Not a chance love.

Meh it’s soft play it is what it is. Honestly if you don’t like it don’t go until your child is bigger. Ours is full of parents (often couples) taking their just walking toddlers on the big kid soft play. Often there are more parents than children on there. I think softplay is one of the only places kids can go off on their own in a safe environment I’m certainly not escorting mine around.

It's not a safe environment if unsupervised children are knocking little ones over in the under 2 areas though.

We went a few weeks ago, loads of 6-7 year olds in the under 3s bit being boisterous and throwing things in the direction of my 1 year old. I asked how old they were and said they shouldn't be in the baby/toddler bit (no patents to be seen) one boy said "my mum said I can" and they carried on. Got staff to remove them which worked for a while but they came back in so we left.

Not been back since! So defiant they were, I was really cross!

I remember taking my 18m old to soft play and there were some 6/7 year olds charging about and feeling horrified that their parents didn't insist they were more gentle.

Now my 5yo is the great brutish looking thug* child to the mum of babies.

I do let him go in the 5 and under area as long as he's careful of the smaller ones.

He's a sensitive soul and being told off by an unrelated adult would finish him off so he generally gives them a wide berth anyway.

He wouldn't go in an under 3 area because it would be rule breaking and he is fond of a rule.

*Least thuggish brute ever.

Yip it's really annoying, same as the parents of the little toddlers who bring them on the big frame and scowl at the older children for running around and tell them to stay away as this little child holds them all up by climbing up the frame at a snails pace.

If everyone just used common sense and kept their DC to the right area then softplay would be more enjoyable for all. It wont ever happen though.

This. You can't change it, the best option is to avoid peak times. Just like during covid, it boils down to being willing to go out when attractions or playgrounds tend to be more empty. Weekdays, literally right after opening or an hour before closing are usually ok. If there are unsupervised older kids despite a relatively empty place then it's just bad luck.

I took my 8yo first thing on a boiling hot Saturday a few weeks ago. It was nice and quiet then.

You should be supervising him, not your older kids

^ that was to Rover

It is lazy parents who cba to manage their children.

I am that parent and whilst I don't quite tell them to leave, I will firmly say that this area is for three year olds and under so they need to be careful or go to the big kids bit to run around. It normally does the trick one way or another.