Not sure how to feel about this..... (soft play)

[atmywitssend]

Our local softplay place is now using their cafe as a greasy spoon open to the general public and mainly truckers all day long.

Intuitively, I feel uncomfortable with this - hot food / drinks around children not (necessarily) being consumed by parents used to small children running around. There is also the obvious (but unlikely) risk of a child being abducted.

On the other hand, if all parents look after their children, should be ok but if you have more than one, its often easier said than done.

I really don't know how to feel about this one - any thoughts? not a huge fan of soft play - but they are useful at times to run off some excess energy.

As a mum who likes the fact you can drink coffee and read the paper safe in the knowledge the only people at the play centre are other parents I would be cross about this.
But I guess they can do what they want with the spcae.

Please tell me your name isn't specifically for this thread...?

No, old name! Not clever enough to change it!

Who would be mad enough to go to a soft play for breakfast if you didn't have to?!

Who the blinking heck is going to abduct a child from a soft play centre full of children, parents and people tucking into their greasy chips?

Wouldn't abduction (which is very rare anyway) be more likely in an isolated place in a tourist spot / beach etc, or where children are playing alone away from parents / carers / other adults.

Perhaps we shouldn't take children into restaurants because of the risk of abduction? Or funfairs? Bloody hell. Use yer brains.

The only danger area I would flag up - toilets and changing rooms. I have worked with sex offenders and I am aware that those areas are targetted.

To be honest, to cut the risk of your children being abused, be very wary of any male that you enter into a relationship with. Don't move in mummmy's new bofriend at the drop of a hat. Again. And again. And again. And run a mile if he drinks - extremely common for alcohol to be a factor in the abuse or assault of children.

That's the kind of thing that we, as parents, should be concerned about.

On the other hand, if all parents look after their children, should be ok but if you have more than one, its often easier said than done

Well then it makes no difference really. Anyone could spill a drink on a child or abduct a child if the parents aren't watching them, greasy spoon or not.

I wouldn't worry about it. Soft play areas are public areas. All the soft plays here have refreshment vans or cafes near them.

sorry my original point was that there are better places for people to target children with the intent of abducting them

Hmmm, thought I was looking at it wrongly! Thanks

Well, parents should be supervising their kids in any sort of cafe or place serving hot drinks, so it doesn't really matter who is buying the hot drink.

Ditto using toilets.

I take it the truckers and others don't actually go in to the soft play area?

I'm not sure about the suggestion in SMS's post that other parents with kids are perfectly benign and those without kids with them (don't truckers have kids?) or without kids potentially aren't,tbh.

I wouldn't like it. The soft play we go to you have to sign in and out and the cafe tables and chairs are right in the middle of all the play areas. I must admit it's the last place I'd want to visit if I was without the kids.

Why on earth would someone without kids choose to go to a soft play for a coffee, unless they want an instant headache from the noise?!?!

Trixy - I agree but its on a main road with no other cafe type places so it seems to get lots of passing trade. Not sure how many will go back again though given the noise!

I fecking hate soft play and would NEVER go there if I didn't have to

Rose - no physical way of stopping "truckers and others" going into soft play area.
Reason for asking this was an e-m I had from a local "Mummy Group" saying that they were boycotting this place.