To not be a helicopter mummy at soft play?

[WelshMaenad]

I'm at soft play with dc's (6 and 2). There's a sign on the large play frame saying under threes can use it if ACCOMPANIED by an adult. There are parents actually following their perfectly capable toddlers through foam rollers and sitting in the ball pool.

I am refusing to engage in this madness and am on a sofa with a coffee. I am being glared at as though I were a butcher of small children. DS is part spidermonkey, very capable of negotiating large playframe alone, and I do have a vague idea of where he is. Also, my dd is disabled and probably needs my attention more! AIBU?

You need to watch them
But not to follow then around

If it says they should be accompanied by an adult then you should be closer IMO

What if your very capable toddler starts hitting out at/pushing other children? Its not acceptable to be sitting on your backside drinking coffee when kids could be getting hurt

I was all ready to say YANBU, but I think YABaBitU as it does say that under-3's need supervision!

Also, it's fun if it's not busy, to pretend to be a kid again

My dd is 3.3, she loves play areas and is like a monkey and can manage to navigate her way around with no probs but I did go through a stage of following her (shes my pfb) until I had an epiphany, now I watch her whilst having a cup of tea!

Your decision, if your toddler gets hurt tough.

If your DD needs your attention more and your 6 year old is capable of watching your 2 year old then justifiable. If you just would rather sit and drink
Then unreasonable IMO

I'm supervising him - the sofa is about five feet from the playframe! I'm just not prepared to actually go clambering around after him! Fir one, I couldn't keep up, and for two, it would annoy him!

It's not a requirement anywhere else we've been. And there could very well be a load of three year olds killing each other with machetes in there, with no requirement for parental trailing about...

He may be good at climbing, does he understand the concept of turn taking? Does he wait for other children to finish before he starts?

IMO you either keep in in the area for under 3s of you supervise him and make sure he isn't causing issues for other children.

If you're supervising him why do you only have a 'vague' idea of where he is?

My daughter had her hair pulled was scratched and various other kids were pushed over and hurt by a 'spirited' 2 year old in the over 5's part of softplay due to her non helicopter Mummy enjoying her peace and quiet with a cuppa..

Do three year olds, Sirzy? Significantly more so than two and a half year olds? It's soft play, not Debretts Academy! Yes, he's relatively polite for a toddler. I've never had concerns setting him free at other soft plays, and can't see anything on this one that's likely to kill him.

We braved softplay hell for the dirst time in ages yesterday. DS3 is nearly 8 and was bitten (leaving a bruise and a full dental record on his arm) by a child who looked about 3. DS had been playing near DH and myself with DD and had then pottered off into the main structure of the play equipment. I feel at 8 years old I can be sitting down and keeping an eye , not actually following him around but the child who bit him should have been more closely supervised as he was small.

YANBU FFS it's a soft play area not a bomb site, what's the world coming to? I'd also be sat having a cuppa and reading a book.

Well DN at 3.5 is much better at it than DS at 2.9 but even then that wouldn't be an argument for not having to supervise a 2 year old but an argument to also supervise a 3 year old.

Parents who see soft play as a break while the children run riot are the reason I rarely take DS

You couldn't keep up with a 2yr old?

If they have a sign saying they must be accompanied then there's probably a reason for it.

Funny, I thought 'a break while the children run riot' was what soft play was FOR! It's the reason I take them all the time. Maybe I sm lucky that they have never attacked anyone, feral beasts that they must be.

I don't even have the option of supervising mine in soft play. We walk through the door and they disappear in a puff of smoke. I haven't got a chance of being able to get my shoes off and run into the soft play as quick as they can, so I don't try.

They only reappear when they want a drink or £1 for the popcorn machine/teddy machine/sticker machine/other machine. Or when dd2 finds a friend and dd1 gets bored.

They could be battering other children to death over who gets to go on the slide first for all I know, but I hope I have raised them better than that. Dd1 is too shy and nervous to start a fight and dd2 is too caring. The only thing I have to worry about is dd2 retaliating against someone hitting her or her sister, she goes savage if someone hurts her sister.

Why did you ask if YABU? You clearly think you are right...

No, he's an Exocet missile, and I'm tramadoled up for sciatica. I'd have no chance!

How do you know they haven't hurt other children if you aren't supervising them?

I can't abide people in general who can see what the rules are yet feel they dont apply to them so ignore them. Spoils it for everyone.
If you dont like the rules maybe go somewhere else?

No that's not what soft play is for.

Soft play is an area you take your children to play in

It's not a dump and run to the coffee counter, unless it's the sort of place that has supervision by staff.

There's a difference between looking out for your 2yr old and being a helicopter parent.

Of course I think I'm right, fut, or I wouldn't be DOING it. I'm not so pathetic that I rely on an Internet forum to make my parenting decisions for me. I was just curious whether the AIBU pendulum is swinging towards 'let the children be free!' or 'coddle that toddler!' on this specific morning

Would you be happy if your child was bitten by an unsupervised 2 year old?

You think you are right but the rules say otherwise?