to get annoyed by big kids in the under 2s section at soft play

[wanderingcloud]

I'm sure its been done before but its just so frustrating when you pay to get in and then little ones can't run around without being bowled down by big kids running riot in the clearly signposted under 2's section. Not even 3 or 4 yr olds but kids who are quite clearly school aged.

What did you do about it?

Did you say anything to the children? Or the staff?

Yeah u need to complain. It's a pain.

There's a small soft play near us, with a titchy tiny under 2's area, there's barely anything in there, and yet the older kids keep coming in and jumping around (DS has had a few near misses). The staff don't give a damn. We keep telling the older kids to get out in as nice a way as possible, only to get dirty looks off the parents. Drives me mad.

Surely the parents remember what it was like when their children were little? Bet they'd have thrown a fit if the situation was reversed.

There were no parents to be seen, the staff were indifferent and tbh I have enough repeatedly telling kids to behave in my day job to be doing it at weekends too! I know its ridiculous to be annoyed. 37 weeks pregnant and hoping soft play would tire out the toddler but he's spent the whole time on my lap avoiding scuffles!

YANBU, I had to tell two older boys to get out a couple of weekends ago when they were in the toddler section throwing the big foam shapes at each other despite a mostly empty, much larger older kids section right next to it. My 2 year old and her friend's two year old and almost one year old were there playing, the staff there didn't give a damn either.

It's pretty normal, they get over excited in those places and rampage around without stopping to look at signs. Of course no parents were to be seen, no-one follows school aged kids around at those places. When you say staff were indifferent, do you mean you asked them to remove the kids and they didn't or that they hadn't noticed?

I'd just ask them to go somewhere else to be honest, it's not that hard is it? If they kept coming back and no member of staff was willing to take action then YANBU to be pissed off. If you just sat back and watched them without doing anything then YABU really...

So you went there and your toddler spent the whole time sitting on your lap? . I'm surprised the staff were indifferent. Maybe you should have gone and complained a bit more. Surely their insurance wouldn't be valid if anything bad happens? Really, this is something that could have been sorted out on the spot.

It used to annoy me, but now I have a 17 month old and a 4 year old. $ year old mostly runs around the big kid but by himself, but does also want to come and play with DD and I.

YANBU but I always tell the big kids to go away. I say "Are you under 3?" and then they go all sheepish and disappear. I even do it to my own big DS!

It's frustrating when the children are doing this because their parents just aren't bothering to watch what they're doing. There does seem to be a type of parent who considers softplay an excuse to completely ignore their child for an hour.

A week ago an older child was in the under twos section when I was there with my one year old son. The child must have been about 6 and he had bought a massive baby walker into the softplay area and was pushing it around really fast. My husband told him to be careful with it round the baby and he promptly picked it up and threw it at my baby. All went unnoticed by the mothers. We had to leave and it's a shame. People should supervise their kids.

Depending on the soft play place it's pretty impossible to constantly supervise older children. I check in on them regularly but wouldn't even consider having them constantly in eyesight as this would involve following them round the play equipment.

Why did you feel you had to leave though Bridget? Surely the boy should have left? You pick up baby walker, take it out to a member of staff and explain what happened and ask them to remove him from the baby area.

last time I went to a soft play I ended up yelling at a boy (he was about 8) that deliberately pushed my friends little boy over. I just happened to be watching and saw him do it.
He had already pushed my little baby over but then claimed it was an accident and I gave him the benefit of the doubt because I didn't actually see him do it.
Him and his mum went not long after!

I have no problem firmly but kindly telling older children they aren't allowed there.

To be fair, parents of older children should not have to be looking at them all the time - they aren't toddlers.

Just tell them what they need to be told. They are children, not thugs.

...Having said that, when mine were a bit younger and still going to soft play (Aaaargh) , I gave them strict instructions and did keep my eyes out. Didn't watch them constantly though

If you do feel you have to leave, perhaps ask for your money back and explain why - if enough people have the same problem then it should galvanise staff into policing it more thoroughly or at least cautioning the parents of the offenders. Money talks unfortunately, and once they've got yours there might not be much motivation to sort out these problems.

I don't mind if the older kids are being very careful of the younger ones. Just as I would expect older cousins and siblings to be very careful not to hurt the younger ones when near them. If they are leaping around and putting the younger ones in danger then I would mind.

If you ask the children to leave and they don't and the staff are indifferent, then why don't you ask for the manager or whoever is in charge?
If they don't sort it, ask for your money back.

I used to work in soft play, so will tell you why the staff are indifferent. If you dare to get involved parents yell at you for telling off their pfb no matter how well it's done. Parents in soft play supervise the kids, not staff, this is made clear on arrival. parents often had a go at me and my colleagues and you just give up. Sorry you had a bad time but I blame te parents!

I always give children into trouble if they are too old and acting boisterously in the under 3s area. Usually they leave when I ask them but sometimes I have to threaten to speak to their parents or say "let's go and speak to your mum and see if she thinks it's alright for you to be throwing things at babies".

I have no fear of nasty parents.

We have asked for our money back, when ds was in the under 3's section at a big soft play place near us. Children who were obviously way over 3 kept running through the section, knocking him over. Their parent's could see them (they were talking to them over the barrier), but didn't stop them.

Yeah we've been to various ones and it's always the same, lazy feckless parents letting their older kids run riot in the baby area.

Good idea asking for your money back, if more people did that maybe these play centres would start enforcing the rules.