To hate parents who don't wear socks at soft play

[WitchOfEndor]

There were four of them this morning, and I asked them all if they knew they were supposed to wear socks. One said she was just running on to pick up her daughter who had been pushed by a boy. Fair enough, but does your verruca/athletes foot know that? Of the other three, two gave me evils for the rest of the session and one ignored me and went back on with bare feet so I asked the staff to have a word.

Is it me being an officious twat or should adults follow health and safety rules where children are involved?

I feel even more rabidly about non poop scooping dog owners

The signs at our local soft play state that children must wear socks at all times.

I couldn't care less about an adult kicking off their flip flops and rushing in for a rescue mission.

What I could give a toss about is parents allowing their children go to the toilets in their socks then re enter soft play with their potentially urine soaked socks. Urgh.

YABU

I'm sure adults wouldn't walk around bare foot if they had infectious foot conditions. Soft plays near me don't have a bare foot rule and my children usually take them off and abandon them anyway.

If I had a child with a infectious condition, I wouldn't be taking them to soft play or I'd make sure their feet were covered.

Actually ours doesn't have a socks sign up! Is it an urban myth cos I have never seen this 'sign' some of you say exists

Ours says something about long sleeved tops on the big slide tho

I think all the bacteria living on the soft play stuff from poo, wee and bogeys would probably just eat up any foot germs! I wouldn't walk bare foot in a soft play, if I could get away with it I would wear socks on my hands as well!

I don't wear socks at soft play and my dc don't either. Too slippy for climbing and the slide.

I find the socks rule ridiculous. Given all the other germs the kids exude anyway, if they were really serious about all this elfansafety why not follow this to it's logical conclusion and make them to wear gloves and face masks too.

I spent more time fishing out lost socks than children.

I had no idea that you were supposed to wear socks- I think it much safer without. You can't do school PE, gymnastics etc in socks- too dangerous.

I also always surprised at the vitriol aimed at soft play on these kinds of threads - what is it that people hate so much? As far as I'm concerned it's a place where I can let my toddler roam pretty much freely (although always with an eye on him of course) to tire himself out nicely and both of us can have a little social interaction without much risk of anyone getting hurt. What is it that happens at soft play that grinds people's gears so much?

For me it is simply the smell and being in the vicinity of so many parents and small children. Not my cup of tea but not a huge problem. Would rather be outside doing something real than in a smelly barn that is smellier than a kennel.

I must be lucky then - our local soft play has no discernible odour! Extra glad given that it looks like playing outside will be a pretty wet affair this summer...

I know this post was created back in 2013 however I would like to say, as someone who has worked in a play area for a year now, it’s the worst when we get parents who don’t wear socks. I had a lady come in today and she wore shoes instead. When I asked her to come out she turned her back to me and ignored me. She huffed and puffed when I finally got her attention. Some people don’t seem to understand how many germs are on the bottom of our feet and how many accidents children have on that very floor

Who made you soft play police?

I'd have told you to mind your own bloody business.

Zombie 🤡

I always thought the sock thing was to avoid carpet burns on feet as like others have said they don’t really help with grip. There are so many other grim things I can’t really see that foot disease would be the thing health and safety people would care about. I couldn’t be fussed at all about parents going in bare foot. I have found a softplay locally that is genuinely clean and quite a pleasant experience. I’d be more likely to feel sympathy for the parent having to go into the frame than judging them for their choice of footwear.

Gah zombie and a hugely old one at that.