to hate..

[sexypantsformum]

Soft fucking play places??

YANBU

YABU
Book, coffee, DD1 climbing things she's allowed to climb. Bliss!

I've never been in one

I went the other weekend first thing in the morning when it was going to be a really hot day and there was just me, my toddler and one other family with a similar aged toddler in the whole place for an hour.

If it could be like that every time, I'd be in heaven.

This is the first time I've ever been other than to drop off at a party....it was hell.

Some people really have no awareness of other people.

So it's not the soft-play that was the problem but other people? Unfortunately arseholes don't wear a sign on their foreheads so we know to avoid them.

YANBU

I think its so many parents in a confined space that's the problem.

YABU - you hate the soft play place you went to today, or perhaps just the people there. Some of them are much better than others...

Soft play with a pre-schooler, on a quiet morning when you can see them from your table and have a coffee or read a magazine while they play with the only other child in the place...bliss.
Soft play during the school holidays... to be avoided at all costs.

They are ok if you get there first thing, when the play equipment is cleaner than it will be later and it's not too busy. I quite like it for a couple of hours but find it a bit much after that. Too much noise bright lights and primary colours for any longer than that.

We've just had a new place open up near us that is sort of soft play - no slides or climbing spaces, just a few open plan rooms with kitchens, those road maps, lots of toys etc. It's amazing. I think kids love a good run and climb and slide, but this new one is so much calmer.

I don't have DC so I don't actually know what 'soft play' is. From what I understand it is akin to the seventh circle of hell. They didn't exist when I was a child.

YANBU

What is soft play?

Now, I haven't been to once since about 2005. Do they still smell of feet? Is there still mysterious liquids at the bottom of the ball pit? Please say they have moved on a bit.

I've promised my DCs I'll take them today. Haven't been for ages (and it made a great threat incentive when DD was refusing to sleep last night :o) and now my youngest is old/well behaved enough to not need constant panicky hovering/watching I'm quite looking forward to just sitting by myself and reading on my kindle app.

The only thing I don't like about it is the other parents (I'm not a horrible person, just painfully shy and awkward! So I prefer to keep myself to myself but then get paranoid about people giving me funny looks as I'm so clearly a loner... I hate my brain)

Calm, no slides, rooms with ... toys!

Now that is DD1's idea of hell.

I guess I had toddlers/small children who were just born to enjoy soft play.

DD1 was only happy if her feet were off the ground, she climbed before she could walk. She found the baby/toddler area of any park or softplay far too tame and just vanished off with the big kids.

DD2 wasn't quite as confident, but she's really sociable, so she'd find someone to play with and vanish off too.

Then I could read and drink coffee.

I just couldn't relax even when they were a bit older, especially when I couldn't see them.

A local pub used to have a dining are for parents where they could watch the DC in the soft play on CCTV. Recipe for indigestion right there.

Must admit I never enjoyed them when my dc were very little and I had to get in and help them get around but now they can do it all, I love them!
I get to sit with a hot coffee and my book whilst they run themselves ragged, especially on miserable days like today when the park isn't much fun.

Pipbin, the seventh circle of hell is what I always call them.

Amazingly I found a new one fairly close to us last weekend which was (relatively) quiet, well-maintained with plenty of seating and even sold alcohol!! VERY civilised. Now if I can just persuade DP to drive...

kids should be out playing not in these weird plasticky places even in rain

I am not sure I agree with that liberty. Not with the monsoon we have had this week anyway. Maybe a splash in the puddles/walk in the woods for an hour but not all day.

But what actually are they?

In my mind it's like the Fun House of the Pat Sharpe fronted program of the late 80s.

Damn right Sparkling. DD is 15 months old and goes out in the rain PLENTY. But you can't do that all day, every day.