Who was in the wrong here - softplay incident.

[OohMavis]

I took my DD (2), DS (5) and nephew who is coming up two, to softplay today. We were playing in the 5-and-under area, DS was taking DD up the stairs to slide down the slide whilst I stayed on the mats with their cousin, who's a bit cautious.

They'd made their way round the course and down the slide successfully about fifteen or so times, when a lady and her 18mo came into the area. They played in the ball pit for a bit, and then her little boy became interested in what DS and DD were doing. He sat at the bottom of the slide and watched as they came down, fascinated.

Nephew wanted to go into the ball pit, so in we went. I could still see DD and DS running around the upstairs bit, and see them sitting down ready to slide down, but the slide itself was obscured from my view. All of a sudden I heard a THUD and hysterical crying. I ran to them to find the 18mo had somehow toppled off the slide onto the floor.

His mother runs over (she was standing at the netting which borders the play area), picks up her son and tells me, quite angrily, what had happened.

Her son was climbing up the slide and my DS and DD had come down the slide at speed (it's a spiral slide and they wouldn't have seen him at the bottom) and knocked into him, causing him to fall.

And then an exchange of words.

"You need to watch your kids rather than letting them trample all over babies"
"They obviously didn't see him"
"Well they need to be more careful then!"
"Why were you letting your son climb the slide knowing there were other kids using it?"
"It's a baby area love, sort your fucking kids out"

And she stomped out, went to talk to the staff at the cafe, then sat down glaring at me.

I realise I probably could have just apologised and little would have been said, but she was being really aggressive. In situations like these I usually just mumble and say nothing, but I really didn't feel I was in the wrong, and her attitude really put my back up. Even so I feel shit, this sort of thing tends to play on my mind for a while. I hate confrontation.

Who was BU here?

It sounds badly designed. 5 and under is too wide an age range, and you should be able to see the bottom of the slide from the top.

Given all that she shouldn't have let her ds climb up the slide.

She was BU. She shouldn't have let her child play at the bottom of the slide

She was BU, that sounds horrible for you though, I mull over these things for ages but she was definitely the unreasonable one.

Everybody knows that if your baby/child is playing at the bottom of a slide you move them or they might get their heads kicked in. Ditto playing near a swing.

She was in the wrong, silly mare.

She WBU. Slides are for coming down not going up. She should have been watching her son. Sometimes people take their guilt out on others.

She was BU, clearly slides are for kids to come down, if it hadn't been your kids who knocked him over it wouldve been some other kid soon enough

Why wasn't she watching her toddler?! Lunatic don't worry.

Don't let your kids climb up slides and laugh off accidents in soft play. It's built to fall over in and teach kids about risk in a safe manner.

If agree though I despair at soft play designers sometimes, what fool puts a slide in the baby area where you can't see the bottom?

SWBU. And she knew it. That's why she swore at you and flounced.

Her kid shouldn't have been playing at the bottom of the slide. Our soft play has big signs telling parents not to let their kids mess around at the bottom of the big slide for this reason. They'll occasionally tell people off over the tannoy for hanging around there too!

Anyway, it's a soft play. Her DC can't have been that injured, just shocked.

She was. In our local soft play there is a sign by all slides saying 'don not let children climb up'. She really should of been with her children rather than sitting on the side. I think she was deflecting her stupidity onto you. If the staff also said nothing to you then that screams volumes.

She was. She should expect kids to come down slides as that's what they're built for.
She sounds slightly stupid.

She was, for all the reasons above.

She was in the wrong. You don't let your children climb up the slide for the very reason that played out!

If you do let your child climb up (I have) you watch for others going up and then remove them to let others down'

I hate soft play with a passion. Too many parents not keeping an eye on their lovelies and making sure they are using the areas safely.
My children in the past have been shived over by older children playing to boisterously and had balls thrown at their heads, they have even been kicked by someone else's little cherub.
Thankfully mine are too old for soft play now but I do admit to being a helicopter parent in these situations.
That being said. You were not the one in the wrong here.
Your children were already playing in the area when the other child came. And there is absolutely no way she should have been letting her little one climb up the slide it was obvious that sooner or later someone was going to be coming down the slide.
She should have been watching her child more closely.

SWBU. Daft moo. Why was she letting an 18-month-old climb up a slide the wrong way when other children were using it?

I think she knew she was the unreasonable one and took it out on you.

You cannot slide up a slide therefore they are intended for people to come down.

She should have stopped her child attempting to climb up it but hey ho it sounds like she wasn't actually inside the enclosure with her child so chances are she didn't see either, is there a no unsupervised play sign in the baby bit?

If so we could probally justify giving her a very raised eyebrow

She shouldn't have been letting her child climb the slide in the first place, he was going to end up hurt eventually.

We go to these types of places often with DS and I've gotten into a few disagreements and even into one shouting match I'm ashamed to say

It tends to be how things go in these places, other Mums will disagree with how your kids behave and at times you may disagree with theirs. These kinds of things replay over and over in my mind for a long time too but try not to let it get to you, OP.

Your kids didn't do anything wrong, you stood your ground and rightly so. She should have been watching her child and shouldn't have shouted or swore at you.

She was at fault

She was BU - her son should not have been climbing up the slide

It's never ok to climb up a slide. Slides are for sliding down - it's right there in the name.

If your child climbs up a slide then it's up to them if old enough to take care, or for you to supervise them to make sure they're not going to get hurt or get in the way of children coming down the slide.

YWNBU.

SHE WBU, she let her child walk up a slide where you couldn't see the top.

She was BU. You don't let a child play at the bottom of a slide. Don't give it another thought.