Soft play area

[Bluefrog26]

Just wanted to know how everyone felt about adults going in to soft play area with their children?

[BusyBeez99]

*hen

[BusyBeez99]

I went to a soft play for adults recently. Alcoholic drinks and vertical slides made for an eye opener! Lots of gen parties

[BusyBeez99]

We've always thought what fools they are. It's for kids not adults.

[FrenchJunebug]

what are makes feel uneasy?

[Katedotness1963]

I've gone into the soft play, my husband's gone into the soft play, I've never whipped my kids out if I saw other adults in the soft play. If you can get past the germs that must be rife in the ball pit then what else is there to worry about?

[SoupDragon]

it makes me feel uneasy when I know there are adults in there and I can't see what's going on

Why? What do you think they are doing?

[treaclesoda]

Yes Jumping that's the sort of soft play I'm talking about.

I can't honestly say I've thought all that much about it because it's just normal to me that adults don't go on the equipment.

[PointxTaken]

helpmebuystuff

adults only evening are starting to be more popular, there might be some sessions in your area

[Sparklingbrook]

It was more the adult colliding with a child I was worried about.

We used to go to a mixture of soft play places, some huge big warehouse type places down to some very small ones in garden centres etc.

[PointxTaken]

same here JumpingJelly, and I think adults should supervise kids in these!

[helpmebuystuff]

It's the only reason I go to soft play - I love it and sadly there is no such thing as soft play for adults

[PointxTaken]

If a child collides in an adult, it means the child is not careful and paying attention, and would trample a younger one. Even in a soft play, there is no need to push everybody out of the way. Too bad if it spoils some little bully's enjoyment, they have to learn to respect others.

[JumpingJellybeanz]

Are we talking about the same kind of place? All the soft plays near me are this type. There's no way I'd let 4 year old DS in there on his own. We'd never see him again.

[Spikeyball]

Well I would expect places that didn't allow parents in to make exceptions in the case where a child has sn.

[MistressMolecules]

Our local soft play has a section for babies (up to 12 months) and non walkers. The rest of the play structure is for little toddlers up to 12 years - there is no section just for smaller children. My daughter is just turned two - I'm not letting her get trampled and unable to even see her to rescue her if she was in trouble (it is a huge play area over a large space with trampolines up on different levels).

[Sparklingbrook]

They do sometimes collide with children without meaning to. Purely because they are way too big to be in there.
It hinders some children's enjoyment when there's an unknown adult.

[Spikeyball]

Adults in there aren't colliding with anyone. They are supervising. My child could not have gone in without someone who knows him well, with him.

[treaclesoda]

Yes, the ones I go to that don't allow adults is from the safety point of view of adults accidentally standing on a child or whatever.

I'm another whose child wouldn't go in if there were other parents in there, she'd find it intimidating, I think she'd feel like she had wandered into some private gathering that she shouldn't be at. But she's happy enough with the staff because she knows they're meant to be there.

[Sparklingbrook]

I think so Koala some soft plays are very compact to say the least as, after all they aren't designed for adults to go in.

[Catsick36]

I always go in with my 2 year old. We chuck balls at each other in the ball pit for 20 minutes or so then I slope off for a cuppa and leave him to learn to survive the laws of the jungle.

[KoalaDownUnder]

Is the problem that adults are too big, and more likely to accidentally squash a toddler?

There does seem to be a lot of bodily collision in soft play, which is okay among little kids but might not work out so well if one collider is an adult.

[Sparklingbrook]

YY DS1 wouldn't go in if a strange adult was in there taking up all the space.
Similarly also if there were big children in there that shouldn't have been.

[ITGurl]

My 3 yr old won't go in if there's an adult in the way as he's shy and won't go past them.
IT is annoying if adults it in there especially in the line of traffic.
Worse still is two adults ho are having a conversation inside them

But on the flipside, in some massive softplay places with those huge vertical slides, I do like to have a go myself. Or try to rescue my 3 year old if he goes missing.

Around my area, its about 50:50 which let adults in and which don't.

[thisgirlrides]

I'm a childminder and would supervise 1&2 year olds in a play area and let bigger ones go off but still keep a close eye on them. TBH, if I went in and sat on my arse for 2 hours and people realised/knew I was a childminder I'd get some seriously filthy looks and a reputation for being lazy. I feel judged enough when I sit and have a coffee for the 10 minutes kids are having a snack so not going to worry about people thinking I'm a potential paedophile because I'm crawling around a soft play

[RebootYourEngine]

Im the opposite of you OP i want to see more adults in supervising their own children.

Many a time i have been there and saw children aged from 12 months plus in there alone. To me that is too young to be left unsupervised in a place like soft play.