Soft play area

[Bluefrog26]

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

[KitKat1985]

I usually do go in to supervise DD (2 and a half). Plus because she's still small she needs assistance sometimes to do things (like climb steps etc).

Frankly I wish more parents bothered to supervise their kids in soft play. The sheer sodding number of times I've been in one of these hell pits soft play areas and someone's offspring is hitting others kids' or trying to break the play equipment whilst their parents are absolutely nowhere to be seen (presumably having a latte and using staring at their phone screen) does my bloody head in.

[Areasonablegal]

I think its fine for adults to be in - i have a toddler and wouldnt let him in there alone.

With older kids if parents are in there too arent they more likely to be well behaved?

[PerpetualStudent]

I remember being too tall to be allowed in soft play once I turned 11. My little Dbro and Dsis would run in and I had to sit quietly with my mum, sipping a hot chocolate and looking at a magazine. I remember thinking "Well, this is bullshit"
So glad I now have DS and an excuse to go romping about soft play once more! YABU op

[JennaRainbow]

What on earth do you think they're doing in there, apart from supervising?! I'd just be thankful that parents are looking after their children if they think they still need it. I'm quite an overly protective person but I have no idea where you're coming from.

[treaclesoda]

This crops up quite often on mumsnet but the soft play places that I go to don't allow adults on the equipment. There are signs up all over them saying that you'll be asked to leave if you go on the equipment, and that no refund will be given. Hence the equipment is an adult free zone (apart from staff, who are posted at various points around it to maintain order).

[PointxTaken]

We have one with vertical slides, my kids love them. I am too chicken to try them

I haven't been to any place not allowing adults, I wouldn't have left my kids alone in one. What are you supposed to do? Spend 2 hours watching the CCTV to check on your kids? Can't think of anything worst, I'd rather play inside.

[1AnnoyingOrange]

I think the presence of an adult should improve the behaviour of other children around so I would be pleased.

I did see a man sliding down the slide, just for fun, which was funny, but then he kept doing it and I was a bit concerned he would knock a child down at the bottom. But he didnt. But if it was my DH I would have been a bit embarrassed.

[Matchstickbox]

My 18m dd is to big and curious for the baby bit so I go in the under 4s bit with her. Ive asked the staff on two separate occasions if I'm ok to go in and they are fine with it.

[savagehk]

"Hence the equipment is an adult free zone (apart from staff, who are posted at various points around it to maintain order)."

The one near us which is adult free has no staff in the equipment.

[CherryChasingDotMuncher]

I prefer it, another adult is more likely to help an injured or upset child efficiently, can't imagine why anyone would have a problem with this

[Spikeyball]

Treaclesoda, what happens to the children who need more support than that? If my son had gone in by himself their would have been a very distressed child and a lot of other children being bitten.

[MalletsMallets]

Mine are too big now, but i would always go in with them (they wanted me too). It would inevitably end up with a little gang of children playing our game and following us round. Which did make me feel slightly uneasy as i had suddenly become responsible for someone elses kids!

To be honest the lord of the flies analogy is spot on, those places can be awful, mines been punched, kicked and pinned up against a wall by their throat - and it wasn't by the other adults! They've all happened with me there. So i think some kids perhaps need a little more supervision and some need an adult for confidence.

[JumpingJellybeanz]

The only issues I've had in soft play have been with the very much unsupervised children.

Same here. That's why DH always accompanies DS.

[treaclesoda]

Spikey I don't honestly know. I expect if you clear it with the staff first then an exception would be made. But in general it seems to work well, I've never heard anyone complaining about their child being intimidated or injured by other kids. Being supervised by adults who aren't their parents seems to work ok.

[Sparklingbrook]

Barbarian ours was in Bourton on the Water IIRC. It was great. We also used to go to one where they polished the wavy slides with Pledge.

I also think that adults are likely to accidentally injure a child in the confined spaces in some soft plays.

[phoenix1973]

Up until 6ish I used to go in with her. Not because I was worried about adults though. More so older feral kids.
She's 10 now, I never go in.

[CryingShame]

I've only gone in with a specific purpose - usually rescuing DS from the top of the slide when he's climbed up and lost his bottle. I've never noticed people lurking around there, only other parents settling disputes, wiping tears / noses or, like me, clambering down the play equipment because their arse is too big to go down the slide.

[Bringbackpublicfloggings]

I always go in with ds1 as he has physical difficulties, there's always parents in there having fun with their kids, I don't see a problem with it.

[RachelRagged]

Mine are all far too old now but when they were under 3 I would indeed go in with them in that area .

Once they were older I didn't but they certainly came to tell me if somebody had bullied them etc . Just glad those days are done.

[waterrat]

well I'd love to sit at the side and enjoy a cuppa but my 2.5 yr old won't go in without me....

[Mia1415]

I actually welcome the fact that there are some adults normally in there! You are completely over thinking this OP.

[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.

[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

[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.

[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.