To just want to go to th park and not pay £55 a week for soft play

[bestteacherinwales]

That's it really. We live in an area of natural beauty. With wonderful parks on our doorstep but my group of friends much prefer going to soft play.

It costs £4.50 entry. £3.00 for kids lunch with drink and £5.00 for an adults meal. Not including coffee and a drink. I spend £20 every time I go.

I now eat my own meal before leaving but I still spend £55 a week going to soft play as we go three days a week.

I understand when it's raining or cold but on a beautiful summers day or even when the weather is dry and reasonably warm I think it's better to go to the park.

We could have a picnic. Ham sandwich, cheese string, bottle of juice, little cake,fruit. Maximum of £5 total cost for a few hours and food for both of us.

AIBU to think soft play is a wast of money when you can go to the park?

I do know what they mean. They said in th have park you have to watch the Children as they could wander off while in soft play you can relax knowing they can't get out and it's more relaxing as a result.

I agree and love soft play because I can read a book while having a latte 😁

But I think three times a week is excessive and we could spend some times at the park. It's better for them to get fresh air anyway.

AIBU?

Then you should hover. I don't need to however, so I don't. So the blanket "you can't possibly read at soft play" is wrong.

They really don't need constant helicopter parenting.
There is a happy medium between helicopter parenting and letting your little shitbags terrorise everyone in the play area while you sip a cappuccino and chat with the huns.

Wow lots of soft play snobbery on here. They're really not that bad.

"chat with the huns"
This thread is awful.

There is a happy medium between helicopter parenting and letting your little shitbags terrorise everyone in the play area while you sip a cappuccino and chat with the huns.

indeed

People like toosexyforyahshirt are the ones who will be screaming bloody murder if their feral brats get hurt by a bigger child or a teen defending his younger siblings. Every. single. time.

I used to go twice a wk but Toller session for £3 and kids got juice and toast with that so we would go 10-12. Just cost of a coffee on top

I hate soft play, I hate parents that don't supervise their children at soft play too, it's ok if you are desperate on a wet day but I would rather dig my eyes out with spoons than go three times, once would be enough, three times is insane and shows huge lack of imagination on the other mums, get outside, do nature hunts, get muddy on outdoor mess rather than the flea pit rank ball pits xx

Can you do a reckie of some local parks? It really depends on the age of the children, but there'll be different sized ones with different gates and facilities?

So my 5 year old is free to roam in our bigger park while I play with the 18 month old. If I were going to a park with a friend with two small children. I wouldn't suggest the big park as it's easy to 'loose' children. Then I would suggest. Smaller park with one exit!
The other thing I do a lot is have friends round to the house. House is a pit afterwards but it doesn't take that long to sort out and you can be confident about the child safety (you have your own gates and stuff).

That's over £2800 a year, do you realise that! Bloody hell thats a decent family holiday you could have instead! Surely you can save the coffee and book for when the kids are in bed?!
I have 3 kids and the older 2 never really were that soft play obsessed as we always do more outdoor play just wrapping up warm in winter. Baby hasn't reached that stage yet.
Soft plays didn't even exist when I was young and I'm not that much of a dinosaur (mid 30's) and I don't think I missed out!
Besides, IMO it's good to teach kids boundaries outside for their own safety

Presumably everyone helicopters over their children at the park, the library the children's centre too

Soft play is great, children love it and it allows them to cut loose a bit whilst also learning to take risks and develop their physical skills.

However, if they are going 3 times a week they must be missing out on a lot of other stuff. What about crafting and painting and playing quietly with a dolls house or a play kitchen or whatever else you have at home? Playing in the garden, or the park, finding bugs under rocks, splashing in a paddling pool or a shallow stream. Even just learning to be bored and to think creatively to overcome that boredom.

I think 3 times a week, plus a weekly scheduled outing to the farm is too much, it doesn't leave a lot of room for different types of play.

And it costs a fuck of a lot.

I sometimes find groups of mums who meet, chat and it's all without a lot of thought for the children. Where do they come in all this? Are you interacting with them on these regular visits? We live in a culture where so many people seem to spend so much money on their children without any thought and it's crazy.

Oh ffs. Presumably most people at soft play (agree three times a week is excessive) interact with their children most of the rest of the time.

Do you know that is the suggest, crappest, least helpful post I've read in a long time.
Think of the children. Screw the mother.

Until last week DD (2) had never been to a soft play centre. Admittedly I enjoyed it, but she needs constant supervision in the bigger areas due to hip problems so it was far from relaxing, I can't expect my friend to monitor DD so I didn't even get a sit down in the entire 1.5 hours we were there, gonna leave it at least 1 month hopefully 2 before I go again!

Much prefer the local park which is fenced off so I can let DD roam a bit more freely and it's not so high up that I lose sight of her. Plus there's another one within walking distance that has birds and boules and tennis that you can watch too.

Make a big picnic for everyone (can't cost more than £55, can it?) and invite them all along. In this weather you can tell your childrenthat there'll be waterpistols etc and they'll tell their fend and then they'll all WANT to go, so the parents will HAVE to.

Maybe that will help the children see that it's more fun the park and start askig to do that instead.

Saw this clip and made me think of this thread

mobile.twitter.com/BBCTheOneShow/status/885931195384705025/video/1

I'm not quite sure I believe this post...three times a week at that cost just so you can see the same group of friends?! That's ridiculous.

Outdoors is free, it's healthier and kids need it! I personally hate soft play but tolerate a toddler session every few months if the weather's particularly bad. But during the summer?! You don't have to do everything with your friends, go spend some time outside with your little one, you'll both get a lot more from it than you will at soft play.

3 times a week. Gosh. I'm not sure I've been 3 times in ds' entire life except for birthday parties.

Winterview a 3 year old at DS' nursery currently has arm in plaster after breaking it in several places during a fall at soft play, so be warned- there are just as many hazards there too- almost more IMO. As with often too many kids/too many older kids all bumping around in crazy fashion in a confined area- so easy for them to get kicked/whacked/fall as well as pick up sick bugs etc far easier than they might playing outside. Don't mind soft play once/twice a month in Winter but going so often during the summer is madness.

OP why do you need to hang out with your friends all the time when with kids? Do more of your own thing/make other friends doing new things.

Do the same group of you go to the farm park on the Saturday? Is this 3x soft play, 1xfarm park routine repeated every week?!
😱

Just tell them the week before 'oh the weather looks great next week, I'm going to the park instead of soft play. Come if you can'

Mine have never been to soft play unless it was for parties. Expensive and filthy. £55 per week for hell on earth? YANBU. Just go to the park, there are bound to be other families there.

Soft play 3 times a week??? No way, and even if you do there's no need to spend so much money! I used to go after meals.

I don't take our DDs anymore. They get invited to enough parties at soft play places now they're both in school. And I got tired of DD1 forever hanging round the games consoles wanting to win a cuddly toy! I hate those things.

And, as a PP has said, children definitely need to be better supervised in soft play. Too often I've witnessed children misbehaving whilst their oblivious parents sit around drinking coffee.

I don't think you have to be particularly wealthy or well paid to have a couple of hundred a month surplus income. We do, and we're well below the 50th centile for our family size. It's just most people wouldn't want to spend that amount on soft play.

Fwiw I'm somewhat neutral. Soft play has a place. I also paradoxically am a bit of a devotee of going on a nice day, because you get the place to yourselves then.

If the aim is to be able to relax OP, what about more playdates at each other's houses? Take it in turns. That way you don't have to be concerned about them legging it off and you save money.