AIBU - to be annoyed with adults at soft play?

[HLBug]

Your child is fine. Absolutely fine. Not a wobbly toddler but a properly capable bounding 4 year old. You helicoptering and following them around inside the climbing frames is not necessary and now you're just causing a massive obstruction for all the other kids. There is also a high chance of you getting stuck. Please, go and sit down.

If you are sitting down though, please remember it's only 11.10am. That is not an appropriate time for you to eat a large bowl of chips. It's just not. No chance of DS wanting those apple slices now!

It's raining and it's the school holidays...what the fuck possessed me to think soft play would be a good idea?! But it's the adults that are seriously getting on my wick. AIBU??

I am one of those helicopter parents. My normal looking child has social communication difficulties and no idea of personal safety. There is nothing my I would like more than to be one of those parents sitting down watching their children play.... and those chips are for my child, it might stop a meltdown so my other child can continue to play and have a more normal existence.... and yes there is load of ketchup on them as I gave up the battle over food years ago.

So yabvu......

I was sort of with you until your ridiculous chips comment. Why do you give a shit what time people eat chips? I'm pregnant and ate chicken nuggets earlier than that today - judge all you like but I don't see why it's any of your concern.

I don't like seeing parents chatting away over coffee while there tiny child is stuck in the frame crying his eyes out every few minutes, needing me to rescue him. Some people use it as an excuse to switch off from parenting. That annoys me.
Get in there with your child when possible and have a bit bloody fun.
Oh and most people eat chips because most soft play serve not many other cheap snacks, except crap!

Maybe the parent was enjoying actually playing with their child?
Maybe said child has some sort of special needs? None of your business really!

Your child is fine. Absolutely fine. Not a wobbly toddler but a properly capable bounding 4 year old.

How do you know they are?

I helicopter my 8yo son in softplay - you might mistake him for a 4yo, as he is very small and doesn't talk - not just for his own safety, but also to intervene when other children don't understand his behaviour. But because he doesn't wear a t-shirt emblazoned with "I am autistic" there is no way you would know.

So glad mine are older now. I remember taking them to soft play, sitting there wishing I was a bird so I could fly into the ceiling fan.

I don't go on the frames but I do sort of helicopter because I have a bounding,fearless 3 year old and my best friend has a shy, nervous 2.5 year old and I've seen how my bounder can unintentionally frighten less confident children. So I need to be close enough to remind him to go slowly and take care around others. To be honest, 3 years in and I'm beginning to feel like you can't do right for doing wrong when it comes to parenting!

I love playing in soft play areas. I miss it now my kids are older. Ball pools were my favourite. I wasn't helicoptering I was playing.

The best time to go to soft play is not a rainy day but in a heatwave. In my experience whilst everyone else is off 'enjoying' the sun, you can stay cool in a nice air conditioned building, drinking coffee whilst your child has the place to themselves.

Also, mmmm chips.

yanbu at all! I hate all the overeating at soft play more than the helicopter parents to be honest. I'm with you op. down with chips at 11am! x

you cant win can you, If you don't supervise you lazy if you do you a helicopter,

I have anxiety and I used to go in the softplay area with my toddler until she was about 4 and I realised it was safe,

Be kind you don't always know whats going on in peoples lives, Stop sitting and judging folk

Absolutely hate ' Superdads' and ' cool aunties' who go in the softplay with kids, because they think it's amusing.

Always feel like saying to them, " you do realise you aren't the first grown up to go down a children's slide, so you can take that smug, look at me grin off your face"

There are so many annoying things about kids, parents and staff at soft play, but adults needlessly going on it is in the top 10 for sure.

I'm afraid I have to helicopter as my daughter has ASD and 1. Won't go in on her own and 2. Is likely to wallop another kid if she feels threatened. I'd rather make sure that doesn't happen if that's all the same to you, judgeypants.
stuffs chips in face

Bobby "superdads" and "cool aunties" with "smug grins"?

You mean people having fun with their children?

If my dc being in a soft play required me to go on the equipment, I wouldn't bring him! So fair play to the parents who do.

Now I'm going to have to have chips!

Not guilty! My soft play does wine! No chance of me getting my size 🤔 Arse stuck in the rollers when there prosecco on the go!!!

Your child is fine. Absolutely fine. Not a wobbly toddler but a properly capable bounding 4 year old.

Except my bounding (almost) 4 year old isn't fine. Her coordination is delayed and the fact she can't do the same as the other kids upsets her.
You wouldn't know though, because she's tall and speaks very well.

Why do I bother going if DD can't participate fully?

Because she wants to go. It makes her happy and besides, her OT recommend it to improve gross motor skills.

Fuck your judgement, I'm sick of it.

You should go to German soft play. They have wine! And beer! From 11am onwards. Personally I can't think of a worse place to be drunk in but there you go...

4 is a tricky age at soft play - they have outgrown the younger 'baby' bit but are not usually capable of coping with the boisterous older kids in the big frame, or capable of coming out to find you if they get hurt etc.

My soft play is huge. Once your child is in you can rarely see them, you just have to wait for them to pop out somewhere! DS1 who is 7 goes in alone and I leave him to it, but DS2 who is 4 needs me to go on with him. He wants to go in the same as his older brother and the 'rules' state he can if supervised by an adult - so in I go as well.

Some parts of it are too tricky for him so he needs help, some older kids behave disgustingly, and I am glad I am there to prevent him being hurt accidentally or otherwise. There are plenty of other parents in there with their own 4 year olds and we smile to each other with knowing looks of our shared pain as we squeeze past each other on the nets!

Soft play has done wonders for my eldest's confidence when away from me, so I for all their horrors I tend to go with them being a 'good thing', but my secret fear is him falling and damaging his spine or neck and all the other kids just trampling and bouncing around and over him and it being ages before anyone realises!