to be really annoyed out local soft play centre has installed three ipads within the play area

[Drqedwa]

okay so im not even sure why I am so annoyed about this really but I am.

My sons are three and four. I limit their ipad usage to 30 mins a day each. Im not anti ipads but I like them to have limited use of them at this age.

We have a varied week with different activities and one place they love going to is the local soft play. Today I noticed the soft play place have installed three ipads within the main play frame. My sons were immediately drawn to them but there was no way I was paying a combined £13 for then to sit down watching a screen. So I told them they were not allowed play on the ipads unti! 10 mins before home time. My oldest to his credit obeyed but my y youngest spent half the time playing on them. There were loads of children just watching the ipads when beforr they would have been running around using up energy.

I just think children have enough technology eithout the need for ipads in a soft play centre. The very reason I take my sons to soft play is to burn some energy off and do physical activity. Or else they might aswell stay indoors and ssve my money!

The table next to us were also annoyed about the ipads and said to me they csnt see why they needed to be in the main play area and not downstairs or out of the main play area a bit so that parents could more easily control when their child went on them.

AIBU to think ipads werr not necessary in thr main play frame and to be annoyed they were installed?

Wondered how long it would be before the Macdonald's snobs came out.

Different strokes, different folks people...

‘Snobs’, lol

Lol at questioning why you would take a 4 year old to McDonalds
Its McDonalds, not the local crack den

You often wonder though...

I deal with the ones in McDonalds by not taking my child into McDonalds.

Exactly this.

You're all the ones getting irate with McDonald's for providing technology for your kids - so don't go there. Simple.

Yup, I'm absolutely off my tits from the once monthly/six weekly big mac and my kids and I are morbidly obese. Have you people never heard of everything in moderation? sigh

KittenBeast defensive, much?

That’s still too much McDonalds.

Also, the worse thing about McDs isn’t the ipads to entertain the hyper little darlings and stop them from bouncing off the walls.

No, not particularly, I just don't like it when people think they're above others. I assume you think I'm overweight because we occasionally pop in there?

I assume you think I'm overweight because we occasionally pop in there?

No?! What an odd comment. It's not like I've never been there! My point was if you have an issue with iPads in there you must be going enough for it to be an issue- so don't go!

YANBU. My kids are too old for soft play now but this would have infuriated me.

As for the suggestion that people would take their kids to the soft play in order to play with the ipads because they can't afford one at home, surely it's way way cheaper to not go to soft play for a few weeks/months and save the money to buy your own tablet?

YANBU i wouldn't like it either.

I also hate the ones in McDonalds, when we pop in i won't let my boys sit on the tables that have them.

Smug parent bingo thread ✅✅✅

With the money you spend in a few soft play sessions you could buy some decent outdoor wear and go to the park all year round.
What do you think kids in colder climates than ours do? Stay in all winter? A bit of cold, wet or even snow doesn’t hurt if you have the right clothes. I didn’t notice any kids complaining about the weather when they were out making snowmen in the thick snow we had recently.

I am no smug parent

But as someone who battles to get my kids off a screen I would be fucked off to pay for them to exercise and get out and then have another bastard screen there 😔

Smug? . Don't be a fool, Longhair.

Soft play is shit for kids take them to an actual park outside

This is a stupid play.

Soft play is for play
Staring at a screen is a different sort of activity.

CBA to read all the smug parents comments. I think it makes some people feel good to assume superiority on I find it very tedious and it makes me feel sad when women have a go at other women in that way.

This is a stupid idea! Not a stupid play. Although prob that too.

My goodness we do have some people on here with a superiorly complex.
Comparing paying to get in soft play with buying an iPad
What would you take a four year old McDonald’s
And then we have the general anti soft play.

Back to the OP yep that would really really annoy me

Soft play is shit for kids take them to an actual park outside

Yah, my toddler grandson loves the force 9 gales and frozen rain....

Why do kids seem to need to be constantly bombarded with flashing images? I had this with a kid last week. I asked them just to sit for a few minutes while I got something for the next session and they complained loudly that they were bored.

There's nothing wrong with a few minutes of boredom. It gives the brain a rest. There is no need for ipads all over the place.

Run around in softplay. Get tired so sit for a minute. It won't kill them not to be entertained for a short time.