Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be sick of kids at soft play!

125 replies

changedname10 · 07/12/2018 11:11

I follow my DD round at soft play, she's only 2 and has a speech delay so doesn't say much! We go once a week and without FAIL every time we are there another kid either pushes or hits her.. I am so sick of it! And the child that does it is always with a grandparent that is sat on there ass drinking coffee!

I follow my DD round to make sure A:she is ok and B: that she doesn't hit/push other children and if she does I can correct her!!!

AIBU to think people are just fucking lazy and should watch there kids!!!

OP posts:
Haworthia · 07/12/2018 11:13

I refuse to go to soft play for that reason.

That, and the fact they’re noisy hellholes full of other kids’ festering germs Grin

EmUntitled · 07/12/2018 11:15

YANBU, I haven't had any incidents of hitting or pushing (we go on a weekday afternoon when its really quiet) but the lack of supervision still annoys me.

I go round with my little one as she is only 20 months and can't do many of the obstacles without help. Invariably I have a random kid trailing round after me needing help up the steps etc. while their parent/guardian sits on their phone or has a coffee. I feel bad for the kid but also I find it annoying as I want to spend time with my daughter, not playing with someone else's child.

BakerBear · 07/12/2018 11:15

My daughter is 6 and we have been going to play centres since she was around 2.5ish and i dont follow her around.

The idea of going to these places is that the kids go and play and you get to drink brews, chat to other mums or mumsnet!

Yes you should keep an eye on them but not literally get on the play equipment and follow them around.

BettyOBarley · 07/12/2018 11:16

I read about this a lot on here but I must admit during the many, many, many times I've had to endure soft play I've never come across this (or seen it anyway). I agree with pp about the germs though, make me shudder to think about it 🤢

JustABetterPlayer · 07/12/2018 11:16

I hate them for that reason, the feral little toads mother/father is normally sat on their phone or nattering with other oblivious parents. God forbid people could keep an eye on their children for one hour (especially when said children are little shits).

notsohippychick · 07/12/2018 11:16

You’ll probably get accused in here if being a “helicopter’ parent OP. I follow mine at soft play because he’s 3 and like yours can’t speak yet (autism). I gets pushed or walloped every time by a kid who’s parent is elsewhere.

I have been known to go over to that parent and speak up. Cue the scowls and looks!!

notsohippychick · 07/12/2018 11:17

Feral little toads!!!!!

This has made my day!!

crispysausagerolls · 07/12/2018 11:17

YANBU it’s extremely sad - experienced soft play for the first time yesterday, one older child was trying to get me and my friend to pay him attention as his dad was just sitting on his laptop ignoring him.

Cadburyssurpriseegg · 07/12/2018 11:17

Yes lots of lazy parents / carers.
That’s why after a couple of visits to softplay with dd I never took her again.
I have three older dc I used to take all the time around 10 years ago but I don’t remember it being this bad.
Older Children literally fly kicking small babies in face at the baby and toddler section which they’re not allowed to be in. Ridiculous.

EmUntitled · 07/12/2018 11:22

@Cadburyssurpriseegg

My friend and I always tell kids to leave if they are in the baby area and obviously aged over 3. There was a kid there once on the baby swing he literally couldn't even fit in who proudly told me "I'm 7" so I said "Well this swing is for little babies so maybe you should go and play over there?".

On the same visit there was a kid aged about 18 months crying his eyes out after being hit by the same swing, no parent in sight.

Neededastealthname · 07/12/2018 11:25

Soft play is just too good for lazy parents to pass up, I think that's why it's always so horrible with unsupervised little terrors. My son who would of been around two at the time had a much older boy walk up and just out of nowhere grab him around the throat, I saw the boy watching me my DS and husband playing and I think it was through jealousy. Horrible places because they do seem to attract a certain type of parent.

Awwlookatmybabyspider · 07/12/2018 11:27

It happens a trillion times a day between little ones. Its honestly not worth getting wound up over.
Kids do push and hit each other
. Its just part of growing up and learning.
Maybe I'm the weirdo but it never bothered me all that. I've never been one of those "Tell your kid not push mine, types."

Happyandshiney · 07/12/2018 11:30

Just don’t go.

I thought softplay was the 7 th circle of hell when my kids were wee.

Do something else instead

TheLittlestLightOnTheTree · 07/12/2018 11:31

softplay is just another 'phone zone' for lazy parents.....

Sockwomble · 07/12/2018 11:31

If a child hits etc then they need someone on with them but not all 2 year olds will need someone if there are only young children on the frame.

IamSusan · 07/12/2018 11:41

YANBU

I hate these lazy parents so much! At 2 ,you have to follow them everywhere unfortunately. You have to, there are much bigger children and it's just not fair. You can't tell me that being shoved out of the way by an 8 year old when you are 2 is part of growing up.
How would you react if a 6.2" man was shoving YOU out of the way?

The kids can be feral little little toads Grin but sometimes you feel even sorry for them. How many times have I seen a little one in tears, stuck or hurt, but "mummy" couldn't be bothered to check on him? I remember one who must have been crying for more than 5 mn, his ankle stuck in the ropes, until another parent came to rescue him and went round the tables to find his mum. The mum was fine, she was enjoying her coffee, who cares if her child was in pain.

Soft plays get better when your own children get older and go with their friends. You keep an eye on them, but you no longer need to follow them.

AliceScarlett · 07/12/2018 11:43

Petri-dish germ filled hell. No thanks. Get her outside in the fresh air.

Biancadelriosback · 07/12/2018 11:44

I dont think it's nice or fair to call children names like some PPs have on here. I follow my 23 month old around because he's fearless and will happily throw himself down a hole/slide/ledge, also he will wander up to people he doesn't know and talk to them or try and play with them (believe me I'm working on this!). However I know many parents who use soft plays as a chance for them to sit down and have a hot cuppa! I wouldn't call then lazy or shit parents, they just have a different view of soft plays to others.

Youshallnotpass · 07/12/2018 11:45

I follow my kids around soft play because its a great excuse to do soft play as an adult... Am I the only one who still enjoys soft play? Grin

Seriously though, we do soft play a lot and my DC is small for his age. Never come across this except the odd accidental coming together

Original poster
changedname10 · 07/12/2018 11:45

@BakerBear well I hope at 6 years old your DC doesn't hit or push anyway, I'm talking about under school age

OP posts:
Original poster
changedname10 · 07/12/2018 11:46

@Awwlookatmybabyspider when my DD gets smacked in the face and has a red mark it's not something to get wound up over ? If I hit her that hard she would get taken of me

OP posts:
IRanSoFarAway · 07/12/2018 11:46

That's why I hated soft play!

piscis · 07/12/2018 11:50

I think it depends on the soft play and the age. There are less busy soft play where you can relax more but some others you can't.

I went once to a well-known soft play in London where they have areas for bigger children and another one for under 2's. DD is under 2 so we went to that area. There were kids over 2 continually getting in the under 2's area, one of them took a plastic ball and he went straight to my DD face (it was intentionally, he wanted to hit her with the ball). Then another of this "feral little toads" was about to jump in a small pool of balls where my DD was sitting, right on top of her, he was around 6yo or so...If I wasn't there she would have been harmed for sure. These two kids were unattended, I later saw them with what I think was their nanny (surprise! these two so badly behaved kids were brothers).

HoustonBess · 07/12/2018 11:52

I think even normally well-behaved kids can get a bit hyped up at these things (echoey acoustics, weird textures, crazy colours) so it's a bit OTT to make out like kids who play up are generally feral.

I'm a lazy parent. We've only been to soft play a handful of times. I keep an eye on DD but would'nt be hovering one metre away all the time in case there's a conflict I need to intervene in. Kids need to learn to manage these things for themselves. There's a line to cross (like any actual hitting), then I'd step in, but if DD's just getting annoyed over a conflict about a toy I'd rather see if the kids can resolve it without adults.

I think it's a bit weird to follow your kid around, like you're their bodyguard or something. It communicates to them that if something frustrating happens an adult will immediately make it better.

Elfinablender · 07/12/2018 11:53

Just don't go if you don't like it.

Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.

Join Mumsnet Log In

This thread is closed and is no longer accepting replies. Click here to start a new thread.