To be sick of kids at soft play!

[changedname10]

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!!!

Phone zone for lazy parents?! What the actual f....?!

Some of us are single parents and need ten mins to sit and have a cup of tea through the day! (I'm also disabled so this is even more needed for me) Doesn't mean we don't go and join in or at least go and check on them every ten mins or so!!!!

My child has never hit any other child THAT I KNOW OF (before I get laughed at....!)

We're not all lazy for fuck's sake!!! Conversely, not all kids at soft play who are left to their own devices, are aggressive little shits!

MN always has me rolling my eyes! 🙄

Yanbu. I have an 18 month old and I have to follow him around very closely as it’s either a 2/3 year old hitting and pushing or some giant 8 year old in the baby area jumping over him and knocking him over. I saw a baby of about 6 months get repeatedly hit in the face for literally no apparent reason by a toddler who was about 2 and the parent of the toddler was nowhere to be seen. I’d be mortified if that was my son so I follow him round to prevent that sort of thing just as much as I’m following him to look after him. Some carers are so lazy and seem to see soft care as some sort of crèche.

Ahoydelboy I am including children under two. My daughter has hit me, when she was under two and it got nipped in the bud quickly. I am the only person she has ever hit and its been through fruatration before she could talk. A little bit of hitting at that young age I can kind of understand but in general children hitting other children I just don't get.
I'm not including children with additional needs but I think parents of Any child that is going to hit should keep said child separate and interact with them in a safe way

@Mummylife2018 apparently on MN when you're a mum you lose all agency in being your own person who wants a break occasionally. How DARE you play on your phone when you could be gazing adoringly at little Tarquinius

Mine have never been hit at soft play and we go once a week. Most parents stay with their kids but admittedly I do get a coffee and a have a few sips whilst I can watch them. Maybe try another one?

I don't think parents having a brew for ten mins whilst their kids play is lazy. I get knackered running after my 2 and 3 year old there

My son was in a queue for the slide (he was about 2 or 3). The boy behind him suddenly bit him very hard for no reason, it was like a random dog bite. I saw the whole thing and had to take ds home. Another time, a kid of about 6 walked up to my 2yo (again, I was watching, I thought the kid was going to talk to my ds) and the kid floored my ds like toy soldier. Never again. I fucking hate soft play. Germy hell hole.

I think the parents of little ones deserve a break

You are not wrong. There are always a small handful of selfish aggressive kids defending prized areas or scrambling over smaller kids. I used to have to follow DD2 around as she is has multiple disabilities.
On the plus side, it was quite common for a girl between 6 and 9 to decide to “adopt” DD2 and follow us around being sweet with her and helping us.
The bigger kids divebombing the ballpool with tinies in it used to make my hair stand on end. I would tell them off for that, I feared broken necks.

@Huntawaymama my DD never once hit anyone either, and I put it down to "well I've clearly raised her correctly"...along come DS, aged almost 2, who I have raised identically...and I was utterly mortified when a few weeks ago he walloped another 2yo in soft play I did tell him off and apologised to the mum. I think it's luck of the draw, rather than a personal achievement, but I suspect like me you have a very gentle DD and it is tough to watch them be hurt and so upset about it in a place where they should be having fun

I feel your pain- I go during the day when not at work in the week "toddler time"- unfortunately toddlers mean 0-5....I dont expect 4/5 year olds to be followed round like I have to my 1 year old. But the Little sods hurl giant bits of foam around that could easily hit the little ones, one precocious little madam informed me that "she was playing here" when my LO dared to wonder within 2 metres of where she was. Smile and deep breaths.

Go to a soft play with baby area. Keep the 2 year old in baby area where they belong. Those areas that I've seen are small enough so you can see if someone is about to hit your child, and you don't have to stay 2 steps behind at all times. You can also ask all 7 year olds to get out of under 3 area.
No, I will not hover over my 5 year old, who is not known for hitting, in an area that's purpose built for them to safely run around and let off some steam.

I used to follow mine around when he was too small to safely get about on his own. Now that he can, I sit and watch from further away.

Obviously YANBU to be upset that other kids push and hit your child, OP, but I don't think parents need to follow their children around to stop that (not to mention it would be totally unfeasible for every single parent to follow their child around the equipment). A) I have taught my son not to hit and push other kids and B) I can see him most of the time from the café tables anyway and would obviously be up to give him hell if I saw him hit another child.

On the germs thing, I used to deliberately take him to build up his immune system! He wasn't in daycare or nursery or anything like that until he was older than 3, so I wanted to make sure he had some contact with the usual colds and all that!

I would expect if everyone followed their kids around soft play we’d have a much bigger issue

God all these people thinking it's acceptable for there kids to hit because there 'kids' and it happens!!! I wouldn't even mind my daughter getting hit if the parents were there to apologise because yes kids are KIDS and have to learn but we are adults and should be there to watch them! Why should my child not be able to enjoy soft play so a grown adult can sit and enjoy a 'quiet brew' ?? If your that bothered about having quiet time don't have children....

And as for the person getting upset but they are 'disabled' and need 5 mins, if you know your child doesn't hit them it's not your child we're talking about is it ?

Soft play centres are evil places. I avoid them unless it's an an unavoidable invited party. The balls in the ballpit never get cleaned as it's basically impossible so they're full of sick and excrement. Can you tell I'm a germ freak?

And as for the person getting upset but they are 'disabled' and need 5 mins, if you know your child doesn't hit them it's not your child we're talking about is it

The problem was that you seemed to be on a tirade against ALL parents who sit and relax while their kids are on the equipment.

If you're you're simply asking if it's unreasonable to be annoyed by bad parents letting their kids hit yours at soft play, then it seems obvious that the unanimous answer is going to be NO YANBU. Obviously!

I follow my 17 month DS round. For both his protection and also to make sure he doesn’t hit or anything. He does try and hug other children’s heads though and go ‘aaaahhh’ as he does it.

There’s always parents just sitting warbling on while they’re kids are creating havoc and being rough with the little ones, or disruptive, like throwing the big foam shapes or the balls from the ball pool, (in the toddler section), their parents don’t come over at all.

I like soft play. My kids love it, they burn off loads of steam, I usually go with friends so we can have a chat, and I'm not a germ freak so couldn't care less about how dirty or clean it possibly is.

What's not to like?

I don't think violence in any form is acceptable but I think at some stage most kids will push shove, hit, or throw something- however gently . Who knows even yours may have done and you didn't see it happen.

It's trying to strike a balance isn't it? My eldest is old enough to go into soft play without me and I like to have a drink but do my best to keep an eye on her.

I find that there are some parents of the children causing the most havoc will be sat furthest away with their back to them because if they can't see what their children are getting up to they don't have to deal with it.

Pfb!

The very young ones should be in the allocated younger area only and closely monitored as it is an activity that requires a bit of robustness (dn dislocated her elbow twice at softplay all by herself!). Once they are old enough (not just in the age signposted, but physical and emotional maturity) they should be supervised in the big area for a while.

As they get older it is ok for them to play independently, but even the most well behaved of children can get over excited and in the wrong circumstances lose their temper and there may be an occasional push/hit. It is to be expected in this type of activity with developing children but as long as they are suitably chastised by their parents when informed I don't have a problem.

I have always found the staff usually speak to the parents of any child who is repeatedly hitting if you let them know. They either ask for them to be removed from the soft play area for a time out or if known to the centre to just leave. If the centre staff aren't dealing with problem children I wouldn't go again.

At our local soft play there is a beast of a woman working there who is straight onto the kids too old to be in the toddler section - it's the reason I go knowing my DS will be safe. Can't bear 9yos flinging themselves around when there's a perfectly good older section for them

YANBU. I only took my DD once or twice as they were horrendous.

On one of the visits some little shit actually punched her in the face and gave her a black eye

I think there are usually 2 kinds of children in soft plays, the ones that are more likely to be hit and ones that are more likely to get hit.

My eldest is one who is more likely to be hit. It is really annoying when your child gets hit and the parents are nowhere to be seen. I don't think that parents of older children should follow them around the soft play but should have some awareness of where they are and check if they're involved if there has clearly been an altercation.