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Original poster

To not understand why so many parents hate going to Soft Play?

243 replies

BlueMoon1103 · 05/01/2020 13:01

I’m at soft play with my DS (9 months) and I actually love bringing him! There are loads of nice soft play near me with baby areas and smaller versions of the big soft play the older kids use. I guess we’re lucky to have so many nice ones to choose from where I am but so many parents say they hate soft play and I don’t get why, both me and my DS think it’s great fun!

OP posts:
katmarie · 05/01/2020 13:05

Its loud, it's full of other peoples kids (unpleasant) and their parents (double unpleasant). And my dc always come down with the plague afterwards because they will insist on trying to eat the balls from the ball pit. What's not to love?

katmarie · 05/01/2020 13:06

Ds seems to love it though so I hrit my teeth and bear it.

Pardonwhat · 05/01/2020 13:07

Because children

olivehater · 05/01/2020 13:07

It’s a germ spreader. The food is normally terrible. Would rather be out in the fresh air. Only go when am desperate. Some are better than others. The ones that are set up as proper nice cafes are preferable to the ones that sell chips and chicken nuggets and toasties on big industrial units.

Littlemissdaredevil · 05/01/2020 13:07

I like it but it frustrates me when people let their 8/9 year olds run riot in the toddler area pushing and shoving the 1/2 year olds out the way!

NomNomNomNom · 05/01/2020 13:07

It's loud and ugly looking and there is quite often some awful kid punching everyone who comes down the slide or similar. Kids seem to love it though!

Chocolatedeficitdisorder · 05/01/2020 13:07

You really don't want to know how many threadworm eggs you can find in your average ball pit...

jeremypaxo · 05/01/2020 13:08

I haven't yet been to a nice one but I'm glad to hear they exist!

I find them boring, noisy and unhygienic. But needs must. Better than being cooped up at home.

RedskyAtnight · 05/01/2020 13:08

I think it's fine if you find a small nice one.
We used to travel 25 minutes to one such (I actually used to sit and knit while the children played and found it very therapeutic!). We avoided the ones near us like the plague as they were loud, dirty, rowdy and overpriced.

You're lucky to have found one that is good for babies - baby areas are often overrun by older children. And bear in mind that your baby is only 9 months! You might feel differently by the time they are 5.

TheDarkPassenger · 05/01/2020 13:08

Would much rather go to a park than sit in these places, we have nice ones here too but they’re still not pleasant due to the target audience

TinkysWinky · 05/01/2020 13:09

we enjoy it these days but thats because my kids are at an age where they can run on in with their pals and they dont really resurface until they want a drink / snack etc, I can sit with my friend and have a coffee - I found it tough going when they were toddlers and needed constant supervision at soft play centres when it was always busy and having to fend off bigger kids in the baby area etc

crosser62 · 05/01/2020 13:09

I’m grumpy.
The noise.
Other people’s kids
Other people’s kids hitting/pushing being shits to each other and my kids.
The nagging for fruit shoots, bright blue slush stuff, all manner of shot that I don’t give my kids.
Getting them out of the place, screaming and throwing themselves on the floor because we have to leave.
Having to go onto the bloody stuff when they are not big enough to go by themselves. I’ve a fat arse and can’t squeeze into the small bits that a 2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 year old can squeeze through.
Grown ups are not allowed on the slides...tell that to my 3 year old screaming and struggling to go down the fucking thing.
I hate hate hate those places.

Icantfind · 05/01/2020 13:10

BIgger kids unsupervised pushing smalls out of the way.

Screaming and squealing kids.

Awful food.

No wine to take the pain away.

Smell really weird.

Disgusting toilets.

WorraLiberty · 05/01/2020 13:11

I think the baby area is very different to the toddler/child areas tbh.

My kids are grown now but the biggest complaint I hear from family/friends with young kids who use soft play, is that so many parents are too busy looking at their phones to see what their kids are up to.

Spam88 · 05/01/2020 13:11

Other people's children. I assume that's the reason most parents don't like it..?

raspberryk · 05/01/2020 13:11

Just wait til your ds is older, in a gang of 3 and 4 year olds screaming and hitting each other, fighting over the equipment, hanging off the table where youre trying to drink coffee refusing to go and play, yet you can't drag them away without kicking and screaming when the times up.

grafittiartist · 05/01/2020 13:12

I used to really enjoy going!!

Natsku · 05/01/2020 13:12

I like going to them, love an excuse to clamber around the labyrinth with a toddler. The germs are annoying but I suppose its all good for the immune system in the long run.

Don't have any near me though so its only a rare treat for the children - DS is nearly 2 and went for the first time on Friday.

PineappleDanish · 05/01/2020 13:12

NOISE

Shite coffee, screaming kids, screaming adults, uncomfortable seating, horrid bathrooms.

Hell on earth.

KimchiLaLa · 05/01/2020 13:12

Yes, other people's children

And the parents who can't seem to understand that taking a child to softplay doesn't automatically mean you get to not parent them

isabellerossignol · 05/01/2020 13:12

I never particularly minded it although I wouldn't say I loved it. The soft play places that I went to didn't allow adults in the play equipment and I think that helped a lot. You didn't have that awful situation of adults mowing down small children and then all arguing with each other. The adults had a coffee, the children played. It was fine.

ElefanteIntheroom · 05/01/2020 13:13

You really don't want to know how many threadworm eggs you can find in your average ball pit

WHAT???

Think I'm going to keep DD (4) away from soft play from now on. Luckily she's never caught worms and been going to lots since she was 6 months.

The park it is, even in the rain.

thunderthighsohwoe · 05/01/2020 13:14

Bloody love them, especially now DD is almost walking. Friends and I can plonk ourselves down in the baby area on a Saturday morning and be guaranteed at least an hour of chattering while the babies toddle about and amuse themselves. We then get company while we shovel food into their mouths and drink coffee, and usually a good long nap once at home.

Friends with older DC say it gets even better once they’re aged 3+ and you can let them loose in the main area and chill out at the table with a hot drink 😃

Mind you, I am a teacher and bring home all the germs anyway so fetid ball pits don’t scare me much.

formerbabe · 05/01/2020 13:14

It's an attack on the senses.

It's not too bad in term time...it's pure hell in school holidays/weekends.

Luckily my dc are too old for it now...well my youngest is probably the right age range still but she hates it!

AnneLovesGilbert · 05/01/2020 13:15

It’s my idea of hell. I took my step kids a few times and hated every second. No chance my baby will ever set foot in one.

Dirty, germy, noisy, other people’s kids. Yeeuuerghh.