To ask what your experience is with soft play

[aw1212]

Taking DS to soft play centre for the first time this afternoon.. I've heard a few horror stories on here and it has made me wonder what I should expect 😬

AIBU to ask for your experiences?

Sorry about the typos. Lord of the flies😀

Like the Hunger Games for toddlers.

I send my husband with DS whilst I'm at work

Always a cold or sickness bug afterwards so not worth it for us!

Fine. Never anything that wasn't in the range of what I expected.

@Hoik ‘a description is the most accurate I’ve ever come across

I avoid them on weekends and during school holidays as theyre too busy and my toddler doesn't have the social skills to leave the older kids alone so it takes far more hovering from me.

Weekdays when schools are on are much better. I've never noticed DS getting ill from soft play.

Took DS to Injoy the other day and this kid snatched everything DS had out of his hands and the mum didn't say anything just laughed along. Wonder if she would've laughed if I chucked the little shit in the ball pit?

It was hell. So dirty, overcrowded and honestly not a lot to do in the toddlers bit. There were two mums sat on the side of the ball pit on their phones so I couldn't even go in there with DS

You should've pushed them in OP

I broke my coccyx at soft play once. I was 32 at the time!

Our local soft play is pretty good - well-managed, staff pay attention to what's going on, and if we're there during school hours, it's not too busy. That said, we mostly go for a specific class and have a run around and play after for a few minutes. Now my 3yo is able to amuse herself (up to a point) I've occasionally been able to get bits of work done in between the 'Daddy, daddy, daddy' interruptions.

That said, if you have a local gym club that offers any kind of drop-in session for toddlers, I'd have a look at that. You'll probably miss out on the coffee and cake side of things, but in addition to the toys you usually get access to trampolines, crash mats, balance beams, etc. One of the gym clubs near us sets up an obstacle course that changes each week, so there's always a new challenge. It's been a real hit and, IMHO, better than soft play for the kids.

@HomeEdRocks18 how!?