To ask if you will let your children use playgrounds?

[PickACoolUserName]

Playgrounds are opening next week and already I've heard from a few parents who are saying they won't let their children anywhere near them.

DS has been desperate to go and I'm of the opinion that the risk is very, very, low. Just wondering what other people's thoughts are?

The little park on our housing estate isn't fenced so its never had anything up to officially close it. Kids stayed off it for the first couple of weeks of lockdown but they slowly started to re-emerge then. Mine have been going on the last three weeks. The kids who live on the estate all attend the same primary school, and the kids on the park are all either attending, or have a sibling attending, (either throughout as key worker/SEN or more recently in the 'right' years) so not meeting up to play seemed a bit pointless from the 1st of June. Really glad the bigger parks are opening now for some variety though!

In Ireland here they have been open since last week. Honestly it’s brilliant, we’ve been twice a day to different playgrounds and the kids are so happy! Was getting so fed up of walking , now we have the playground to entertain us

@Bmidreams I think you’ll find that’s actually the shrug of every sensible parent out there 🤷🏼‍♀️

@Stuckforthefourthtime ‘sacrifices of others bloody pointless.’ This bloody martyr attitude of people’s needs to stop. We have all made sacrifices, huge sacrifices to our own and children’s life for the greater good. Now it’s time to ease up and let them be little. Sit at home with your poor kids feeling victimised that anyone dare go to the park as allowed by the government but keep it to yourself life’s hard enough.

He’s just about the right age for sandpits now too.
What age is that

Oh it sounds like there will be so many happy children soon, mine included . It is ludicrous that IKEA could open but playgrounds couldn't. I think we've treated children terribly during this pandemic.

@Napqueen1234 of course you should go out. My child who is allowed back at school is attending and I'm going to the shops, we are no kind of martyrs. What I'm not doing is increasing the risk to my DC's teachers, or the more general risk of increased spread by letting them play out with multiple families just because they're back at school.

We haven't all made huge sacrifices, the sacrifices have been massively unequal, and I feel it is very disrespectful to those making the largest ones to go fully back to normal just yetm

DD is only 18 months. We'll go to the little one down the road that's basically aimed at the under 4's and is generally very quiet. Then a good hand wash and clothes change afterwards.

Think I'm likely to be uncomfortable with the bigger busier one's for a while though.

My logic brain tells me it should be fine and community transmission is very low but my heart isn't quite there yet!

That annoying shoulder shrug emoji sums you up. No sense of social responsibility.

Get a grip 🤷‍♂️

Absolutely I will be allowing DS to use the playground.

Hell yes! We moved to this area during early lockdown and my kids have not been able to try out any parks. Will be great for my kids to get to use play equipment and play with other kids. Will get them to use hand gel before and after.

That annoying shoulder shrug emoji sums you up. No sense of social responsibility.

It’s about time we prioritised our responsibility to our children, who have been made to pay a very heavy price to protect the population from a disease that barely affects them.

Yep. We will be in the playing on all of the equipment and having fun. God knows the kids need it. Will be washing hands and using gel and not touching faces etc.

Cant wait, have been sneaking in for weeks but the disapproving glances from other parents are a downer.

@Bmidreams my responsibility first and foremost is to my children and seeing the change in them over the past few days has been amazing. They have more chance of getting struck by lightning than covid. So apologies for the annoying shoulder shrug but im so over lockdown - that i did follow strictly until this weekend.

I won't be going just yet as I'm a childminder and have 4-5 children daily that it would be impossible for me to ensure each child was social distancing and the fact we have strict guidance over cleanliness. Weekends the parks will be rammed unless we went first thing. It's not about me wanting to live in bubble wrap it's the fact that if we were to come into contact with someone who did have symptoms it could impact not only my family but the families who use my services.

Yes we will be going to the park. My toddler needs parks Sooo badly

Yes. I mean, it’s outside. And my 2 year old DS has been clambering all over benches, fountains, steps in the absence of playgrounds so I think we’ll be fine.

Of course! The risk is minuscule and we can take hand gel!

100% yes!!
The risk is very low - it’s outside, I’ll use hand gel on them before and after etc.

Those talking about social responsibility need to get a bit of perspective.
The risk of obesity and mental health issues in a generation of children is far higher in my opinion.
The sooner our children can get back to normality the better!

I’m not sure we will.

The council said they’d not do any work on them whilst they were closed and there have been teens using it so there is long grass and glass.

But as soon as the bloody council fix it, you’ll have to peel us out of it.

Absofuckinglutely, they will be out there from dawn to dusk. Might let them in for 10 minutes for a sandwich and if they insist on needing the toilet.

As soon as it's permitted, they will be in the playground.

Also worth mentioning that if you are applying hand sanitizer that you allow it to completely dry before allowing children to touch metal apparatus as there have been incidents where a static charge has caused ignition resulting in burns.

Yep can't wait!

I live quite rurally though and it's rare for there to be many kids in the little kids section which makes it easier for me. Will take hand gel and wash hands when we get home as we normally would.