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?

Hell, yes!

Our two will be so excited to go on playgrounds again!

We will sanitise hands afterwards and wash at home. I'm not concerned by playgrounds.

yes the risk is so tiny.

Absofuckinglutely. I'll be the first one at the gates, antibac gel in hand. Might even go down the slide myself in pure happiness!!

Yes yes yes, can’t wait

Yes! With plenty of hand sanitiser though...

All this hand gel is going to make the play equipment slippery and dangerous. I wonder how many more children will be injured as a result of this than were ever at risk of covid. Just wash hands when you get home for goodness sake!

Yep ours are open here (Ireland) when I brought them last week the 2 year old just ran around in a frenzy of excitement..
Dh commented will be just like him when the pubs open!

You are meant to wait for the hand sanitiser to dry before you touch anything

Definatly

Mine will be on it - at least the 6 yo will. Older one is a bit too big now!

@SnackSizeRaisin

All this hand gel is going to make the play equipment slippery and dangerous. I wonder how many more children will be injured as a result of this than were ever at risk of covid. Just wash hands when you get home for goodness sake!

You use the hand gel AFTER playing. Not before!

Yes, it's the one thing I care most about opening, can't wait to just sit on the park bench and let the kids run riot in the playground, rather than trying to think of imaginative ways to occupy their time in the park (they resorted to playing charades the last time we went ). Children's playgrounds are essential services to so many.

Stannisbaratheonsboxofmatches I reckon there'll be lots of big kids abandoning their too cool for school attitudes for a go on the swings

@glitterelf

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.

I cannot mention that to my children. They will insist on doing it. Or rather egging each other on to do it.

Might try it myself with our trampoline frame and something other than my skin tomorrow...

Definitely going as soon as they reopen on 4 July. Will take wipes as usual, plus snacks as we're likely to be at our village playgrounds for a while! I'll be more conscientious about the need to properly clean hands and mouths before and after snack time, so will pop sanitizer in the bag as well.

All this hand gel is going to make the play equipment slippery and dangerous.

How??! I'm pretty sure people use just a squirt on their hands and rub it in. It's not like they'll be pouring it over their heads or bathing in it.

Or have I been doing it wrong all this time.

We finally found an accessible, empty playground last week and the DCs had a glorious hour running around, climbing, balancing, chasing, swinging and hiding. Never before have I been so pleased to sit on a bench, freezing my tits off in a sharp wind while they've played. It was glorious to see them shake off the moody lethargy that has been creeping tighter and tighter upon them over the last month or so.

Since 23rd March the only measures that had any impact on their lives so far has been being allowed out more than once per day, driving to a different park to see a different cordoned off playground and being able to have a McDriveThru. Otherwise it's been groundhog day of minimal stimulation and lots of long country walks. No school (y2 & y4). No friends or family because everyone else we know has struggled with their own priorities with time, distance, shielding and being pedantic about 2+2 x2 = too many or the ability of children to do social distancing. It's been so shit, boring and lonely for them. My sunny, cheerful 7 year old is temporarily angry, rude and lethargic, so anything to lift his doldrums is a good thing.

@aintnothinbutagstring

Stannisbaratheonsboxofmatches I reckon there'll be lots of big kids abandoning their too cool for school attitudes for a go on the swings

DS1 at the grand age of 9 was too cool for playgrounds. He now thinks they're the third best thing after Minecraft and Lego

He has dyspraxia and normally does sports like swimming and karate to help his co-ordination. Anything to help him move his body in a multitude of directions is a great thing.

One of our local ones isn't contained and people have been using it for weeks. We took DD for the first time last weekend. Everyone I know is desperate to be back using them.

Hell yes we’ll be going! My 3 year old has really missed play parks. I’ve started taking her to parks within the last couple of weeks and she’s been so disappointed when I haven’t let her in them. Particularly last week when we went to a park with a play park without a fence so there was no way to close it really and it was full of kids. I stuck to the rules and didn’t let her on but she was upset about it.

no, they experts today said to maintain the 2m distance and only 1m if necessary.

I don't believe that can be done in a playground.

Hand sanitizer making the play equipment slippy

How much do you use at a time??
Guess that's finally solved the mystery of why the nation was so short of sanitizer earlier in the year - people sloshing whole bottles over their hands!
Be careful if you sanitize before shopping - the trolley will slip out of your grasp. For that matter be careful if you sanitize after leaving a shop - driving home can be lethal if you are unable to firmly grasp the steering wheel betwixt both lubricated hands. The alcohol fumes wont help either. And so hard to carry those bags into the house when greased up. Imagine if your keys slipped out of your grasp and into a drain (mine totally heads straight for a drain when dropped). Locked out in the middle of a pandemic!

I am frankly amazed so many of us are still alive.

Covid can last up to 72 hours on metal surfaces, can't it. My children won't be going anytime soon, no way.

We'll be there and I've been uber cautious so far (think washing groceries and seeing nobody other than immediete family members). The children have been nowhere for the entirety of lockdown except for daily walks around our (quite dull) village and occasionally to the woods, so are very excited for some park time.

I wouldn't be too keen on taking a toddler who's into licking everything, but mine should be fine.

Yes I absolutely will be going. It is the one fun thing we can do.
Public transport is not fun anymore you have to wear a mask I don't drive I need somewhere to do something