Soft play. Lack of supervision

[mysterytoddler]

I take my 19 month old DD to soft play most weeks since they’ve reopened. I’m 7 months pregnant with DC2.

I’m so sick of parents not supervising their kids properly. Today was a classic. Another mum with 2 boys, at a guess I’d say that the oldest was 7, youngest 3. Both really boisterous kids. The mum spent most of the time sat at her table on her phone. She checked on them now and again but mostly left them to it. At one point she even took the toddler to the toilet and left the older one completely unsupervised.
I took DD to the large bit of the soft play that’s recommended for older ones which is my own doing but DD is really headstrong and finds the baby bit really boring now. But they were running all over the place and she got knocked over twice.

I also don’t understand why the 7 year old wasn’t at school. Part of the reason we go on weekdays is because it’s quieter and usually full of toddlers. I wouldn’t go on weekends cos I accept that there will be school age kids there.

I’m just sick of it. I manage to clamber all over the equipment and supervise my toddler despite being heavily pregnant. I don’t understand why it’s so difficult for others to do the same

It is true that a lot of parents take their kids to soft play so they can just sit on their bums. That's the reality. I don't go to them with my toddler as I work ft so I'm not bothered by it!

You'll look back on this thread in a few years and realise what a complete loon you sound.

Oh OP. I have one child whos 15mo. I think you're being hugely unreasonable. Sorry your DD was knocked over but thats the risk you run if you take her into the older section. Im not sure why you're being jidgey about the age of another mum and linking that to what you believe to be questiobable parenting.

If you can't teach your 7 yo not to knock down a toddler in a soft, you are a special kind of lazy parent!

Even worst when they have a younger sibling themselves.

I am all for leaving kids enjoy themselves, but unfortunately lazy parents means very unpleasant children.

@Toolateplanting

Oh dear OP I think you are about to get piled on... This is definitely one of those situations where your perspective shifts massively as your children get older... and one with polarised opinions! At 19months you are in that awkward stage of needing to be there and hands on if there are bigger kids about. But remember they need to be kids jump about and use the play equipment too. Perhaps it might be better given that you’ll have a newborn soon to get your older one used to staying in areas where you don’t need to be with her all the time? Or to find the soft play best suited to preschoolers? We had a smallish one near us that didn’t really hold much attraction for the over 5/6ish

The perspective will definitely shift. It's natural - in years to come, you get annoyed that there are ten year olds knocking over your delicate little seven year old or that somebody brought a three year old into the area for older children and then complained that your seven year old was doing what seven year olds do.

Anyhow, it's something that only comes with time, OP. Eventually you'll be annoyed that there's a mob of unsupervised hulking 18 year olds at the bus stop towering over your tiny little 11 year old...and then when they're 22 and playing sports, those 34 year olds on the team look so much bigger than your fully grown baby.

I read this and assumed it was a reverse. Kids do charge about at soft play, that's what its for!

OP you should mind your own business and stop being so judgemental of other people.

OP, I don't know if this is a hoax post, but judging this mum on the basis of her age, and then saying because of this age she is unlikely to have the funds to be a SAHM is frankly ridiculous.
Some schools finish at lunch time on a Friday, if you visited in the afternoon? Maybe young mum has the funds to privately educate. Then again, perhaps she doesn't based on your preconceptions...

Young boys can be boisterous, soft play is one of the few places that they have the freedom to release some of this energy.

@kindaclassy

It pisses me off no end to see Ms Prim with her spotlessly clean, perfectly polite little girl tutting at the wild boys and completely solidifying gender stereotypes into her child.

😂
oh the irony!

These posts are what makes MN what it is.

I see how that comes across kindaclassy🙈. I meant the odd mother I see who has chosen to dress her girl in such a way ALWAYS seem to look down their nose at the boy/s who run about. They don't tut at the girls running, just the boys, and they seem to encourage quiet, abiding behaviour from their daughters. Not all mothers of girls, just these specific types.

Christ, get over yourself. You were in the wrong section with your child - no matter how closely supervised. So it's not that the "younger" mum was doing anything wrong and that you're a superior caring parent. It's soft play, you were in the wrong section and stop being so judgemental.

FGS! You are being MASSIVELY unreasonable! Let’s see how you feel when yours is 7 and you’ve had another 5 years parenting experience under your belt. The idea of following a 7 yo round a soft play is laughable. And you shouldn’t have been in the older child area with a toddler. Why do you think they separate them?!

Do you not remember the bad case where a toddler was severely bitten by two older boys in the women’s lavatory?

The toddler needed hospital treatments and hepatitis vaccine.
Soft play- basically every child for themselves while the parents just gawk at phones from what I gather.
Nothing “ Soft” about soft play.
Dog eat Dog world more like.

You can't make any judgements based on age of parent! I was a wealthy SAHM with a baby at 26, I'm now 40 with a baby, work ft and very much less well off financially.

Soft play is hell on Earth imo. I have two with sen so If we ever went I'd have to watch them so closely. Tbf they were usually good as gold but they were prone to getting attached to strangers 😂 there's always a loose feral kids doing as they please at soft play! Many parents really value the time so they can chill out. I never chilled at soft play 😂

As for the 7 year old not being at school but could have been an inset day, he could have been on holiday or even home schooled. My neighbours home school their kids. They do school work in the morning and go out in the afternoon!

Allowing toddlers onto the main frame bit is infuriating for older kids, especially as you often have to pay more for older kids. My 8yo and his friends love going to the local soft play and playing ‘tag’, chasing each other round. There’s always some bloody woman dragging a wobbly 1yo around the massive bit and then tutting and looking furious at my dc and his mates for daring to run around. Just stay in the baby bit or accept that there will be other kids there running about. That’s what soft play is for.

@kindaclassy

If you can't teach your 7 yo not to knock down a toddler in a soft, you are a special kind of lazy parent!

Even worst when they have a younger sibling themselves.

I am all for leaving kids enjoy themselves, but unfortunately lazy parents means very unpleasant children.

Don’t be so bloody ridiculous. Kids make mistakes, they misjudge spaces, they knock into other kids by accident. They aren’t necessarily “unpleasant”, they are kids who have been cooped up for far too long, letting off steam.

I don't attend soft play as I work ft but if I did I'd still attempt to keep my little one supervised. Mind you, I was 26 when I had my first (SAHM) and now 40 so I might well be too knackered!!!

@mysterytoddler

I forgot to mention that the area the boys were in was an over 5s area. So the 3 year old (who was the one who knocked over my toddler) shouldn’t have been in there unsupervised.

It’s not an inset day in my town and i didn’t get the impression they were homeschooled. The mum looked very young maybe late 20s

Her age is irrelevant and I’m sure you know that. But you were really unreasonable to moan about you baby being knocked over when they were in an area for over 5. Why should young children have to look out for babies in an over five area.

Just keep to your area, or stop moaning when it doesn’t work for you.

@kindaclassy

If you can't teach your 7 yo not to knock down a toddler in a soft, you are a special kind of lazy parent!

Even worst when they have a younger sibling themselves.

I am all for leaving kids enjoy themselves, but unfortunately lazy parents means very unpleasant children.

This is exactly how I feel tbh. She was lazy, not working on her phone

And you were really annoying a d ruined the older children’s fun. Just because your dd is strong willed doesn’t mean the rules don’t apply.

Soon enough that headstrong 19month old will be a 4 year old barrelling over toddlers and having a whale of a time, while you try to wrangle your youngest.

You'll be glad of parents who give you the benefit of the doubt then, and you'll be delighted at the chance for a sit down and a coffee when they can both run off and play without you.

Toddlers are pretty sturdy. Maybe find a quieter softplay or avoid until the school's go back.

I think it’s clear soft play is not for you OP

@Freddiefox

And you were really annoying a d ruined the older children’s fun. Just because your dd is strong willed doesn’t mean the rules don’t apply.

Exactly this. "My child is strong willed so therefore everybody at soft play must take special care of her even in the older areas." 🙄

Tbh your subsequent posts sound pretty goady, OP.

YA totally BU. What was she supposed to do with the 7yo, make them come on the toilet trip?

You let your baby in the big kids area and then start complaining that big kids are playing there in an age appropriate way.

Pp have basically said it all but please save this thread and reread it when yours are 5 and 7 and hopefully have a laugh at yourself.

I took DD to the large bit of the soft play that’s recommended for older ones which is my own doing but DD is really headstrong and finds the baby bit really boring now.

Maybe the mum wasnt lazy, she was just busy judging you- “look at that lazy mum- can’t be bothered to enforce the rules, let’s her DD do what the hell she wants and spoils everyone else’s fun”