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

My son's got a random inset day next week. Might take him to soft play.

@Biancadelrioisback

Absolutely nothing wrong with letting your child run wild in a children-running-wild-specific-environment. I love going so I can have a few mins down time.

Also, what's wrong with being late 20s?

And finally, do you know what is very annoying at softplays? Adults with their young babies and children crawling all over the older kids equipment meaning the older children can't use it...

Jeez, it's not like we're setting up a picnic on the stairs or making adult-wide blockades. I've seen adults helping their kids on soft play. I've never seen them doing so stopping another child using it.

@mysterytoddler

I just mean that the (few) families I know who homeschool the kids have much older parents who have built up money so they can afford to have one parent at home. Also I guess I assumed kids who were being homeschooled would actually, you know, be at home being educated rather than knocking over toddlers

I'm a 30 year old home educating parent, and we have a household income of less than 20k. We make it work because it's how we've chosen to prioritise.

Learning happens everywhere. You learn a lot more out in the world than in a classroom.

Also, my children are unschooĺed, so how they learn would probably horrify you.

You are hilariously unreasonable.

Perhaps you haven't, I have.
Quite often 2-3 parents sitting on/at 'entrance to section' areas chatting away so kids can't get in. Parents who block areas so their child and friends can play without other children getting in the way. We've had it where a parent blocked a slide so their kid and 3 friends could just keep using it over and over again. I'm fed up of having to ask parents to shift!

Sorry, that was at @RocksontheHills

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6366557/amp/Toddler-bitten-15-times-children-soft-play-centre-Seacroft-Leeds.html

This is horrendous

@RocksOnTheHills

Sorry this app is hopeless!

@mysterytoddler

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6366557/amp/Toddler-bitten-15-times-children-soft-play-centre-Seacroft-Leeds.html

This is horrendous

This is one incident and hardly comparable to a 3 year old accidentally knocking over a toddler who was in the wrong section. Ffs.

@mysterytoddler

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6366557/amp/Toddler-bitten-15-times-children-soft-play-centre-Seacroft-Leeds.html

This is horrendous

You're right, that's terrible.

Not the same as your kid being knocked over a few times...

No but it shows what could happen if kids are left unsupervised

@mysterytoddler

No but it shows what could happen if kids are left unsupervised

If you think this is actually the case I suggest you stay away from soft play for good.

I mean...yeah...so does lord of the flies.
Doesn't mean it happens on a regular basis at all.

@mysterytoddler

You sound both very judgemental and entirely lacking in judgement. A curious mix but there we are....

Jesus Christ OP 🤦🏼‍♀️

I would have probably been the same as you when DD1 was a toddler, following her round and protecting her from the bigger kids. I can guarantee once they are older you will leave them to it! Mine are 6 and 2.5 now and I occasionally check on them but I certainly don't follow them around or hover, I enjoy the hour of peace with a podcast and a warm cup of coffee.

I'm sorry I can't get past this face when referring to a 7 year old being on their own in a soft play area for a couple of minutes while their sibling has a wee.

Don't take your 19 month old into the over 5s area if you don't want to risk her being knocked over. And stop being so judgmental that she was young and on her phone therefore she is being lazy. The joy of soft play as a PP has said is to safely let them play. As long as they're not deliberately hurting/biting etc then they're not doing anything wrong.

You are wrong to take your daughter into an area for older kids then whine that the kids are too boisterous. What did you want the mum to do? Follow her kids round telling them to mind the tiny toddler in the over 5s section?? I love how your daughter has every right to be there because she is "headstrong" and yet other kids are meant to be careful. I'm not surprised your daughter is headstrong if you expect the world to bend around her. I can imagine the mirror AIBU post "a mum at soft play took her 18m old into the over 5 area, then complained when she got knocked over and said my kids were too boisterous".

My kids are 4 and 7 and I would absolutely ignore them in a soft play for an hour and look on my phone! What's the point off going otherwise?!

Have you actually read the comments OP? Do you think there's a reason why the area is for over 5's? I can't work out if you actually think you're being reasonable, or if you're just really bored.

@mysterytoddler

No but it shows what could happen if kids are left unsupervised

It's what could happen if children who bite, or young toddlers are left unsupervised. Usually a two or three year old would be known to bite, and certainly should be closely supervised if that is the case. The bitten toddler was also unsupervised.

I put my kid in a bright jumper then keep an eye from a comfortable spot. Hope he makes a friend. Generally I'd be dealing with the baby while he played. That's pretty much the reason most people go to softplay. Spare a thought for all us in Level 2 of Scotland...we haven't had softplay for over a year.

@mysterytoddler

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6366557/amp/Toddler-bitten-15-times-children-soft-play-centre-Seacroft-Leeds.html

This is horrendous

It is awful. That's why it's best to keep your kid to the age appropriate area and supervise very little ones.

Your world revolves around your kid, that doesn't mean the world should revolve around your kid.

You are completely in the wrong here.

I took my 9yo and 4yo to soft play today as eldest was on an inset it’s a huge soft play for up to 12 years olds.
I was very conscious of him being careful around smaller ones as was he.
I’ve always been a bit of a helicopter parent in soft play as mine have been injured in past.

I actually had to ask the staff to intervene with 2 5ish boys who were climbing up a very large very fast wavy slide and running down it, no sign of a parent anywhere, didn’t stop when I nicely suggested they did in case they got hurt and frankly they were being pains in the arse for other people.

Yes there are some parents that should perhaps keep a closer eye at soft play. But a 7 year old can manage just fine whilst their parent deals with a toddler. What do you think they do at home?! dance attendance on every nappy change?
But yes, I don't enjoy soft play for ME awful places. I'm an adult I want to sit in peace and let my children play and make sure they have access to snacks with vaguely useful nutrition. So I don't do soft play. It's entirely a place for helicopter parents who are terrified of little D
Fred ever hitting their head also with too loud music and too loud children. I just take a coffee to the park. Thankfully most of them are empty now as the toddler parents locally seem scared of weather and the older ones are at school all day. There's zero appeal for me in soft play. It's really ok to just not go if you're going to spend the whole time getting anxious about other people.

But whilst I agree with some of your points op you are being a bit ridiculous with the parent going to the loo point and criticism of others when you put your child at risk by going into an area that wasn’t age appropriate