To think soft play is utterly hideous?

[roarfeckingroarr]

I've just taken DS (10 months old, he's standing, cruising and crawling) to a small local soft play with my friend and her baby. It's a very expensive smart newish one with a small amount of basic stuff and a cafe - not a jungle gym with slides etc suitable for bigger children

Dear Lord it was hideous. Parents on their phones not supervising or even vaguely keeping an eye on their children, our toddlers nearly getting trampled despite keeping them to a small corner away from the more grown up bits. Boiling hot and sticky. And the screeching.

Never again. Never.

@Summerbubbles

Worse than the parents that sit at the table enjoying a coffee are the parents that insist on following their PFB all the way around the play frame getting in the way and stopping the other children actually running around and enjoying themselves.

I followed 3 year old and will follow the little one when he's big enough. It will likely be fine but anything can happen to them, I don't think that's a pfb thing

I'm a lone parent and have the kids all the time. Sometimes it's great to go to soft play and let them run round in safety (in the age appropriate areas) while I have a few minutes peace with a coffee. They are 5 and 10, I'm not going to helicopter over them the whole time, it defeats the point of going.

@stayathomer at what age though?! If I followed my 7 and 6 year olds around they’d think I was nuts, and I wouldn’t be able to keep up with them anyway! I’d just be blocking the equipment for those actually wanting to use it.

@roarfeckingroarr

I forgot it's school holidays. Every day / week blurs during mat leave.

If you don’t know it’s august and height of summer then sorry you just aren’t very bright! Mat leave or not I knew which month I was in and know that august is school holidays 🙄 and YABU soft plays are great and designed to be a bit wild and that’s what kids do play and if you don’t like it don’t go plus a 10 month old doesn’t benefit from it who takes a 10 month old to soft play? Seriously unless you have another older child. Goodness what a whinge 😂

Wait until your 10 month old is an 8 year old and they will be the ones raging around the play centres bashing into smaller kids, it happens! I've taken all 3 of mine to play centres and I see it as my time to relax and have a couple hours to myself knowing they are in a child friendly environment, so other than checking in with them every so often to make sure they are ok, I don't fix my eyes on them the whole time we're there. When they were babies I did of course stay with them, and it was my job to make sure they were safe from the bigger kids running around just being kids. I suggest to don't go again if it caused you so much upset.

@stayathomer

Worse than the parents that sit at the table enjoying a coffee are the parents that insist on following their PFB all the way around the play frame getting in the way and stopping the other children actually running around and enjoying themselves. I've followed all my children around and prevented collisions and scuffles, helped children who'd fallen or who were afraid. The term 'pfb' is such a copout!!

If children are afraid they shouldn't be there in the first place really and if they fall it's SOFT play for that very reason.....

@NautaOcts

Madness to take a baby to soft play in the school holidays, possibly on a rainy day (it is here) Lovely when it’s deadly quiet in the school day or when they’re old enough to hold their own and crack on without much assistance or needing protection from the inevitable “boisterous” kids

^^ This.

I did my time protecting my little ones in the hell of soft play now I get to be a sit at the table with a coffee Mum and its glorious!

I was quite clear this is a small place suitable for young children and advertised for babies and toddlers too. Not a big play centre.

I've got three kids 6, 4 and 21 months. The older two are prime soft play age but I don't really think kids under 4 can really hold their own and unless you are going to follow them around (which sort of defeats the purpose) then they are probably going to get a bit trampled by older kids. Especially at the minute where places like that are really busy.

A ten month old won't really get anything out of soft play so it's not worth the expense. I don't think I took mine until they were about two. I get what you mean OP, they are horrible and we generally prefer to be outdoors but they are a godsend on a rainy day!

If children are afraid they shouldn't be there in the first place really and if they fall it's SOFT play for that very reason.....
Their parents let them off and a group of kids run into them, hurry them, knock them over, they get lost(I know but they're small!!) or I once came across a child screaming as he couldn't get through the horizontal car wash rolly thingy and thought he was stuck while a queue of kids behind were trying to give him different advice at the same time. It is chaos in there and the small and nervous deserve a chance too!!

@NigellaSeed Our favourite one is booked in 2 hour sessions and is free for under 1s, £3 for 1-3 year olds, £4.50 for 3+ and 30p per supervising adult.

It's not huge but DS ran around for the full 2 hours and was enjoyed every second of it. So it definitely will vary depending on where you go.

Don’t be afraid to say something nicely to the older children. Most are receptive and most don’t realise they have got carried away. or they could be complete little delinquents and you might get told to do one

@roarfeckingroarr

I was quite clear this is a small place suitable for young children and advertised for babies and toddlers too. Not a big play centre.

The thing is, suitable for babies and toddlers just means that they’ve got baby and toddler toys available. They’re just trying to appeal to a wider audience (more cash). Realistically, there are always going to be older children there (especially in summer holidays) so I wouldn’t (and didn’t) take mine at that age, regardless of whether it said it was suitable or not. Toddlers and young children are usually fairly boisterous! So you have to use a bit of common sense. I didn’t take mine until they were over 2.

We didn't have soft play centers where I live when my kids were little, so it was one of the highlights of our trips home to England to go to a soft play center. But that was when they were probably aged between about 3 and 7. I wouldn't have wanted to take a toddler to one. AND a 10 month old is a baby, not a toddler.

Soft play is awesome! Children love it! But you have to wait till you have a toddler!
Take a 10 month old tobaby play, baby massage, baby swimming or the kind. Definitely not soft play! Soft play is not for kids that cannot stand steadily and run around.
Regarding the noise, you will get used to it. That is the life of yound children' parents. I am amased I still have hearing left in me!

@mistermagpie

I've got three kids 6, 4 and 21 months. The older two are prime soft play age but I don't really think kids under 4 can really hold their own and unless you are going to follow them around (which sort of defeats the purpose) then they are probably going to get a bit trampled by older kids. Especially at the minute where places like that are really busy.

A ten month old won't really get anything out of soft play so it's not worth the expense. I don't think I took mine until they were about two. I get what you mean OP, they are horrible and we generally prefer to be outdoors but they are a godsend on a rainy day!

Fair. I don't care about the expense and thought it was a good place where DS could wobble about without hurting himself. I know for the future!

@iMombie I did. Not something I would mention here 😁

I think you are at the wrong place. Too young. Ds2 has always loved soft plays and some of them are suitable for yr 5 & yr 6's.

Ours is £4.50 per child for two hours.

Oh and I have older kids too but I still firmly requested that a group of 7-9ish year olds vacated the under 4 area so my 2 year old could play safely!

I agree, not worth it for a ten month old. The older kids are boisterous and it will just irritate/worry you.

When yours is age appropriate you'll probably be glad of the safe soft space for them to run around and burn energy off.

These places often say "suitable for babies" because they just want more bums on seats, mums drinking coffee etc etc but in reality they definitely aren't.

We do have a place close to us which is for under 4s only and that is better (and never affected by school hols)

Can't wait until your 'little thug' is running round bashing other kids OP. Let's see how you like other people telling him off and complaining about him. I can guarantee you'll be like the rest of us and sending him off to play while you try and keep your sanity. PFB much 🙄

My friend runs a play centre for under 8s it’s fab! It’s more an imagination place, no climbing frames etc. It’s all wooden toys and she changes the theme every few months. She’s based in Dorset. Imagi play. My kids are older now but we travelled down on opening day a couple of years ago and despite many children it was sooo calm. No crazy running about screeching. The kids were so involved in imaginative play. It was so lovely to watch them making up stories with the characters. Brewing potions in the cauldron. It’s farm themed at the mo.

Mine used to love soft play when they were little. Once they get to a certain age (4/5 ish) it was an easy couple of hours out where I could have a coffee with a friend and the boys would entertain themselves. We’ve been to loads of different ones and the children always enjoyed them.