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.

[quote Curiosity101]@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.[/quote]
That sounds more like it! Ta

I take my toddler to a mini role play type place… it has a cafe, laundrette, building yard etc set up. It’s great and far more suitable for very young children than a soft play. Even then I think 10 months might be a bit too young, as toddlers aren’t always careful with where they put their feet etc.

Soft play used to be more of a stress when the kids were younger as older children would use the toddler section which restricted DS play and required constant hovering from myself. So years ago I would have agreed with you.
Swings and roundabouts though as my DD was bitten by a younger child who clamped his teeth into her arm at soft play.
Now they are older, school age, it is fab cos they can run and play without me following them everywhere. Reduces the whingeing about being bored quite successfully

I’ve been taking my one year old to a local soft play and we strictly stick to the under 2s corner where they have to be supervised at all times. My daughter really likes climbing the little obstacles etc…

I have developed absolutely no problem in asking the parents of older children to remove their children if they are being aggressive in the baby section. I don’t mind older children playing nicely but purposeful hitting and throwing things at the babies isn’t nice.

@MonicaGellerBing

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 🙄

If he bashes into babies and adults and screeches while dive bombing into them repeatedly, I will not sit there on my phone doing fuck all.

I'd follow them when they were 3, 4 or 5. You fast is now 6 and we haven't been in 2 years so probably next time I go I'll be just sitting!!!

That was meant to be youngest sorry!

I hated soft play with a vengeance. Too many unsupervised kids in areas they shouldn't be. Too many parents just sitting on their phones drinking coffee and not giving a shit about what their kids were up to or god forbid going to help because they were stuck. Too many avoidable injuries because of children 'playing' inappropriately or rules not being followed and no staff to be seen. Never properly cleaned. Final straw was evidence of mice.

@Chippingbird23 Did you mean to be so rude to the OP? Have you tried giving birth and being on maternity leave in a pandemic? Your mat leave was no doubt sunshine and birdsong.
Jog on with your patronising vitriol.

Sounds like a crap experience @roarfeckingroarr but good on you for attempting a change of scenery for you and your little one.

I was dreading softplay because of the older kids running riot and then so kept delaying it. I took my son properly three weeks and was amazed when I saw how well he could assert himself with the older kids. Maybe wait until yours can talk a bit and walk properly.

We stopped going when we realised someone had been sick in the balls and no one was cleaning it up. It's probably impossible to clean anyway.

The only time I ever went to places like that was for invites to parties. Hated them. Would rather go for a walk or to the beach. Urgh. That was waaaay pre Covid too. Grim. Dirty and noisy.

Softplay is effectively an indoor playpark. Best suited to rainy days. Although I'd avoid at all cost on a rainy Saturday afternoon.

Your child is a baby and far too small to get much our of it unless you go when it's quiet and the big kids are in school.

YABU to call a child a thug. He was running around playing not deliberately trying to bash a baby who's too small for the place.

Rookie mistake.... only ever do soft play with an under 5 during school hours, never ever in the school holidays/weekends or after school. There is almost always at least one child causing trouble and not being watched. It's just not worth the risk for little ones and its certainly not a relaxing fun trip out. Much better once they reach 4/5 and can tear around with others of a similar age and know themselves who to avoid.

They say suitable for babies to get more people in and to accommodate young siblings but imo not suitable and best left until they're a bit older and certainly during the school day.

Mine are way past the age for soft play now but it has always been like this.

As a FTM to a 20mo who has endless energy and has had to cope with lockdown, I absolutely love soft play now we can go.
I run around with him and have a great little workout! He sometimes makes little friends.
I've gone once a week for the last few months and am so glad they're open again.

Soft play is rubbish for under 3s but when your son hits 3 you’ll be glad of somewhere in the winter he can run off some steam. I missed soft play during lockdown winter months.

Yes it’s hideous. But 10 months isn’t soft play age. Baby soft play areas are no more interesting than a few cushions on your living room floor. Once they get to be 3ish they bloody love soft play. And if it makes my kids happy then I am prepared to endure it occasionally. Some are definitely better than others. A few near me have decent coffee and cake and good air conditioning and It’s better than being at home with my kids squabbling. Some soft plays are clearly
Mostly overrun by people who have membership and go every week instead of going to the park, but others are more calm.

@KitKatKit thank you ♥️

@Lockdownbear the child knew what he was doing. He was deliberately getting close to the babies. None of the others were.

I will know for future - not again until 3 years old, unless a certified under 2 area.

Hated it before Covid now totally not going again! Son loves it but it’s always filthy and a recipe for bugs and germs I feel!!

I also find the opposite of this I used to go often to a soft play and encountered the same group of mums a few times who would let their babies crawl at the bottom of a massive slide and on the bottom of it then moan when a child inevitably bowled into them

@Bimblybomeyelash strangely my front room doesn’t have sensory lights, ladders to crawl up or a slide.

There are plenty of children who can go to soft play without purposefully hurting babies and toddlers in the baby section. They are the same ones run about hurting other children too. Surely nobody buys they were running and accidentally fell three times and kicked a baby. Funnily it’s alway the children of parents who nowhere to be seen.

We did not have,or need soft play places years ago, everything a baby, toddler, small child needed, was in the home environment.. My two would be crawling about, or toddling about in the grass and soil in the garden, (that was quite soft) My neighbours two little ones would be welcome to come round and play.. And all before special places, with staff,and crying children, and women glued to phones incessantly.

They are hideous OP but I promise you'll learn to embrace to me when you have an energetic and challenging 3/4/5 year old and you want to tire them out on a rainy day

And yes the older ones can be boisterous around babies. It really winds me up when they climb over my little one on the slide.

One day that boisterous 6 year old will be your little cherub

@21Bee yup. There's a baby sensory bit that funnily enough I don't have at home. Other kids managed to avoid deliberately running into and pushing babies

My DD is 21 months but running and climbing everything in site. I took her to one that had a baby bit and also an area for 2-4 yr olds. While she was still a bit young for the 2+ section she still had a great time. She is really tall for her age so being a few months off age limit didn’t matter too much.

Me and DH tag teamed climbing up the jungle gym and slides etc as that was hellish part for me lol. I went early and it wasn’t that busy and the older kids were in the different sections. I wouldn’t go for a break though. I was utterly exhausted and sweating buckets but DD loved being able to climb safely. I’m swithering about going with her on my own at weekend as I’m not sure about what to with her (DH working) and had enough of outdoors stuff at the moment, but I’m scared….lol