sick of lazy parents at soft play

[lazyeffers16]

took my 11 month old to soft play today and YET AGAIN an older child (about 4ish) came in the under 2 section and tried to literally pick her up while she was playing. everytime i come i seem to have a kid come over and try to drag her or throw a ball pit ball off her head etc and there never seems to be a parent in sight?! wtf?? i tell them no myself (as in ‘no, don’t pick her up please/throw things at her/get off her please’) but am waiting for the day they go crying to mummy. aibu here? don’t understand where their parents disappear to

Tis a wonder, op, all the best

They shouldn’t be in the baby section. So definitely send them out.

Generally speaking parents of older children (3plus) won’t follow their children around and that is normal and expected.

Totally get it!! I actually work at one! The amount of parents that think it's free childcare it's a joke ! Some parents even try and leave! When the kids are still inside?!
Madness!! I'm forever having to chase down parents of children that are not supervised / hitting /punching other kids!
Nice note I've also been spat on by a kid.

Irresponsible parenting TBH

So yes you are very justified in your opinion xxx

A peeve of mine too OP. Older kids should stay out of the under 2s bit.

and not to mention they follow me around soft play for ages i have to literally hide to shake them off 🥲🥲 wtf

I know that feeling! Normally when I'm cleaning they want to play
I'm like sorry I can't!! Then they start crying ???

Complain to the staff, let them find and talk to the parents.
Ours just dissappear when we go to soft play and return to be watered occasionally. You get some terribly behaved children, one of ours got bitten several times on the arm and shoulder by a child and the parents just denied it was him despite there being witnesses (TWATS!).

YANBU

Oh gosh this is one of my bugbears! It happens everywhere! Soft play, local park, and even more worryingly, at the indoor swimming pool. People abdicating their responsibilities and ruining it for others!

I was at one of those swim leisure places recently where they have tubes and splashes, and a sort of false beach area, where adults can relax. Two five or six year olds were allowed to run riot in the baby pool, and then they jumped in the shallow end of the adult pool and splashed all the adults who were sitting nearby. And they kept doing it. Their parents were sitting chatting drinking coffee nearby, aware of what was happening and doing nothing about it. In the end, someone called a member of staff and got them to sort it out.

Let them go crying for pmum then explain to her if and when she appears

mum

Oh don't! I had some witch start a massive screaming match with me for telling her big kid not to throw balls at my 1 year olds face. Try telling him yourself then you lazy little @&@k*

My local one has added a gate with a parent access keypad to the under 2 section. A fab idea and wish it was there when mine were that age

God I am so sick of telling big kids to get out of the under 2s bit! If you don't want to supervise your kids then whatever but could you atleast keep them in the right bit?!

I've had to literally grab a kids leg who was about to kick my 8mo baby in the head doing fucking cartwheels in the tiny under 2s bit of a huge trampoline place.

Also sick of playing with other people's kids. Kids want to play with people. So if their parents won't play with them they just latch onto whatever adult is playing with their kid.

Used to happen with my very sensitive DS. I'd have to watch with eagle eyes.
Younger DS is much more robust so can hold his own but I still keep an eye just in case he's the aggressor in any situation which hasn't happened yet.
It's annoying as I feel that parents should understand of their offspring are a bit more 'energetic' so should stay close......suspect they prob seeking respite and that's why they scarper!
I often see kids crying and looking for their parents. I've often questioned if I should step back a bit. YANBU

And there's always the big kid at the top of the small kid's slide, either sliding down and knocking over the toddler who has been slow in getting up and out of the way, or just pushing aside the iinfants at the top of the ladder.

I have been left watching other peoples kids on holiday abroad while parents get pissed or sunbathe by the pool. Unbelievable. I got
myself into the ridiculous situation where I didn’t dare go for a walk with my husband because the mothers were slogging wine down their neck and the Greek lifeguard was flirting with them. Doesn’t surprise me in the least about soft play.

I completely agree with you, soft ay drives me nuts! I follow my 2 year old everywhere to supervise but end up attracting all the children left by mummy and daddy 'watch me do this', 'can you lift me up here' etc. It shocks me how many little ones (as in around a year old) are left alone in the bigger part of the soft play area with 4/5 year olds bounding past them and knocking them. I don't know what other parents are thinking.

Yanbu
One of my DC needs additional supervision at soft play so i hoover over them like a hawk.

They shouldn't be in the under 2's bit but also I think it's ok if a parent wants to take 5 minutes to have a cup of coffee and isn't following their older child around soft play. My 6 year old wouldn't be impressed if I followed her around

Soft play is hell. My DC love it and I never take them because I hate it so much. Kudos to those who work there, especially the pp who'd been spat at that's horrible.

@lazyeffers16

and not to mention they follow me around soft play for ages i have to literally hide to shake them off 🥲🥲 wtf

I get this all the time from random kids it's so annoying!! Trying to entertain someone else's kid while looking after your own 🙄

The whole point of soft play is that 4 year olds get to run off and play!

If they go in the wrong bit just send them nicely on their way.

I’d say an 11 month old is a bit too young for soft play anyway.