To think that if a soft play is going to charge for adults, they should at least provide free WiFi?

[BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz]

Local cheap soft play has been taken over by some big regional chain. They've added a few elements but not enough to justify the fact that they now charge double (and double what others charge).

Of course, dc begged to go as its "got x and y now mum" so finally I've bit the bullet and taken her and her friend.

They charge £2 on top for me to be here and don't even provide any WiFi. The girls are old enough that they don't care if I'm here or not; so I'm paying for the privilege of disinterested parental responsibility, and have to use my own precious data instead

Clearly its a first world problem. But it's cheeky fuckery right?

Ah that sucks. Our local independent soft play is great. No charge for adults, under a fiver for kids, free WiFi, decent food and coffee.

We do have other options, similar priced to yours, but they've begged to come here so ive relented and now I'm sat stewing

The place is heaving so maybe I'm being unreasonable. But honestly.

Just typical that kids never want the reasonably priced options!

At least now we've done it, I can use the "it's the cheap one or no one" from now on. Coffees crap too. Loads of staff and they all look happy so hopefully the stupid prices are paying a decent wage.

Ours charge for adults as well and no free WiFi

I think it’s ridiculous when they charge for adults.

I had to pay £2 to take my son to a party at a soft play.

How old is your daughter? Hasn’t she grown out of soft play if she’s at the age of demanding to go places?

They charge for adults?? That’s ridiculous. I’d want my moneys worth for that. Forget the Wi-Fi, I’d be on the tube slides and bouncy castle myself!

shouldn't you be watching your kids rather than stuck in your phones?

Haha!!

I take a book with me with mine so I can enjoy some reading time

The kids know where I am. They come back for food and drink and disappear again. It’s great

Hilarious. What 10 year old needs watching at a soft play? And how is it even possible when it's basically a maze of rope and plastic and 300 other kids?

Not unless I physically follow her inside the massive apparatus and climb into the bowels of the soft play. And no one wants a 36yo woman built for comfort instead of speed trying to climb up something designed for a 6yo.

I get a bit annoyed by that as well, so many times I’ve had to deal with kids doing unreasonable things - throwing balls at my dcs faces, climbing over DD and pushing her out the way because she’s small, meanwhile the parents of the perpetrators aren’t even aware of it. I don’t mind people using their phones but at least know what your kids are doing.

There's def a balance. I know where DD is in terms of which part of the soft play generally, she comes to check in, have a drink and snack, etc. But I don't follow her around inside the soft play or climb into the equipment so I can see where she is at all times. I don't think many parents do that, do they?! Not sure kids would enjoy their tunnels being blocked by gigantic adults trying to follow children around

I used to with DS1 because he used to want me to play with him. Now I have 3, less so because they tend to play with each other. I still go and check on them though and if I hear any noises, I go and make sure there’s not a fight or situation developing that needs my help (including if my own dc are being unfair, I don’t stand for that either)

This isn’t a soft play issue - it’s a phone contract issue. Plenty of cheap sim only phone plans - and free wifi is often slow as 😂

What 10 year old needs watching at a soft play? And how is it even possible when it's basically a maze of rope and plastic and 300 other kids? You should keep an eye on them regardless. You may need to protect them from other children, or other children from them! Some children turn into right bullies when they know they aren't being watched. I was waiting at the top of the slide to take my 1yo down, my 4yo went in front of us. A kid (must have been 9 or 10) waited til my son exited the bottom of the slide and punched him in the face. He wasn't counting on any one watching, I told him off after comforting my son and told his mother. She said he'd never done anything like that (and seemed genuinely shocked and upset) and said she's usually with him and his younger sibling. She was either a good actress or he took the first opportunity of being unsupervised to try out being a bully.

Surely if you have to pay, you get to play too

Our soft play has terrible 4G, it's like a kind of warehouse building. I have unlimited data, I just can't use it in there!

This is why I supervise mine. Kids can be complete little shits in soft play. A group of brothers once circled DS1 and kept pelting him with balls, for no reason. DS1 is autistic and was really upset by it, I told the kids to pack it in and they threw a ball at me and said “what are you going to do about it?”

their dad was glued to his phone and had no idea what his sons were up to. I got them kicked out, but if I hadn’t been watching they’d have just been harassing DS uninterrupted

Ours charges for adults, has no wifi and you can’t pick up phone reception in there either so phones aren’t an option, it’s hideous! The coffee also crap, Costa machine with no plant milk options.

Wait.....they charge for adults these days? That is outrageous, presumably they are also selling drinks and snacks so make money out of adults that way?

Not when the kids are 8+

But soft plays aren't built for adults to be climbing around inside. I wouldn't have a 1yo in the main soft play bit anyway, most places have under 2 areas where you go in with them and older kids aren't allowed and it's just little soft shapes and maybe a ball pit. But our soft play main area is a gigantic pirate ship style thing with loads of narrow stuff to climb up, ropes, ladders, ball pits, etc. that are child-sized. You can't have a bunch of adults crawling around in there blocking everything off for the kids, it would be absurd.

DD is 3 and if something happens, she runs to tell me (like when a little boy stole her socks ) and then I follow her to deal with whatever happened. I don't climb up and around the equipment with her.