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?

Luckily my kids grew out of soft play at around 8. I'm surprised 10 year olds want to be surrounded by screaming toddlers.

My kids are not too scared to go anywhere or do anything - as I said to someone else, they’re raised with an outdoors lifestyle and trusted to do things most parents don’t trust their kids with. They operate machinery, they use tools, they cook, they know survival skills.

none of that means I’m going to be a lazy parent and ignore other kids harassing them in the soft play because their parents can’t be bothered.

Luckily there are soft plays with areas for older kids that cater well to this age group.

The soft plays around us are aimed at 5y+ with a small toddler bit fenced off in the corner.

Are you? Really?

What age do you let your children grow up then? They are 10 not 2.. A year from now they'll be at secondary school, getting the bus or walking on their own.
No issue with giving them a bit of responsibility.

Who takes 10 year olds to soft play? It's for little kids. By that age kids don't need that sort of (horrible) place. Mine went once when they were little and is was awful, so noisy and the kids running riot, we never went again

lots of older kids go to soft play

I did when I was young too

How have you got 6 pages into the thread and still not learned that there are soft play facilities with sections aimed at older kids?

So it's ok to take your eyes off the kids to read a book, but not to surf internet?

Do give a lot of other parenting dos and don't, you're clearly a better parent than most!

*list not lot!

Read the OPs posts, it'll help piece the puzzle together for you.

Until people vote with their feet and don't go, they'll continue to charge what they can get away with. No soft play should be charging for adults, and I only know of one around here that does. It costs 50p.

Heck, some have over-18 nights for adults.

Wifi wasn't a thing when my two used to go to our local soft play - they used to leave copies of the Daily Mail around for the adults. Great days.

I don't expect to need to follow 10 year olds round soft play!

The thing that used to wind me up when mine were young was older kids being allowed to run riot in the under 3s section so I do expect parents to keep one eye on making sure their children aren't doing this and I always say to mine if I see them in there they'll be in big trouble, they are old enough to read 'under 3s only'!

I couldn't stand it when I was trying to let my young baby toddle round safely in the closed off under 3s bit and you'd have a gang of big kids running through pushing little kids out of the way to go on a tiny slide.

@SmartCarDriver yes I am do your 10 year olds enjoy soft play?

They're 28 and 30, still not so much now! But OP has commented about how the SP is that the 10 year olds enjoy. Try filtering the OPs posts?

The kids are in year five. The children as a group seem to split evenly between those who still enjoy softplay/being at friends houses/going to the park or pool, and then those who seem to just like looking on their phones whilst standing around or making tiktoks.

I've no doubt she will get to the phone/tiktok phase at some point but while she still enjoys soft play or even (shock horror) playing with her old sylvanian families with a friend, ill indulge.

Whilst feeding her to the wolves allowing her to walk to school and back, and the leisure centre and library, alone.