Soft Play Courtesy

[LiftyLift]

Went to soft play this morning with two DC, members so we go weekly. It’s inside a leisure centre, so not a big soft play.

I’m used to seeing some bad behaviour, but today was the worst yet. The change in weather seems to have brought everyone indoors, so it was much busier than usual.

Firstly, there was a mum sitting in one of the areas the children run up and down with a tiny baby with her changing bag and coat completely blocking the passage so the children couldn’t pass there. There was plenty of seating at the side with space for bags, so why she chose to sit in the middle of the busy but I don’t know?! I spotted she also had her dirty trainers on rather than taking them off like everyone else. She was with another adult helping her other Dc so no reason she needed to be sat there with shoes on either.

Her older DC then came with the other adult and threw a ball which hit me square in the face. No apology offered, just told meekly by both adults to throw balls in the other direction away from me and my baby DC.

I then spotted two other children running around with a bag of crisps and a muffin, dropping bits on the mats and in the ball pit. Smaller DC were trying to pick up the larger bits they had dropped so another mum picked them up and put them in the bin. I told the mums sitting on the side that their kids were eating and they came to find them and take tbr snacks away, however, one said to DC “I told you not to take it in there”. Surely you don’t give your kid a snack in there and wait to go to the coffee shop afterwards? If they knew the kids had snacks, they shouldn’t have been let to run away with them not being spotted. Children with allergies could be playing in the same space, their parents not realising there’s food around

Shoe mum eventually got up to leave and trod across the mats with the other grown up and the DC both wearing shoes.

AIBU to think people should follow the soft play rules to keep it a nice environment for everyone?

Disclaimer: I know soft play is filthy. But it doesn’t have to be extra filthy.

[Wenfy]

Always go to the most expensive softplay you can afford and ideally one that doesn’t serve food - that does tend to keep the dirty buggers out. Though you’ll always get one.