Annoyed with gym creche?

[Eurydice84]

My gym has a creche where parents can leave kids while exercising. It's a tiny soft play where kids run around supervised by two-three staff members. Their policy is to collect kids at the door, no parents allowed inside the creche. However DD (3) had a bad experience with a boy hitting her during her first time there; she is now understandably worried about visiting again and would like me to go inside for a bit. I politely explained the situation but was told that parents are not allowed in. Also no one really tells me how she's been doing at the end of the creche hour - after the hitting incident she came out in tears and no one told me about the incident. Am I expecting too much from a small gym creche, or should I keep making my case?

But it’s an unreasonable frustration

of course they’re not going to allow her into the crèche, they have a rule (a reasonable and sensible one at that) why would the OP think they’d break it for her?

And on the notification of the incident; this is a gym crèche, not nursery

Anyone with more than a handful of brain cells and a small degree of common sense wouldn’t have even asked this ridiculous question, let alone asked the crèche to break their safeguarding protocols for them!

Unfortunately I think YABU and expecting too much of the creche. Its an informal babysitting arrangement to encourage parents to join that particular gym. Yes they should have stopped the children fighting with each other but they aren't going to let any parents in or it'll open a floodgate of all parents wanting to come in. Its no better than the creche at Ikea or other shops.

When my DC were under 5, I specifically joined a gym that was near my office so I could go at lunchtime. I negotiated a 1.5 hour lunch break twice a week and took a shorter break the other 3 days a week to make up the time. DC were dropped off at 8am at nursery and picked up at 6pm. Personally I wouldn't have used a gym creche as it wouldn't have suited my DC, they took weeks to settle in their nursery as it was.

Gotta love Mumsnet sometimes, there is always the one who gets really spiteful

I have always exercised at home with exercise videos. Yes I worked, do work, I used a nursery which is not the same as gym crèches at all

@Darbs76

thats good, YouTube is great for home workouts

though I guess not everyone has the space at home to allow it

Maybe if DD isn't comfortable going there... Don't bring her? The gym, presumably, is an optional thing for you. Don't make it mandatory for her.

Yes. And yes, you are expecting far too much from a gym crèche.

@LuckySantangelo35

Don't be daft. Of course the body can survive without doing cardio for a year or two. It's not ideal but it's fine. I didn't exercise intensly when mine were little and I'm very fit now. You sound like me when I had an eating disorder. The vast majority of exercise most of us do anyway is informal (walking to te shops, running around after kids, tidying the house).

@TestingTesting123456

i never said the body can’t survive

it can of course but it’s not good for it

why should mums have to stop exercising for a couple of years when they have a kid?

why should mums have to stop exercising for a couple of years when they have a kid?

Other parents would have to stop using the crèche if the policy was changed and adults were allowed to come in as well. Then they couldn't exercise. I wouldn't use a facility where adults I didn't know had access to my child when I wasn't there.

I'm a teacher and we have all of these safeguarding protocols for a reason. Lessons have been learnt from the past.

Did you watch Maxine' recently where Huntley just said to the head who hired him 'oh, I just use my mothers maiden name now?'

Well, I was a young recently married teacher at the time and I hadn't committed one way or another to changing my name. After my dd was born I did some supply and I was just using two surnames interchangeably. You can't do that now, because we have learnt a lesson.

Same when Fred West killed his daughter. He just told the school that she had gone to another school. Nobody looked into it. Whereas now if I child goes to a different school we follow it up to make sure that they actually have.

You don’t need much space at all, most of it’s on the spot - you can do it anywhere

And many people do get enough time in their lunch break. And some people have flexible jobs and can pop out in the day (see thread about wfh where some people are managing to look after babies and take the to baby groups whilst working full time). Some workplaces are close enough to a gym to exercise and shower there. And virtually all workplaces will have a sink and hot water and you can bring your own soap and towel to enable you to wash after exercising if all else fails (my neighbour did this for years, because running to work was the only way she could fit in exercise, but there were no showers).

We have no idea as to OP circumstances; so there is no reason to instantly shoot the idea down.

Many nurseries are open 7.30-6.30 and the majority of people don't use the whole time frame.
(I'd probably go as far to say if OP's DD is in nursery for 7.30-6.30 for 4 full days already, it seems a bit odd to put her in childcare for yet more time when it's not necessary)

Our local gym has a creche and none of the staff are qualified in childcare. They literally watch the children play and rarely intervene. It's like a soft play with parents.

This is why I'd never use one. Plus they call parents out of the gym if the child is crying, hitting, need the toilet or need a nappy change.

Is there no one else that can have them whilst you go to the gym?

Going to the gym is hardly the only way of exercising.
A PP has mentioned doing YouTube videos at home. I used to run around the playground while my DC were playing there (and pop in and out and push them on the swing etc). And look at all the creative ways people managed to exercise in a very small space during lockdown.

I think it’s understandable that they can’t allow you in but I don’t think it’s acceptable for them not to mention your daughter was upset just because they’re not qualified childcare practitioners in a nursery setting. That’s like saying ‘yes my child was hurt and crying when we arrived home but the babysitter isn’t a teacher so it’s unreasonable to expect an explanation.’ They should have explained why she was upset/crying and what had happened.