To think places for children should open earlier?

[Crocodileintheriver]

Just seen this on my Instagram and could not agree more! Everywhere for children opens way to late, should be open earlier.

I love this. Guaranteed entry and parking, plus less tantrums when time to leave because the session is over and they see other people are going home too.

@LearnerCook But it's not entitled. It's a wish, a suggestion, a complaint, but the OP is not saying that she's special. And indeed from the other posts, there's a market! Maybe a small one, maybe a niche one, but some people would like it.

Not everyone who works at these places has children. Why should they have to start work at stupid o'clock just because you decided to breed?

Because the people who run them don't have kids? My kids sleep until 8am though, so no issues here. Mind you, I don't put them to bed at 6:30pm like some people seem to think is normal.

What if staff have to use public transport to get to work? Often the service isn't great that early. Children getting up early isn't a new thing but parents who think every waking minute needs to be scheduled fun make a rod for their own back.

When mine were tiny I always thought this. Up at 6, softplay 7-8, then home to chill out. I was perfectly capable of entertaining my children, but rather than three hours of TV, which a lot of people use, I would love to have been out for a while, then have some time doing quiet things at home.
Clearly not for everyone or they would be open at that hour.

I have a friend who used to work in children's activities. In her experience, plenty of people said they would like early openings/classes but in reality very few actually turned up on a regular basis so it wasn't worth her while. Lots of people seem to like the idea but not the reality of it.

You’ve missed highlights such as:

• Shower while toddler hollers outside the door
• Get breakfast for children and breakfast for self. Children might well change mind about what they want half way through, complain about eating it the whole time etc.
• Clean up breakfast from floor
• Get self and children dressed. Deal with children’s complaints and cries about clothes that are scratchy and favourite clothes that are in the wash.
• Deal with children needing a poo just as you’re leaving

I’m not in any way suggesting that getting out of the door in time for school is particularly hard - and to clarify, we always manage it fine and are never late - but there is often a lot to rush through and I enjoy taking my time with it all on weekends.

Yes getting out the door with a baby that doesn’t complain and doesn’t need breakfast is easier but presumably the soft plays and activities that people want open earlier aren’t designed at immobile babies?

I wish they were open later. This country is crazy still closing everywhere at 5pm in the spring/summer.

I've never understood the need to have somewhere to go constantly with DC. Mine aren't early risers but will be up later than some, that doesn't mean I expect attractions to be open later just so there is somewhere to take them at all hours.

Be glad you don't live where I do. Children's fun/trampoline parks/soft play etc are open at 4pm to Midnight typically. Nothing is ever open in the mornings except the zoo.

Hard to be somewhere for 9am when I didn't get back from school run until at least 9:15, with 2 under 2 who then needed a quick feed, drink, nappy change etc before getting in the car and driving 15 minutes+ to our nearest groups.

God it’s such a weird and lazy argument for someone to say “i wish this thing existed” and for then people to reply and with the options that they should either set it up themselves or shush.

and as for the “just parent them!!!!” comments, these are also ridiculous. We have ALL been there that it’s better to take your child out than to have them going through a “spirited” (ie naughty) phase at home.

I personally wish that they’d do activities later, soft play around here has last admission around 2pm which is still nap time, I’d love soft play at 4pm so we are home for dinner then bed. Of course, I’m not going to quit my job to set that up myself. But it would be handy.

I've had kids so somewhere needs to open up early to entertain them. Yeah, right

We have been to a kids place that opened early today. There was hardly anyone there. There were more staff than children. It made no financial sense for them to open early. By the time we left it was getting busier.

Where I live Tescos open at 6:00am so you can go there and run amok with a trolley - and it only costs a pound.

I do, and I haven't even gnot any kids!

If there was actual demand for it, it would happen. But there isn’t.

Dear god you obviously don't live near me. Try to go for a nice early Sunday coffee with DH and the Costa is packed with bloody screaming kids. Parents who don't care leaving them running around screaming, so bad I have had to remove my hearing aids to avoid a burst eardrum. Seriously. We've started going later in the hope they will have gone. And yes, I had kids and no, I did NOT let them run bloody riot.

Not everyone is up at 5.15.

If most kids aren't up super early then those places are going to be pretty empty, surely?

Seems like business sense.

This only works for the first born children! Once you have one at school that's the busiest hour of the day.

If you want a nice coffee why are you going to Costa? 😉

I don't think that's quite true, otherwise the Ukraine wouldn't have to put up Russian agression.

Can't parents entertain their own children for a few hours before going to a place at 10?

Never really thought about it before but actually she’s right. Everything for kids around my way opens at 10am. Why not 9am like offices and shops?

We have ALL been there that it’s better to take your child out than to have them going through a “spirited” (ie naughty) phase at home.
All day? Yes like everyone I’ve gone through difficult times with my kids but it’s never occurred to me that the way of coping with this is to go out at the crack of dawn and come home at bedtime. I can’t think of enough places to go or things to do to fill all day everyday.. and maybe I’m unusual but I certainly don’t find parenting a tantruming child sitting down in a puddle in the park, refusing to get back in the pram and crying because they are cold / hungry / because they don’t want to wait for the swing any easier than parenting at home.
It simply can’t be something that we all are clamouring for because if the demand was there for the trampoline place to open at 7.30am then surely they would?