Soft play day before holiday?

[BabyDoge]

I'm having a bit of a disagreement with DM and would love some other perspectives.

We're going on holiday on Monday, and DM has kindly offered to take DC out for a couple of hours so me and DH can crack on with packing. I was very grateful for the offer, until she said she's going to take them to soft play. I asked her if maybe she could take them somewhere else, as I don't think they should be going to a germ factory the day before we go away 🙈 But she thinks I'm being too anxious and it would be fine.

AIBU? I have no problem taking them to soft play usually, but the day before we go away just feels like asking for trouble.

We have 2 weeks here, so they've been off from school and nursery this week!

Why is a 2 year old putting things in their mouth?

No, I absolutely get you on this one OP. Yes, there will be germs etc on the plane, but why take the risk to expose them to more germs if you don’t need to?
I’ve always done similar before a big holiday.. 🤷‍♀️

Totally with you there.. I would absolutely no way take my DC to soft play before a holiday!!

So they are capable of timing when they are sick?

Please OP cancel the holiday and get yourself back in your bubble

Yes I've just said this to a PP. I understand they can catch something on the plane but at least we'd already be there once it hit.

I really do think I am living in a parallel universe - avoiding soft play before going away - never heard of anything so bloody ridiculous in my life!

What about school, finishing Friday going Saturday, what will you do then OP keep them off school?

What a strange question?!

Because that's developmentally normal is the answer.

I wouldn’t do it! They are complete germ factories and I would avoid before a holiday, why have sick kids on hols? I’d be so grateful for the offer and I’d be laughing at myself asking her would she mind doing something outdoors etc. but I wouldn’t mind if someone said that to me!

Well I have a severe phobia of vomiting so I’d be the same as you

Thank you 🙂 I've got the thermometer, Calpol, ibuprofen, antihistamines...😅

In your shoes I'd agree no soft play. Yes they may get sick from the plane but:

• spft play is a whole other set of germs, and young kids are pretty gross, so going to shloft play increases the chances of sickness
• you likely can't really go on holiday to where you're going, without going on a plane. Your mum can look after them for an hour or so without soft play

So not worth it for me

We don't "need" them taken out, we were going to pack around them through the day but she called today and offered.

YABU. Germs everywhere. rude to your DM after her kind offer. If DC1 gets that unwell each time, you’ve taken a risk booking a big holiday, it’s inconsistent to then seek to reduce risk of catching a bug in this specific way.

Particularly inconsistent since DC1 is in (germy) school.

Almost 2 year old, 22 months.

Should she not be by this age? I've spent the entire afternoon stopping her (and failing) from putting DS' Lego in her mouth.

This trope of "soft play is a plague pit full of hundreds of children dripping with every germ known to man" is something I've only seen on Mumsnet. Never heard anyone consider it more likely to make someone sick than anywhere else in real life.

This.

x 100

OP
You
are
being
bloody
ridiculous

I bet she regrets that!

Yes I think that's what's stopping me, it's not needed. If they had a birthday party or something they had to go to then that would be different. But we were going to pack with them in the house, we don't need them taking out. Yes they'll have more fun, but there's plenty of other places they could go.

Well I'm just going off standard incubation periods.

Took our then 4 year olds after dropping cats off at cattery. Great start to the holiday for them, they had a great time!

For me it would very much depend on the age of the children and if they were at nursery.
My son took a year of nursery to stop being sick on a biweekly basis, often ending up at the hospital due to respiratory type infections (always hit hardest at the weekend and no middle ground between GP and A&E) and being potentially asthmatic. A holiday for us was a very rare and special occasion so I would probably have swerved a soft play if he was under 4 as there was loads of other stuff to do, like walks in the park and such.
In reception after the baptism of fire at nursery I would have been fine about it.
Only you know your child and you are best placed to make the decision.

They've got 2 weeks off this time, so they've been off this week.