Soft play?

[PeppaisaBitch]

My local soft play is putting up loads of fb posts at the moment. Lots of comments 'can't wait to go back'. I'm just wondering when they will be able to open up? Feel that it probably won't be safe for quite some time. Really feel for the staff who must be so up in the air at the moment.

Noooooo thank you very much.

I imagine they will be one of the very last things to reopen, along with things like nightclubs. By that point life will be nearly back to normal in every other way, so most people probably won't be all that worried.

I would be back taking my DD anywhere possible as soon as allowed. This is an unpopular view on MN but I'm not convinced it's that unpopular overall, just MN isn't super reflective of society in terms of the demographics of users I think. I have a few friends with kids who feel the same as me. DD is nearly 2 and has been going to nursery throughout, DH is a HCP.

I’m 100% behind the reopening of playgrounds, sandpits and outdoor paddling pools, children desperately need places to be able to play and just be children, but even I would balk at indoor soft play centres opening right now.

I was rather hoping playgroups and toddler groups would open first.

Ugh. Soft play. When my DD was 2 she picked up something horrid there that left hospitalised for 10 days, unconscious for half of it.

Hope they are the very last to open.

@Buyitinbamboo

Hopefully long enough that my 6 month old will have outgrown them!

I'd loveparks to open but I was talking to a member from the council about it last week and she said she can't see it happening for a long time. How would they clean it? They would need staff or something.

I really hope that’s not the case with parks. My 2 year old is desperate to get back on the swings. I wouldn’t expect the council to clean them. Surely if parents choose to use them; they take responsibility themselves for ensuring they wash / sanitise their kids hands afterwards. I would probably take some anti bacterial wipes and give the equipment the once over first too but surely the risk is pretty low. I assumed it was more a case of not wanting big groups of parents and kids congregating in the parks and mixing.

As for soft - play however, I can’t see them opening any time soon either. As a business they would have to prove they were Covid secure and I just can’t see how they could even start to do that! Big shame for the businesses and their staff though.

I guess the only way to do it in the near future would be to have allocated times for small groups with cleaning in between sessions.

I'm hoping my kids will have forgotten about the existence of soft play by the time this is over.

Surely if parents choose to use them; they take responsibility themselves for ensuring they wash / sanitise their kids hands afterwards totally! I’m tempted to take a bottle of dettol to the park, clean everything just to let my daughter have a go.

Maybe private parties before normal opening? Especially smaller soft plays that don't have ball pools. Then a kid could invite just the kids from their class and it could be cleaned before and after.

Not sure if it would be financially viable though.

My DS was hospitalised after contracting rotavirus at soft play. We’ve never been back. They’re unhygienic at the best of times - they’re downright dangerous now.

@Playdonut Thank goodness for that. There’s a reason they were invented!

When can life go back to normal please?

@OnlyFoolsnMothers unfortunately no evidence yet that Dettol kills Covid-19. It only works on a small number of viruses, it’s mainly antibacterial

Are some people confusing soft play with crack dens?! The soft plays near us are always lovely and clean, my daughter has never been ill after a visit and I've always found them great places to take her to for a morning/few hours!

I think with stringent cleaning measures like disinfectant sprays, mandatory hand washing on arrival, limited numbers etc they could cope?

Soft play sounds like an excellent way to build up an immune system and inadvertantly discover a cure, or at least develop herd immunity

Mine are getting past that age anyway.

Realistically we need to be opening outdoor play opportunities, they are considerably safer than indoors (especially if badly ventilated)

Schools would really need to be back to normal before soft play.can open. It's tough because it was a great, safe vent for my toddler's energy.

I've managed a Soft play, including cleaning on occasion (a small community one, not a massive warehouse one).

The equipment is very easy to clean. You can just wipe it down. (Cleaning the slides is great fun!) The ball pits however, aren't.

If children are picking up illnesses in Softplay, it's mainly because parents take ill kids to them. Temperature checks may become the norm for example.

Our local children’s farm is exactly the same. To be honest, I work in infectious diseases, and the day before lockdown they were advertising their new mum special for pregnant women and mums with babies under 6 months. I took a lot to restrain myself from writing a very angry message on their social media. I have a brand new £100 a year annual pass and will not go back (they are refusing to refund any money anyway). My colleagues are literally dying and they are offering specials to highly vulnerable groups. It’s completely put me off ever going there again.

Just before lockdown — a huge one bear is with a massive ball pool said the ball pit was been deep cleaned daily. I don’t believe for one minute but was so will be last on my list of places to return to.

My dcs have never got ill. But my god if judging by the state of their socks. Which inevitably go in the bin after as they're so dirty they'd never wash up then I can't ingine they'd start cleaning now.
Theyve never got ill though but I hear many do.
Although dd loves them I'm not fussed. As it's never relaxing lol.