Will you try to get your toddler to social distance in the playground?

[AshGirl]

Just wondering how people are approaching playgrounds re-opening. DS is 3 and has complex SEND so won't understand about keeping away from other children.

Our local playgrounds are re-opening today.

We have managed so far by keeping to places which are mostly quiet and moving on if there are other children around.

Appreciate that older children can be talked to and are better at waiting their turn.

I will attempt to encourage social distancing. For example standing back when queueing for the slide. Not going on a piece of equipment someone else is already on etc. I wont be able to keep her 2m away from everyone at all times though

Could you wait and go on Monday when it might be less busy? Or go early in the morning?

I will socially distance myself but I will not be expecting my children to SD. I think if parents are hell bent on their children keeping their distance from other children a play park isn’t for them.

Nope. I will do my best to keep 1 or 2 metres apart from other adults but I’ve never asked my 3 year old to SD. I don’t agree, particularly outdoors. Scotland are now saying children under 12 don’t need to SD outdoors & I certainly trust Nicola S more than BoJo.

Let your kid run free & enjoy the park! Mine had a ball this morning 😊

I'm in Ireland where playgrounds have been open for a few weeks. If you want your kids to be two metres apart, don't bring them to the playground - it's just not possible to enforce unless you glue yourself to your child.

It does seem to take the fun out of playing at the park if your kids have to keep 2m apart! The whole point of taking them there is so that they can run around and have a bit of freedom. Very rarely do they get close to other kids (they don’t know) for a sustained period of time that transmission of the virus could be a possibility especially outside. I think just sanitising hands before and afterwards and obviously adults keeping apart would suffice.
It would confuse my 3 year old (as they don’t socially distance at nursery) and I don’t want her to be afraid of other children. But at the same time I don’t want to cause a confrontation with another parent who expects me to keep my child 2m from theirs.... I think I’ll avoid the parks for a week or two and see if people actually bother socially distancing they kids.

No I think my child's mental health is more important to me so no I won't ... my baby has suffered enough

No, completely defeats the point of a playground. We need to apply common sense, not neurosis.

I'm just using common sense. Handwashing, not going on really busy equipment, waiting turns etc. That's about it. I wouldn't bat an eyelid if your 3 year old came over to play with mine.

No I think this it is wrong to do this to children. The wonderful nursery for 3/4 years olds my son goes to say that children need the comfort, companionship and care they receive from contact with other children and so they will not be seeking to keep the children sociallly distanced. I agree with them.

No, and if other people do it will probably put me off going, as people will be constantly shouting at their kids which I can't stand! I wish they would say what's required, but agree it's outdoors and I wouldn't expect them to get particularly close to children they don't know. I will also only be going at quieter times but mainly so I don't have to witness it being crowded/adults not social distancing

Nah. As an adult I am mindful of keeping a respectful from other adults - and their children if they don't run close to me - but that's only because I don't want to piss anyone else off or make them anxious. For myself and DS (3) I don't care. When appropriate I've been telling DS to wait his turn rather than barge in and squeeze right next to a kid, but every time so far the other parent has said they don't mind, so we let them get on with.

Absolutely lovely that play areas are open again at long last, what a joy to see the little ones play, observe each other and interact.

Agree with PPs that if any parents are anxious and want to be strict about it they should avoid play areas or go when it's empty or very quiet.

a respectful distance

Come on!! Why would you risk it? I've been very laid back about this whole period of lockdown but why risk taking your young child who won't social distance to a public park? There are plenty of open spaces to play or play with a small group of friends if you're after the social aspect. Not lots of randoms. Same as pubs I just don't understand why people can't just wait a bit longer

@LockdownLou

I will socially distance myself but I will not be expecting my children to SD. I think if parents are hell bent on their children keeping their distance from other children a play park isn’t for them.

Yep this!

No. But we’ve been today and we were the only ones there!

No. I will keep a distance, but if other parents are happy for their children to play with my DD, I'm happy too. She's 3, and is actualy pretty sensible, but has missed other children so much.

Saying that, the parks here are never massively busy. DD might chat to another child for a bit then move on. Previously we have often been the only people in the park anyway.

No. Apart from personally keeping my distance from others the kids are just treating it as it was before. Hand gel on their hands on the way out.

Haven't they changed the rules so that under 11's don't have to socially distance? Or is that just at school?

Just pretend you are in Scotland!

No, and I'd hope that all other parents there would be if the same mindset so that I don't have to spend the entire shooing my son from others as they cast disapproving looks. As previous posters have said, if you're so concerned that you'd expect toddlers to SD, maybe a playground isn't a good idea for you right now.

I decided we wouldn’t allow hand holding type stuff, but I wasn’t going to insist on two metres apart every moment. In the end there was only one other family there, who carefully stayed away from us so I took that as a hint.

The playgrounds near me are never hugely busy and outdoors is lower risk anyway, so I will just put hand gel on before and after and tell my son to wait his turn for the slide etc. If other parents become worried they have the option to leave and remove their child from the situation.

I am asking my 3 year old to give people some space, or directing him to wait his turn a bit further away than normal.

But it’s not realistic for young kids to stay 2m apart - even if you tell them to it’s just going to stress them out and they won’t really remember.

I will try to go at quieter times and to quieter playgrounds.