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Parenting

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Original poster

To feel that parents take to much advantage of soft play centres

22 replies

ShoooOK · 09/06/2019 19:12

I've gone to a softplay called wonderland and it's a great place for loads of fun.. But when you have a 1year old in the toddler area and a few children between the ages of 5 to 12 years of age run around throwing balls really hard and running into babies and not care really pisses me off..
The reason because the parents are nowhere to be seen or just sitting at tables on their phones... they don't supervise their kids or put and sort of manners on them.. It's unfair and rude.... It's not a creche and it's treated like it is..

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Pipandmum · 09/06/2019 19:14

Is the baby/toddler area segregated? In all the play zones I’ve been to it is. If so complain to the people who work there. Play should be supervised by them too.

TheChildChomper · 09/06/2019 19:22

Thing is, these play centres are massive. My DS is 7 and no longer wants me tagging along behind him watching his every move. Not to mention I can't bloody well keep up with him! He wants to go mental and make new friends. So I'm that mum who leaves him be while I sit yawning at a table playing candy crush while he burns off all that went up energy.

If I see him in the toddler area I will always get up and tell him to get out. But these playframes are so big it's difficult to have eyes on them at all times.

However, if my son is in a toddler area when I've told him umpteen times it's not for him, I would never take umbrage with another adult telling him to leave.

Speak up, tell the older kids they aren't meant to be there. No need to shout or be aggressive, usually kids will respond to a polite request anyway. But if not, tell staff and they'll deal with it.

PatchworkElmer · 09/06/2019 19:26

We’ve had this a few times, I will ask children to stop/ leave if they’re being stupid.

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Original poster

ShoooOK · 09/06/2019 19:29

I understand when they get to a certain age its fair enough they want to play but at least check up on the child every few minutes...Its not that hard like.. I don't like telling someones child what not to do, specially when parents can get offended by saying something too their children.. And yes maybe staff members should be in the toddler area and beside high slides...

OP posts:

user1493413286 · 09/06/2019 19:32

This is one of my massive bugbears; the toddler area is normally separate and supposed to be safe while the older ones have a massive area but they come into it and run around. Often the parents see and don’t say anything anyway.
I do tell them though as I want my 2 year old DD to be able to run around safely

katienana · 09/06/2019 19:32

Once kids are over about 3 I start to reduce the direct supervision but it baffles me when I see 1 year olds being left to it! Once I was comforting a little girl she couldn't have been more than 18 months old sobbing her heart out, no parent in sight. Shed been alone for a good 15 minutes. I told a member of staff who helped her find her mum...who was sitting about 12 feet away, in direct view of the play area but had not once looked up to check on her child. I thought that was appalling.
If big kids come in the baby area I ask their ages and remind them its for little ones, if that doesn't work get onto the staff. My eldest got thrown out of 4 and under zone once and he was only just turned 4 just v tall!

user1493413286 · 09/06/2019 19:33

It would help if the staff enforced it too.

Original poster

ShoooOK · 09/06/2019 20:11

Thats what I mean like the kids area is huge.. I do be surprised why they even bother with the toddler area tbh... Next time I will just say it to a staff member... And a one year old left by herself is definitely not on... 😲

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OnlyFoolsnMothers · 09/06/2019 21:15

I hate it when older kids come into the toddler area but I don’t think a parent is unreasonable for giving an eg. 7 year old free reign in soft play. However there was a little girl in the under 3 section today who told me “I’m older than 4 but my Mummy said it was fine”...that pissed me off as the lazy mother wanted to leave a 5year old in a gated area.

Next time tell the staff

donnalovemykids · 10/06/2019 12:53

I dont like it when adults use the softplay period. why should there be adults and kids up in the main area, its unsafe and not its intention. our local one bans adults from being inside it, also when adulkts wear no socks! yuck!

Pinkvoid · 10/06/2019 14:09

I don’t supervise my DC because they’re 6, 8 and 9. What are you expecting me to do, take my shoes off and follow them around? It’d be really weird if I did .

They do know they’re not allowed in the baby/toddler bit.

Mumofone1593 · 10/06/2019 14:14

I hate this! I have only been a few times and the baby only bits get over run by older children and the parents couldn't care less! I am only going to start going again when my son is old enough to hold his own!

Original poster

ShoooOK · 10/06/2019 14:45

Excuse you I said check up on them not follow them 🙄 Its says don't leave kids unsupervised... If you can't Supervise your child then check make sure they aren't at least in the toddler area knocking over babies.

OP posts:

aPengTing · 10/06/2019 14:47

Just complain to staff every time you see an older child in there.

Original poster

ShoooOK · 10/06/2019 14:47

And if they aren't In the toddler area or know not to do so.. good.

OP posts:

Kaykay06 · 10/06/2019 14:49

Speak to the staff?
The one I used to go to had a dedicated staff member checking no bigger kids could go in which worked out well.
lol didn’t have time to be going into find mine either and usually only found them when it was time to eat or someone hurt something and they certainly weren’t in baby areas. There are some kids who will but the majority stay where it’s fun to play with friends etc

aPengTing · 10/06/2019 14:52

I am only going to start going again when my son is old enough to hold his own!

Or you could speak to a member of staff.

Teddybear45 · 10/06/2019 14:55

Genuinely I think soft plays that go up to 12 should have a minimum age limit of 3. Far too often I have seen under 3s and sometimes even crawling babies left unsupervised while their mums play on their phones - that isn’t on.

LauraMipsum · 10/06/2019 15:02

You can deploy "Gosh, you're tall for a three year old!" "I'm not three, I'm seven." "Oh, this area is only for under three year olds, that must be why I got it wrong."

(I've never had the nerve to use this but one of my friends has it down to an art, and it works like a dream!)

Original poster

ShoooOK · 10/06/2019 15:09

I gotta use this nice way to say it

OP posts:

waterandmilk · 10/06/2019 16:21

Agree. I am tired of having to parent other people's children so I stopped going.
Same in some playgrounds, they need to be supervised, you can't just ignore them because there are little ones around and it is not fair.
We will end up isolated because the sense of community is gone, people are too lazy to make sure their children are guided.

Frankola · 11/06/2019 19:43

My child was once repeatedly rough housed by a kid twice her size in soft play until the staff had to get involved at my request and find the kids parent.

She was sat on her phone and ignoring the whole thing. She then said her son was "cuddling" my dd and we needed to go easy on her as she had depression and needed a break for a while

When they're used and monitored properly though they're a God send.

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