Is soft play best avoided?

[keepgoing87]

I was planning to take my 18 month old to soft play for the first time, until I read the thread on HF&M. From what people have said it sounds like it’s actually pretty disgusting and seriously unhygienic (vomit and poop were both mentioned! 🤮) I want my son to build up a healthy immune system obviously, but I do feel somewhat put off. Should I go or is it best to avoid?

Been going to soft plays regularly for the past 8 years. My DCs have never gotten ill after going and I've never seen poo, wee or vomit in any of them!

It depends... It's not my first choice of activity. A nice walk on a sunny day somewhere with a decent outdoor playground with overlooking cafe is my preference.

On the other hand, it beats hands-down being cooped up with my overactive 3yo in our small house on a rainy day (especially if there have been a series of rainy days). And my DC loves it... literally adores it. Best thing in the world for them. That kind of joy cannot be ignored, even if triggered by a giant rainbow slide, some battered foam cubes and a dirty cesspit ballpit.

We've done enough rainy walks in fucking puddlesuits over the last two years, so
if it's anything worse than a light drizzle, I'm happy to do softplay, find a corner with a lukewarm coffee and plug my headphones in.

I've never seen anything disgusting in the ones round mine.
We absolutely love it, myself just as much as DS! Get me down that big slide.
We tend to go through the week and it's quieter, enjoy some food and a coffee for me after then off we go home.
Fills in a couple of hours great, and plus side, they sleep amazing after.

Don't do it.
It always smells vaguely like piss and the hot drinks don't taste much better.

To add, never caught any illness either.
He tends to pick that all up at nursery

I don't worry about the germs, they get them anyway from school and nursery. I would take an 18 month old on a school day though as there won't be many big kids to trample them.

I don't worry about the germs, they get them anyway from school and nursery.

Not to the same extent though - I’m not saying don’t go, but be cautious. Someone I know had to cancel a family holiday after contacting a horrible sickness bug at soft play. I couldn’t help but think it was very foolish to go there the day before you were supposed to set off for your holiday. No way would I go to soft play if I had something important planned a few days later.

Once you have a confident climber that needs daily exercise in order to stop them climbing the walls by lunchtime, it’s an absolute Godsend in rubbish weather.

Only good once you can sit at the table and leave them to it though. DD1 is 2.10 and DD2 is ten weeks, and it’s my saviour at the moment. DD2 disappears for two hours, returning only for drinks and snacks, while I sit with a hot drink and my Kindle, rocking the buggy with my foot to get DD2 to (hopefully) have a nice long nap.

@NowEvenBetter

Also, what would a 1.5yr old get from it (apart from viruses)? Do they not get enough amusement from falling over furniture in their own house?

Well at soft play they can fall over safely - we live in a quite small cramped house and don’t have much of a garden so we had to go out if we wanted them to be able to run/climb etc.

Also I think just watching other kids of all ages playing and seeing them is exciting to a smaller child. And for the parents a change of scenery! My house used to feel so cabin fever after a few days.

Once you have a confident climber that needs daily exercise in order to stop them climbing the walls by lunchtime, it’s an absolute Godsend in rubbish weather.

Climbing the walls? I’m imagining some kind of spider baby. A toddler doesn’t need daily climbing exercise, it’s not a pet monkey

We started at about 15 months and haven't looked back. My little one absolutely loves climbing, sliding and running. It also means they get a little socialisation.

Our local ones are very clean and we've never had issues. And I'm saying this as the mum of a child with many severe food allergies (including a contact allergy to dairy).

My almost 6 year old has no idea what soft play is because evening third child I just refuse to do it.
Full of kids with no supervision while the mums chat
I've seen a child vomit and it be clean duo with flash!
My eldest now 17 was a regular and honestly 75% of the time. Came down with v and D or a weird illness.... Glandular fever... Scarlet fever

I love taking my kids to soft play and have from about 12 months. The one we go to seems pretty clean.

DD did throw up their once after too much birthday cake at a party…. I was mortified but they cleaned it up immediately.

There not their!

*Once you have a confident climber that needs daily exercise in order to stop them climbing the walls by lunchtime, it’s an absolute Godsend in rubbish weather.

Climbing the walls? I’m imagining some kind of spider baby. A toddler doesn’t need daily climbing exercise, it’s not a pet monkey*

Climbing the walls metaphorically. As in, having an excess of energy.

100% avoid, my two have never been as I'd rather them build immunity in the outdoors. There's no reason for my kids to get constant stomach bugs because people don't keep sick kids home.

I love a bit of soft play on a rainy afternoon and so does my toddler, but not all soft plays are equal. I know which to avoid and the ones we go to are always clean, well ordered and airy. They are mostly pre-book only these days, which I think is a good thing.