Absolutely fuming at what I perceive to be lazy parenting causing my daughter to be injured today

[Blottedcopybook]

When I take my kids out anywhere, I can appear rude in company because I'm extremely easily distracted because I watch my kids like a hawk. I don't let them behave like little brats both because I want them to grow up and have respect for people around them, and I don't want anybody to be able to judge me as a lazy or bad parent. I don't consider the local soft play to be somewhere I can dump and ignore my little horrors as they rampage around the place with no consideration or care for anyone else, I actually watch what they're up to.

I'm just back from A&E with a concussed, grumpy and sore 22 month old DD. We were at the soft play this afternoon and she had come over to where I was sitting to get a drink. As she turned to go back and play, a group of half a dozen boys aged roughly 5-6 years old came running down from the SEATING AREA (not the soft play section) with such speed that when the ringleader hit DD (with his hands out, which was dreadfully kind of him) he knocked her off her feet and she flew a good three feet backwards before landing on the back of her head. Her eyes rolled back in her head and she vomited before starting screaming, I was leaping out of my seat at this point and angrily told the boy (without shouting, I might add) that he was running far too fast and should have more consideration for the other children. At this point, the group of adults with these little sh!ts were maybe three or four picnic tables behind me and not one of them moved until I gave this child into trouble. Not one of them asked if she was okay, or if they could help me. I'm 7 months pregnant and was there with my three children.

DD was BY FAR not the smallest kid there. We had to leave to go to A&E and getting our stuff together took a good 10 minutes during which time this group were in the baby & toddler section throwing balls at each other and generally being rowdy which is FINE for a soft play environment, but specifically why there are age-specific areas. None of the parents intervened, none of them apologised for DD getting hurt and none of them offered to help me get out to her car with one screaming hurt toddler, another screaming upset toddler who was frightened and worried about his sister and the 7 year old carrying my two bags.

I am so unbelievably angry.

Thanks if you read all that, I don't really have anyone to rant to tonight!

I can't stand the smell of dirty socks that pervades these places.

kerrymumbles you sound like a charming person

sorry your dd got hurt but these places tend to be like this...

I can understand you're more upset at the adults rather than the children, did none of the staff intervene to help you?

We don't tend to go outside school hours, assuming you had as why were large boys running around and not in school? if we go we go term time only, during school hours and definately not on a weekend!

I would have a word with the staff if older, larger boys were in the baby section but it's a free for all in the main areas!!

Kerry I'm not sure if you've missed the twice that I've said I appreciate that soft play areas are there to be played in, my issue was that they were running about mental in the seating area which was full of hot drinks and toddlers coming out of the baby play area. The Doctor who dealt with us at A&E said that DD probably avoided a fractured skull because she had her hair tied back with an elastic bobble which appears (from the lesion on her scalp) to have absorbed the worst of the impact with the SOLID CONCRETE floor.

I'm sure if you had attempted to "rip my head off" for trying to educate your child on how to conduct themself in public whilst you sat on your arse and ignored me and my injured child I'd have stood and took it. Not.

muppetgirl The manager came over because she heard DDs head hit off the floor but she was as much use as a chocolate fireguard - full of good intentions but took no info from us, didn't help me get our things together and largely ignored us once I'd made it clear we were leaving. It was just after 3 we'd gone and I totally didn't give it consideration that bigger kids would have been there - usually we go during schooltime when it's largely civilised!

The staff were able to see the older kids jumping in and out of the toddler area, the manager was sitting with us after DD got flattened and saw it but said nothing. Maybe worth mentioning it's one of these places with "WE'RE NOT LIABLE" signs all over the walls and instructions to watch your kids.

You have no idea what I'm like so how can you judge like that? I don't raise my voice ever, because I sound like a mouse when I do and NOBODY takes mice seriously. I've got three kids, I know accidents happen and like I've said already I was annoyed at the parents more than the kids - they were only little themselves.

I have no issue with your perspective, nobody is ever going to agree on how best to deal with kids be that your own or someone else's - I just don't appreciate being told you'd have ripped the face off me for defending my daughter and trying to make sure something that serious doesn't happen again to someone else's kid.

I hate soft play although i do take the dd's (it always ends in disaster). Dd1 had a party at one a few days ago and dd2 was invited, the place wasn't very busy as it was after school, Dd2 is almost 3 with ASD so i thought 'to keep her safe i will get in the ball pit with her', big mistake, i took a pounding from a bunch of 5 year old's lobbing balls at me and jumping on me, dd2 also got balls thrown full force at her face, i woke up the next day covered in bruises .

I don't think it's the children's fault for running to fast (they were there to play and have fun), i think these places are designed wrong, the bigger children should be in a different area away from the little ones but i suppose this is impossible.

I tend to stay away as much as possible and go to the park instead

I hope your LO is ok?

SGM It's that hideous rough wool carpet stuff over an unpadded floor in the seating bit. The soft play area is totally padded around the entry & exit points but the area with all the seating is not.

Kerry I agree - but can I point out that DD weighs two stone and it would have taken a fairly significant level of force to knock her flying backwards in the first place.

I agree with Kerry, it was an accident.

I would complain to the staff about it. But TBH, children have accidents all the time. Put it down to experience.

It sounds like you handled the situation very well Blottedcopybook.

@ UQD. How dare you make such sweeping generalisations.

This fat-arsed cake-eating lady does not read The Sun

BCP, I can understand your anger, I really can. I think you have a valid point. I'm surprised that the parent/s didn't come over and ask if she was okay. It's what I would have done - even if it was an accident. It's basic manners, isnt it? I hope your DD is okay. Keep a good eye on her tonight.

The staff at the softplay place should be enforcing rules regarding running in seating areas. It's part of BS 8409 "2002 Soft indoor play areas ? Code of practice".

RoSPA are compiling a database of accidents in softplay places, so it might be an idea to
email these folks

I think soft play is the new "fruit shoot"/"Greggs' sausage rolls" on here...

Oh great .... thanks to the likes of ROSPA eventually Softplay areas will be shut down too due to sodding health & safety regs. Our kids will have one less place to play and let off steam. We can all sit indoors when it's raining, on our jack, on our fat arses, with our dc eating cake and reading the Sun - CAN'T WAIT! ACCIDENTS HAPPEN !

What did people do in our parents' day when Soft Play hadn't been invented? I'm trying to remember what I did as a child when it was raining. Played inside the house, I suppose.

that's interesting about RoSPA, do they think there's a real problem with H&S in soft play, then?

Blotted, sorry dd got hurt and the other parents were so rude. Think it would be a very good idea to contact RoSPA.

(I can do that - surely you'd agree owners of soft play venues have a responsibility to keep children safe?)

edam Yes, I do. But this doesn't mean running around after the kids ensuring they don't run into anybody ? Hard surfaces where they shouldn't be is another issue - that is down to them. I just can't help but feel we are a bit precious about our dc.
uqd Don't know about you, but were kicked outside whatever the weather - but we all know 'things' were different back then. Not sure how long ago you were a child, so won't assume you are as old as I

I think the parents of toddlers in these places are to blame for allowing them to toddle around. Common sense says they will get knocked over therefore if you insist on taking them there, then carry them in the public areas and be beside them when they are on the ground. The older kids will automatically get excited - if schools struggle to stop running in corridors then kids will certainly run in an exciting place like soft play where the whole reason for being there is to let off steam. Accidents happen - the world cannot be wrapped up in cotton wool. Cant think of any other situation where a parent would let their tiny toddler run around where there are over excited big children charging around. Madness - I have only recently started taking my kids to them and the youngest is 3 and we hold her hand in public areas at all times so she doesnt get bowled over (including the cafe area) and quite frankly I worry myself sick watching her amongst the big ones. Its like putting toddlers onto a football field - mid play.

Don't think the lazy parenting can be proved to have caused your dd to be injured - kids will be daft in places like this.
BUT I agree completely with you over what happened afterwards. Their parents should have apologised and helped you. I would have furious with them and let them know it!
Also agree the staff should monitor more - I hate it when they have huge 'Rules of Play' posters up and then staff blatantly ignore anyone breaking them
Hope your little dd (& you) feel better soon

Most things - including play equipment MUST adhere to British Safety Standards. Quite right too. Anyone remember in the good old days of "That's Life" when Esther and friends had a campaign to improve play area surfaces etc because of the number of needless deaths and injuries?

Any public place has to abide by Health & Safety regulations - that includes Fire, Risk Assessment, Equipment, Hygiene etc etc. All common sense stuff, but there are unscrupulous people out there who couldnt give a stuff if they are charging £10 a time for children to play in a rust bucket. It also makes sense for staff to be trained appropriately for emergencies, and to know first aid etc. It's no big deal.

In the "good old days", when it rained, we got wet. Or, our parents took us out, sans seatbelts and booster seats to somewhere interesting, and we jumped over the seats and in and out of the boot of the fiat mira estate car they had.

It's great that these place are required to adhere to regulations involving safety. Exactly how it should be.

I rarely frequent these places, mostly because I hate the smell of chip-fat being impregnated on my clothes whilst I'm there. [grim] but that's a whole other issue