How do you deal with unruly older kids at the playground?

[Anonymous]

There is a reason it says " for ages 5-12" -those bigger playground are NOT meant for toddlers. Doesn't mean your kid can't go on there, but you are setting yourself up when you put your 16 month old on a playground meant for big kids.

My son is adventurous and was bored as hell on the smaller jungle gyms when he was past 12 months, so yes I did let him go on the big ones, but I was with him the entire time making sure he didn't get run over, or fall off.
Its up to you OP to either take your kid when the big ones aren't there, avoid it altogether, or take responsibility for your childs safety rather than calling a bunch of kids "unruly" who have every right to play there as they wish.

[Anonymous]

Our playground is designated from 2-5 years for the small one and 6-12 for the bigger. Which I feel is ridiculous because kids under 2 can't use the playground? And the difference between a one year old and a 5 year old is huge.

OP, if you aren't in the "big kid" playground, I'd feel free to be as stern with those kids as you need to be. They need to watch out for little ones if they are playing in a shared space.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our playground is designated from 2-5 years for the small one and 6-12 for the bigger. Which I feel is ridiculous because kids under 2 can't use the playground? And the difference between a one year old and a 5 year old is huge.

OP, if you aren't in the "big kid" playground, I'd feel free to be as stern with those kids as you need to be. They need to watch out for little ones if they are playing in a shared space.

Wait, you feel the posted age is ridiculous so I need to hold my 3yo back when he is on a 2-5yo playground? So your barely walking toddler can take forever to sit at the top of the slide? I take him to playground so he can run around and climb and jump and play. That's the whole point. If your kid is under 2, let them practice walking somewhere else. Similarly, I will keep my 3yo away from the 10 year olds on the big kid playground.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our playground is designated from 2-5 years for the small one and 6-12 for the bigger. Which I feel is ridiculous because kids under 2 can't use the playground? And the difference between a one year old and a 5 year old is huge.

OP, if you aren't in the "big kid" playground, I'd feel free to be as stern with those kids as you need to be. They need to watch out for little ones if they are playing in a shared space.

It's not designed for them, no. It's designed and intended for children with the coordination and strength of an average two-year-old. Yes, people with younger babies do put them on the slide, etc., but again, I feel that they ought to make way for kids who are the intended users. Just as a 7-year-old is free to use the little-kid structure if no little kids are around, but ought to defer to younger kids who want to play. Most kids under two can't use the equipment unassisted; two-year-olds generally can.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our playground is designated from 2-5 years for the small one and 6-12 for the bigger. Which I feel is ridiculous because kids under 2 can't use the playground? And the difference between a one year old and a 5 year old is huge.

OP, if you aren't in the "big kid" playground, I'd feel free to be as stern with those kids as you need to be. They need to watch out for little ones if they are playing in a shared space.

Wait, you feel the posted age is ridiculous so I need to hold my 3yo back when he is on a 2-5yo playground? So your barely walking toddler can take forever to sit at the top of the slide? I take him to playground so he can run around and climb and jump and play. That's the whole point. If your kid is under 2, let them practice walking somewhere else. Similarly, I will keep my 3yo away from the 10 year olds on the big kid playground.

+1. There are other play options for kids under two. Insisting that kids who are the appropriate age for a piece of equipment curtail their play for kids who are too young is silly. If a four-year-old is unable to play because a 16-month-old is on equipment they are not big enough to navigate, then the 16-month-old needs to move. Ditto for those in the 2-5 set on the 5+ equipment. If their use of the equipment is preventing older kids from using it, they need to yield. Because a four-year-old not waiting for more than a second to go down a slide is not "unruly," it's being four. A kid jumping on a suspended bridge isn't being unruly, they are playing with the bridge in a totally appropriate and foreseeable manner.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is a reason it says " for ages 5-12" -those bigger playground are NOT meant for toddlers. Doesn't mean your kid can't go on there, but you are setting yourself up when you put your 16 month old on a playground meant for big kids.

My son is adventurous and was bored as hell on the smaller jungle gyms when he was past 12 months, so yes I did let him go on the big ones, but I was with him the entire time making sure he didn't get run over, or fall off.
Its up to you OP to either take your kid when the big ones aren't there, avoid it altogether, or take responsibility for your childs safety rather than calling a bunch of kids "unruly" who have every right to play there as they wish.

Thanks to this comment I finally understand the extreme defensiveness on this thread. OP wasn't calling the kid unruly bc he was 7 , and therefore calling all older kids on age-appropriate equipment unruly, as so many PPs seem to believe. She was calling him unruly bc he went down a slide without looking. That's bad playground behavior at any age. IME it is also fairly rare.

[Anonymous]

I've never ever heard anybody implement a "one at a time " rule on the wobbly bridge. If the older kids was purposefully shaking the bridge with the intention of knocking your kid off, I would have said "hey stop, he's just little, let him cross." But if the other child was just crossing normally, even running, that's his right.

The slide: older kid should wait. He might not know he's supposed to wait, so a very friendly "could you wait until she's down please?" Is all that's necessary. And if your kid is taking a really long time, pick her up and move her out of the way.

Ultimately, you need to have common courtesy for the kids around you, which might mean moving your 16mo out of the way. Or it could mean politely asking other kids to wait their turn.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our playground is designated from 2-5 years for the small one and 6-12 for the bigger. Which I feel is ridiculous because kids under 2 can't use the playground? And the difference between a one year old and a 5 year old is huge.

OP, if you aren't in the "big kid" playground, I'd feel free to be as stern with those kids as you need to be. They need to watch out for little ones if they are playing in a shared space.

Wait, you feel the posted age is ridiculous so I need to hold my 3yo back when he is on a 2-5yo playground? So your barely walking toddler can take forever to sit at the top of the slide? I take him to playground so he can run around and climb and jump and play. That's the whole point. If your kid is under 2, let them practice walking somewhere else. Similarly, I will keep my 3yo away from the 10 year olds on the big kid playground.

+1. There are other play options for kids under two. Insisting that kids who are the appropriate age for a piece of equipment curtail their play for kids who are too young is silly. If a four-year-old is unable to play because a 16-month-old is on equipment they are not big enough to navigate, then the 16-month-old needs to move. Ditto for those in the 2-5 set on the 5+ equipment. If their use of the equipment is preventing older kids from using it, they need to yield. Because a four-year-old not waiting for more than a second to go down a slide is not "unruly," it's being four. A kid jumping on a suspended bridge isn't being unruly, they are playing with the bridge in a totally appropriate and foreseeable manner.

Luckily for me, none of you assholes appear to live in my neighborhood. We treat the "2-5" playground as really birth-3 and the older kid playground for 4 and up. If your kid is 4, then yes, s/he absolutely needs to learn how to play around a 1.5 year old.

It's a liability issue. Nobody actually intends for children under 2 to never be allowed in the playground. It's completely absurd to say they are not permitted.

[Anonymous]

From the equipment you are describing it sounds like your child should not be there.

Do you want the 4 year old's parents telling your kid to get off the equipment if she can't safely use it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our playground is designated from 2-5 years for the small one and 6-12 for the bigger. Which I feel is ridiculous because kids under 2 can't use the playground? And the difference between a one year old and a 5 year old is huge.

OP, if you aren't in the "big kid" playground, I'd feel free to be as stern with those kids as you need to be. They need to watch out for little ones if they are playing in a shared space.

Wait, you feel the posted age is ridiculous so I need to hold my 3yo back when he is on a 2-5yo playground? So your barely walking toddler can take forever to sit at the top of the slide? I take him to playground so he can run around and climb and jump and play. That's the whole point. If your kid is under 2, let them practice walking somewhere else. Similarly, I will keep my 3yo away from the 10 year olds on the big kid playground.

+1. There are other play options for kids under two. Insisting that kids who are the appropriate age for a piece of equipment curtail their play for kids who are too young is silly. If a four-year-old is unable to play because a 16-month-old is on equipment they are not big enough to navigate, then the 16-month-old needs to move. Ditto for those in the 2-5 set on the 5+ equipment. If their use of the equipment is preventing older kids from using it, they need to yield. Because a four-year-old not waiting for more than a second to go down a slide is not "unruly," it's being four. A kid jumping on a suspended bridge isn't being unruly, they are playing with the bridge in a totally appropriate and foreseeable manner.

Luckily for me, none of you assholes appear to live in my neighborhood. We treat the "2-5" playground as really birth-3 and the older kid playground for 4 and up. If your kid is 4, then yes, s/he absolutely needs to learn how to play around a 1.5 year old.

It's a liability issue. Nobody actually intends for children under 2 to never be allowed in the playground. It's completely absurd to say they are not permitted.

Rough night? Toddler teething? Go grab a cold beer and CHILL. You've lost perspective and control.

[Anonymous]

It is pathetic to see older kids using age inappropriate playground equipment. It is equally pathetic to see parents of 16 month olds acting this way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think OP has a point though. My confident toddler can't be confined to the little kid playground and almost every big kid we come across is able to respect her space when she's on the big stuff. OTOH, I do not hover, so she doesn't get in situations she can't get out of like a big-kid slide. It sounds like DH helping her DD on the slide was one underlying cause of this problem.

Wait.....you can't get your child to play on the playground set aside as age appropriate for them so you want to control the way older children play on the playground set aside as age appropriate for them???? So that your special little snowflake can be in her preferred spot instead of where is designated and safe for her you want to stop the children from playing in their preferred way on the playground? Older kids like fast and rough and tumble, hence the separate places!

[Anonymous]

Its weird, I grew up in Canada (moved to USA for DH's work) and still have family and friends in the Great White North. According to my family and friends with kids and my experience taking my nieces and nephews to the park before moving down here, this is a strange and uncommon occurrence for me.. Maybe Canadians (even children?) are too polite to go pushing each other down slides and rough-housing at the playground? It seems that kids just have more respect. Maybe it is just my family and group of friends? I don't know. But if there is a little kid going down slide.. older kids wait and form a line at the top. Small child climbing the stairs... older kids help them up. It is really sweet, actually. And as soon as younger kid is done and (somewhat) out of the way, the older kids go back to their rambunctious selves! It is something that I encourage my kids to do, too. I am NOT going to go to both a toddler specific park and a regular park if I promised a trip to the park to my kids (2 & 7) No, they are playing on the same equipment. At the same park. Going to a specific park is nonsense. Sure, older kids play differently than toddlers but come on, parents! It is not going to hurt them to be aware of their surroundings and understand that their actions could potentially hurt someone else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is pathetic to see older kids using age inappropriate playground equipment. It is equally pathetic to see parents of 16 month olds acting this way.

I think you need to learn the purpose and meaning of "play."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our playground is designated from 2-5 years for the small one and 6-12 for the bigger. Which I feel is ridiculous because kids under 2 can't use the playground? And the difference between a one year old and a 5 year old is huge.

OP, if you aren't in the "big kid" playground, I'd feel free to be as stern with those kids as you need to be. They need to watch out for little ones if they are playing in a shared space.

Wait, you feel the posted age is ridiculous so I need to hold my 3yo back when he is on a 2-5yo playground? So your barely walking toddler can take forever to sit at the top of the slide? I take him to playground so he can run around and climb and jump and play. That's the whole point. If your kid is under 2, let them practice walking somewhere else. Similarly, I will keep my 3yo away from the 10 year olds on the big kid playground.

+1. There are other play options for kids under two. Insisting that kids who are the appropriate age for a piece of equipment curtail their play for kids who are too young is silly. If a four-year-old is unable to play because a 16-month-old is on equipment they are not big enough to navigate, then the 16-month-old needs to move. Ditto for those in the 2-5 set on the 5+ equipment. If their use of the equipment is preventing older kids from using it, they need to yield. Because a four-year-old not waiting for more than a second to go down a slide is not "unruly," it's being four. A kid jumping on a suspended bridge isn't being unruly, they are playing with the bridge in a totally appropriate and foreseeable manner.

Luckily for me, none of you assholes appear to live in my neighborhood. We treat the "2-5" playground as really birth-3 and the older kid playground for 4 and up. If your kid is 4, then yes, s/he absolutely needs to learn how to play around a 1.5 year old.

It's a liability issue. Nobody actually intends for children under 2 to never be allowed in the playground. It's completely absurd to say they are not permitted.

Huh? Who's the asshole here?