Please read!

[PixieKitty]

Thank You to Missy on Vampirefreaks for sending me this:


I have always known never to let my kids in the ball pits, but I have seen some of you take your kids in. Please reconsider.

One of my sons lost his watch, and was very upset. We dug and dug in those balls, trying to find his watch. Instead we found vomit, food, faeces and other stuff I do not want to discuss. I went to the manager and raised hell. Came to find out that the ball pits are only cleaned once a month. I have doubts that it is even done that often. My kids will never play in another ball pit again!!

Some of you may not be parents, but you may have nieces, nephews, grandchildren or friends with children.

Hi my name is Lauren Archer. On October 2nd, 1999 I took my only son Kevin to play at McDonalds for his 3rd birthday. After he finished lunch, I allowed him to play in the ball pit. When he started whining later on, I asked him what was wrong, he pointed to the back of his pull up and simply said “Mummy it hurts”. I couldn’t find anything wrong with him at that time. I bathed him when we got home, and it was at that point when I found a welt on his left buttock. Upon investigating, it seemed as if there was something like a splinter under the welt. I made an appointment to see the doctor the next day, but soon he started vomiting and shaking, then his eyes rolled to the back of his head. From there, we went to the emergency room. He died later that night. It turned out the welt on his buttock was the tip of a hypodermic needle that had broken off inside. The autopsy revealed that Kevin had died from an overdose of Heroine. The next week, the police removed the balls from the ball pit. There was rotten food, several hypodermic needles; some full, some used, knives, half-eaten lollies, nappies, faeces and the stench of urine. (You can find the article on Kevin Archer in the October 10, 1999 issue of the Midland Chronicle)

Don’t think its just McDonalds either. A little boy had been playing in the ball pit at a Hungry Jacks and started complaining of his legs hurting. He later died to. He was found to have snake bites all over his legs and buttocks. When they cleaned the ball pit, they found that there was a copperhead’s nest in the ball pit!!! He has suffered numerous bites from a very poisonous snake.


These things are beyond unsanitary and deathly. PLEASE dont take your kids in the ball pits.

 

[Pyrrhic]

Just to let you know, this is one of these urban myth emails that does the rounds to scare parents. Many places who have ball pits employ companies to upkeep the sanitation of them, and letting them get into a state of disrepair or become unhygenic would be against health and safety.

https://www.snopes.com/horrors/parental/archer.asp

 

[mrsholmes]

omg! my friend works as a teacher in a school and she was saying that they only clean out the ball pool ONCE a year in july........

 

[o0oCharlieo0o]

omg that is unbeleivable, i never even thought about that for one single second, them poor children that have lost their lives! that is so heartbreaking! i will never let my brendan (or new baby) in a ball pit EVER after reading that!

 

[PixieKitty]

Just to let you know, this is one of these urban myth emails that does the rounds to scare parents. Many places who have ball pits employ companies to upkeep the sanitation of them, and letting them get into a state of disrepair or become unhygenic would be against health and safety.

https://www.snopes.com/horrors/parental/archer.asp

Thank god! *shudders* that story really scared me ):
Although it does say further down that article that although the story is fictional, ball pits are unhygienic and there are chances of finding diapers and needles lurking round in there, so I'm keeping my little one away just incase!

 

[captain-ally]

I don't want to sound critical, but those stories are alarmist. I mean, snakes? Really? If we believed everything in the media about snakes we'd never get on another plane again either.

Ball pits are gross, that's a reality. They're gross even if they're cleaned every day. It's a good idea to avoid them on the principal of how many sick and dirty children play in them every day - or at the same time as your kid. I think it should just be put down to using your own judgement.

These horror stories are always about a friend of a friend, there's very little legitimate proof and an online copy of a news article isn't necissarily true either - They are so easily forged. IE: The midget that was swallowed by the hippo.

 

[Dragonfly]

I aint suprised at this. We used to have a centre here with a ball pit and my mate worked there. They did clean it every night and it was unbeliavle what they found in there. Place always smelled of vomit and was shut down eventually. Lucky they never found anything like needles, just puke,jewellary and money. who the hell has a needle near anything like that never mind throw it in there!

 

[Hevz]

I'm afraid I have to back up the others....this is one of those horrid chain mail hoaxes

 

[mummymadness]

My son hates the balls they scare him to an inch of his life , So i would have more problems getting him in it to start with lol .
Glad its a hoax quiet a scary thought ! . xx .

 

[Logiebear]

That is just the worst kind of scare mongering. My friend works in our local ball pit and this is just silly. It is an urban myth and not the kind of thing ball pits want spread around as fact! I dare say some of the ball pits in the world aren't very clean but most are cleaned regularly and monitored carefully.

I let my kids play in them and will carry on doing it!!

 

[Purple_Kitty]

Eh, regardless of how often it is claimed they are cleaned, I have seen how many children play in those pits... not mine, thanks very much! If Jonah or Bean ever want a ball pit, I will get the necessary items and make one myself in the back yard. At least then I will know for sure who and what has been in there. I'm paranoid enough, I don't need to add to it by allowing my children to play in a public ball pit... not that I believe for a second that there are nests of snakes in there!

 

[enigma]

I dont think this is true, what with all the compensation claims you can get these days, i dont think the companies that have ball pools would allow for things such as those to be in there.
Hygene is a big thing these days, if a child got ill because of poor hygene in these places, the parents would be able to sue them for the amount of time they have to take off work to care for the child and the distress caused.

 

[Lois]

There have been scare stories about innocent members of the public being pricked by needles containing various drugs and diseases for many years...from being stabbed with them in nightclubs to sitting on them on buses. Obviously it is wise to assess the hygiene and safety of any environment you take your children too but to ban them from playing in any public place for fear of needles, knives, etc would be over the top.

 

[NickyT75]

cmon... do you really think that a heroin addict would leave a syringe full of heroin lying around in a ball pit?? its more likely to have been injected into his own body somewhere a little more private dont you think?

these stories are just stories - Health & safety reps are EVERYWHERE nowadays

 

[Pyrrhic]

Hygene is a big thing these days, if a child got ill because of poor hygene in these places, the parents would be able to sue them for the amount of time they have to take off work to care for the child and the distress caused.

Exactly. I played in ball pits when I was a kid and I'm still alive.

If you won't let your kids play in ball pits because other kids have used them then where do you draw the line? Can they play on swing sets? Slides? Share a swimming pool? Make mud pies in the dirt?

 

[Amanda]

Bloody hell - talk about scare a mongering email!

Kayleigh used to love ballpits, and Charlie does now. What am I going to do? Take him to friends birthday parties at these centres and say he's got to sit there and not play with the rest of them? Of course I'm not.

A friend was assistant manager of a local family pub which had a kids play area with ballpit attached, and it was cleaned out every single morning before the pub opened. And the worst she ever found was the odd smelly sock!!

Bloody ridiculous if you stop your kids playing in them because of this if you ask me.

 

[Deeper Blue]

If you won't let your kids play in ball pits because other kids have used them then where do you draw the line? Can they play on swing sets? Slides? Share a swimming pool? Make mud pies in the dirt?

Exactly. Obviously if it looks -horrendous- you use your common sense but otherwise... well, kids have got to build up there immune system some how and what they come into contact there isn't going to be much worse than whats on all the toys they share at nursery.

 

[Sharpy]

If you won't let your kids play in ball pits because other kids have used them then where do you draw the line? Can they play on swing sets? Slides? Share a swimming pool? Make mud pies in the dirt?

Exactly. Obviously if it looks -horrendous- you use your common sense but otherwise... well, kids have got to build up there immune system some how and what they come into contact there isn't going to be much worse than whats on all the toys they share at nursery.

Totally agree - what you find on the beach and in the sea is much worse, are we going to stop taking our kids to the seaside too?