Those ball pools are pretty gross, aren't they?

by Kristin Darguzas (Subscribe to Kristin Darguzas's posts) Jul 16th 2007 9:30AM

Categories: Places To Go, Health & Safety

Yesterday Nolan and I took a jaunt to Lonsdale Quay, a beautiful waterfront market that sells vine ripened produce and fresh-from-the-ocean seafood. Although I could probably buy the same stuff from side-road vendors a little closer to home, Nolan loves the buskers and the Harbour Patrol boats gliding gracefully across the waters in front of us. We bought homemade caramel nougat bars and homemade spicy feta dip and shared a banana yogurt smoothie. I recalled seeing a children's play area on the second floor and we made our way up there after lunch. I'm always hesitant about those places, because:
a) It is always a scene of epic proportions when we leave and
b) I wonder about the germ factor in those hundreds of plastic balls. Do they ever get washed? I mean, does anyone actually cart away those balls on a weekly basis and put them in a giant...ball washing machine? I sure as hell hope so, but I am dubious.

I took off Nolan's shoes and pretended I did not just see that pretty red-haired girl lick that ball when I noticed that the sign said that children had to be 3 and older to play. Nolan was already tottering single-mindedly over through the plastic screen and making googly eyes at the red-headed licking girl. I was not going to pull him away and explain that he had to be three to partake in the strange toddler heaven, especially since he was bigger than 80% of the kids already in there.

Anyway, I felt myself sneaking glances at other parents as I waited for Nolan to emerge voluntarily from the primary-coloured madness. In the fifteen minutes I waited:
a) A little boy smashed into another boy who was playing in front of the slide, and limped away, sobbing.
b) A pre-schooler blew his nose in his hands and wiped it on the balls below him.
c) The air smelled like pooh.

I wondered if every other parent there also wondered if the balls were somewhere they probably shouldn't return to. I know I wondered. If only Nolan didn't emerge looking like he'd discovered Heaven on Earth, I think I'd cross the snotty/slobbery ball pool off my future return list.

Comments (17)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Eva 7-16-2007 @ 10:06AM

I got an email recently about all the grossness of those balls. Things found in them: used syringes, blood, vomit, poop, used bandages, moldering food, etc. There was even some horror story about a child that died from being poked by one of those used syringes. So yeah, those ball pits are scary to me now. My child will probably never know the joy.

Happy Steve 7-16-2007 @ 5:58PM

The needles bit sounds like classic urban legend material, but I can believe the vomit, poop, and not to mention urine. Bleh.

Happy Steve 7-16-2007 @ 10:18AM

A yep, here it is: Needle in the Ball Pit

Happy Steve 7-16-2007 @ 10:28AM

oops...

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

Tash 7-16-2007 @ 10:45AM

At the pit we take our daughter too the balls are disinfected nightly with a powder disinfectant called Benefact.

I'd ask the place how they maintain the cleanliness of the balls before putting my child in.

cheryl 7-16-2007 @ 11:18AM

Ok, this is going to sound like I am parroting an urban ledgend, but this really happened to my brother. When we were kids, he was in the ball pit at Disneyland, and cut his foot on a pocket knife someone had dropped in the pit. The Disneyland staff were very attentive and freaked out and I remember all of us going over to the first aid station. This was probably late 1970's.

Amy 7-16-2007 @ 1:32PM

There was a ball pit at the local McDonalds. Notice, I said WAS. When they finally cleaned the thing, there really was needles, and diapers, and who knows what else.I'm not usually big on keeping my kids away from germs(I think that's why they are so healthy), but they have never been to one of those ball pits. There is only 1 left in my area, and we just don't go there!

queenoqueens 7-16-2007 @ 2:16PM

Holy cow----I've never seen a ball pit with diapers, etc. in them. Grody. I've let my kid go into the ball pit at Chuck E. Cheese, and while I tried not to think of what was in there...I didn't see any large foreign objects....all the filth was undetectable to the naked eye....the way I like it.

Since having my second child, I have found myself forced to get cozy with dirt and germs. Just don't have time to clean everything, or keep my kids away from stuff. And believe it or not, my 2nd doesn't get any sicker than my 1st one did.

If you want to have your kid enjoy a ball pit without the grossness of a public one, invest in a blow up one. We did for my 1st kid's birthday party, and she loved it.

caitlin 7-16-2007 @ 3:04PM

I used to work at a fast food joint with a ball pit. Aside from spraying the balls down with water once a month, we didn't have anyway to disinfect them.
Things customers found in the ball pit in order of how often they got reported:
keys
soiled diapers
used pads/pantyliners
feces
half eaten food from kids' meals
a used tampon (this one really had us going wtf?!)

Given how often people seemed to confuse it for a toilet, I don't let my son near a public ball pit. We have a blowup one at home that he loves.

emjaybee 7-16-2007 @ 9:45PM

Ugh. Never been to one yet, Nathan's too young. I'm sure not going to let him go now!

Honestly, the last time I was in Chuck E. Cheese for a niece's birthday, the whole place smelled like poo and urine. I don't think they keep it clean enough, and I'm dreading the day my son gets invited to a party there. Ugh. I'm not against germs...but there is a line to cross.

Actually, I'm trying really hard not to think too much about taking him to water parks and public pools...how many foreign substances can chlorine kill? I don't want to think about it.

Michele W 7-16-2007 @ 11:21PM

These things should not be aloud ! There was a story about a little baby that was playing in there and she began to cry. not knowing what happened the mother picked her up and looked to see if she could see anything. not noticing any thing big but a little red spot she thought nothing of it. Just a bit later the baby went in to convultions and they rushed her to the hospital. by the time they got there the baby had died and it ended up being from a heroin overdose. When thinking back the mother had said about the ball pit at mcdonalds. The police went back and they were emptying out the pit and they recovered a bunch of used heroin needles, dirty diapers not just pee, used rubbers, used maxi pads along with alot of other disgusting things. This is a true story. a friend had e mailed it to me to read. The way that the drugs are these days it is not safe any where anymore. I live in a nice country town, lived here my whole life. I was out side playing ball with my son when the ball went flying down a hill and onto the road. I was in my bare feet walking in my yard that was beside the road. Thank God I was watching because right when I was going to take a step I found a used needle thrown in my yard. Imagine to my horror that thank God my son was not with me to step on it. I called the local police which there was a bar down the road a bit that they said they had been watching because a kid in there is a know dealer. well mine or my sons life could of been terribly changed and these drug addicts dont care if they kill anyone or hurt anyone as long as they got thier high they dont care where they are or who it can hurt. I think the drug laws need to be alot more stricter then they are. if they know who these people are then go get them dont just watch and wait.

Michele W 7-16-2007 @ 11:28PM

I have read the urban ledgend ones and I can tell you now it is not the one i read. The one I read was a real story of a baby who couldnt even talk yet. Knowing how bad drugs are and seeing first hand I would never doubt that a story like this is fake. This is what is out there. I thought for many years stuff like this was a crock but after my nephew getting hooked on heroin you see what it is like and what these people do. no place where you cant see the bottom is safe for your kids. There are ignorant people in this world and we cant ignore it. the ones that do are the one who get hurt.

Crystal 7-17-2007 @ 12:25AM

My friends son actually got his foot stuck in the plastic liner on the bottom of the ball pit. It cut his leg pretty bad. Chuck E Cheese picked up the tab from the ER. The balls have since been removed.
I was at another amusement place and they had a posted list of rules regarding the ball pit/playscape. The sign was purchased with all of the rules listed on them. Very professional looking. At the bottom scribbled in black perm marker was a rule 'added' that said "No Children with Diapers Allowed in PlayScape.' Hmm...That leads me to believe that at some point after that sign was purchased, they had an 'incident' involving a diaper. Thats enough information to avoid those ball pits FOREVER.

Sandyone 7-18-2007 @ 7:12AM

Isn't it fun to go up to the manager of a place with a ball pit and ask him, "How often do you wash your balls?"

britt 7-30-2007 @ 11:29PM

did you hear the storie about the copperhead snake i believe that had a nest in one of those pits!? well a small chiled got bit by one of those many times and later died from the poison! im SOOO happy i dont see many pits like that anymore!

Shannon 7-31-2007 @ 2:47AM

I'm sure even if all those stories about the needles and the snakes in the ball pits aren't true, one thing is....it's a breeding ground for virus, flu and other diseases. It's hard to understand how needles get into a ball pit. Snakes? Was this an outdoor pit or did they get inside? Feces and dirty tampons and pads are believeable, and knives. Uggghh, doesn't it send a chill up your spine? I wouldn't let any kids of mine in those things.

Barbi 8-02-2007 @ 12:43PM

I know a lot of the stories out there are probably urban legend but the thing is it has probably some truth to it. There are sick people out there that get a high from hurting innocent children. Thank about all the unthinkable things that have really happened out. Someone probably does really randomly go around throwing things that are very dangerous and hazardous in the pits and thinks it is funny. Just after reading those emails yesterday I can not allow my babies to go in there for the unthinkable to happen to them. Tampons and things in there that is just nasty! What is those people had a STD and my kids touched there condom or whatever that is just wrong!!

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