How unsafe can a ball pit get? A mum recently had the fright of her life at a newly opened suspended ball pit in Singapore. She took to Facebook to warn other parents of ball pit dangers at the area.
“There is a certain level of danger in the playground”, she says after her terrifying experience.
Singapore mum warns about ball pit dangers
Mummy Vivien Low who runs the blog “Beautiful Chaos”, shared on Facebook, “Today I had the fright of my life.”
“We went to the newly opened Air Zone at City Square Mall.”
The attraction, which had a soft launch in January this year, is touted as the world’s first suspended net playground inside a shopping mall. The ball pit is suspended on the 3rd floor.
Vivien elaborates, “I was afraid of heights. But my boy wanted to play. So I just went ahead. I thought the ball pit was the safest place of the 3 storey structure. But I was so wrong.”
“Not long into the play, I lost my balance in the ball pit and fell backwards. I could not reach the bottom and I could not stand up.“
She recalls, “I tried to roll over, I couldn’t. I tried to find the net so I could grip it, I couldn’t. My son was stuck inside too.
“I panicked and waved and screamed for help. None came. I seriously panicked and did not know what to do. (My helper stopped the video when she realised something was wrong and shouted for help too but none came).”
“I finally grabbed someone’s hand and managed to stabilise myself and stood up. And thereafter I pulled out my son, and 2 other kids: a boy and a girl. “
“It was then the staff came by to help me drag the kids out of the balls before I climbed out. The kids all went in alone. They were about 6-8 years old. The girl was crying and I think she went out after the incident.”
Vivien says that the experience has left her terrified – she will not be going into the ball pit anymore. However, she will not stop her kids from doing so. She will make sure that her husband accompanies them.
“Just for info, the balls were up to about my armpits when I’m standing, and I’m 1.72m tall.”
Finally, she has this warning for all parents, “There is a certain level of danger in the playground and there is only so much the staff there can do. I appeal for you to go in with your kids.”
“Adult supervision needed. Lots of it.”
Her video has since then gone viral. Here it is:
Airzone apologises for the incident
Vivien’s post has met with mixed reactions from netizens, with many blaming her for over-reacting.
However, Airzone has apologised and clarified to The Straits Times, “It is a requirement at Airzone for children under the age of 7 to be accompanied by an adult.”
Currently, the pit holds about 40,000 balls. There are 2-3 trained staff on each level during peak time hours. Visitors have to attend a compuslory safety briefing before they can go inside.
Airzone said that they would be reviewing the safety measures, which includes the number of balls inside the pit. First-aid staff would also be trained to be quicker in their response.
Visitor feedback would be taken seriously. Other measures include making sure there are not more than 8 guests and staff members inside the pit at any point in time.
They are also considering reducing the slack of the nets to make the pit shallower.
Mums and dads, what do you think of this incident? Have you had a similar experience? Do let us know.