Anyone for a soft drink? Parents admit they need alcohol to get through ‘mind-numbing’ play centre parties but others mum-shame them for being ‘irresponsible’… so what do YOU think?

Soft play centers warning parents not to bring their own drinks have sparked a huge debate among mums and dads.

Tumbles Play Place hit out at 'desperate' mums and dads bringing alcohol to the center in Mossley, Greater Manchester, last week when staff found a bottle of Merlot hidden in the toilets.

Management said they would be checking CCTV footage and banning people, warning: 'If you are that desperate for an alcoholic drink during the day, don't do it in our children's play center and leave your bottles in the toilets.'

Meanwhile, the Red Robin pub in Wigan last month banned punters from drinking cocktails and shots at the on-site Wacky Warehouse children's play center after 'incidents'.

The posts have since sparked a heated debate online, as some parents branded drinkers as 'irresponsible'. However, other mothers and fathers say that booze is absolutely necessary to drown out screaming children.

A play center worker told MailOnline that adults go through as many as 15 bottles a week at his site, while those in charge sneak away from their children for a drink.

Would YOU bring drinks to a soft play centre? E-mail matt.strudwick@mailonline.co.uk

In an updated post on its Facebook page this week, Tumbles Play Place explained that it was not licensed to sell alcohol and that its insurance would not cover any personal injury claims.

Although Tumbles Play is strongly opposed to alcohol on its premises, others have permission to sell it on site, such as Playworld in Huddersfield, which has bottled beer on the menu for £3.60 and single and double shots of spirits such as tequila, sambuca and Jagermeister.

The center was embroiled in a battle to keep its alcohol license last year when owner Kiran Uppal told how the sale helped a 'struggling business keep its doors open', reported Yorkshire Live.

Kirklees Council's licensing panel eventually banned them from selling liquor on the premises from morning to night.

The Jelly Lounge in Windsor, Berkshire, is another where beer is stocked behind the counters.

A 21-year-old team leader told MailOnline they sell between 10 and 15 bottles of drinks a week and gave an insight into how parents sneak a sip.

'When parents come to get alcohol, they usually don't drink with their babies. They order their drinks and then drink outside in the cafeteria,” they said.

“They don't do it in front of their children because it's not a good idea and gives a bad impression.”

The sale of alcohol is a hot topic of discussion among parents who know all too well the strife and chaos that ensues in the sweaty, soft play centers.

Some said they needed a drink to get through it, while others criticized them for being 'irresponsible'.

Commenting under Tumbles Play's post, Hayley Jayne Burke told how she took her son to a London soft play center that sold alcohol.

She wrote: 'Great idea if you ask me… me and my son had the best time ever.'

Jeanette Martin thought it was 'disrespectful' and 'gives you an idea of ​​how their children deal with it [sic] to be raised'.

Tam Dodd-Sharples wrote: “Wow, someone has a problem.”

Discussions have appeared on the parenting forum Mumsnet about the ethics of drinking alcohol in front of children at parties.

When asked whether people should bring their own drinks to a soft play party, some were shocked when one user replied that everyone they had been with had 'drinks and snacks'.

They wrote alongside a laughing emoji: 'Obviously no hard drinks, but fizz and beer! It helps enormously that you can play quietly in the afternoon.'

In another thread asking about children's party etiquette during a soft play, a parent said there should “always be booze in it.”

'I have been to soft play parties with nibbles for the parents. I'd say about 80% of parties have food for the parents (including drinks),” one person wrote.

Another thought to their soft play was that they were missing a trick by not having a license to sell alcohol.

But the mother who posted the original message thought it was “a bit strange to be drinking booze at a soft play.”

Yet someone mentioned how a few soft plays in the neighborhood “don't blink when they see adults having a drink [sic] them at afternoon parties'.

They added: 'But I did do a double take at the dad who was having a beer halfway through a party of 10 to 12.'

Would YOU bring drinks to a soft play centre? E-mail matt.strudwick@mailonline.co.uk