Father left shocked after spotting a sleeping child alone in its pram at Chessington World of Adventures while its parents 'go on a ride'

Daily Mail​

4 days ago

A concerned father has revealed his shock after he saw a toddler left alone in its pram at a British theme park.
Rob Cradds, who goes by @coachrobcradds on TikTok, was enjoying a family day out at Chessington World of Adventures in Surrey when he spotted a child left in a pram while his parents were thought to have queued for a ride.
He shared his shock online, sparking backlash as many blasted the parents of the toddler as 'selfish' and 'irresponsible'.
However, not everyone thought the unknown mother and father deserved such criticism.
Rob was approaching the queue for the child-friendly Gruffalo ride at the busy adventure park when he spied the unattended child.
They appeared to be sleeping in their pram among a cluster of empty strollers left by parents who were enjoying the children's ride.
Rob also showed a crowd waiting for the slow-moving attraction that takes passengers down a 'lazy river' and past a collection of characters and scenes.
There is no age limit for the ride, but an adult must accompany children under 1.4 metres tall.
Thousands were up in arms over the parents' 'neglectful' act and encouraged the father to report them to park security. 'I just cannot. In no way is this ever okay,' one woman said.
'Even if it was thirty years ago, you wouldn't leave your young child alone to go ride. If the kid wakes up, he doesn't know where anyone is. It's wildly irresponsible parenting,' a second agreed.
'I would have to stand there to make sure he was okay until they came back,' another wrote.
'The fear that little boy would experience if he woke up to nobody he recognises being there, never mind what else could go wrong. Hope the parents were told straight!' someone added.
The gentle nature of the ride added to many parents' confusion, with some claiming they had previously brought young babies on it with them.
'It's never acceptable, but especially on The Gruffalo ride! It's not like a quick whizz round a rollercoaster, or you can see them from the queue. How awful,' one mother said.
'Plus, it's got no restrictions, I took my three-month-old on before! Literally no excuse!' someone replied.
'I'm pretty sure you can take a few-months-old baby on the Gruffalo (ride) if you carry them, why is a near-toddler being left outside?' another asked.
However, there were many people who didn't see the big deal in leaving the young child sleeping in his pram.
'We used to get left in our prams when our parents went in the shops, sometimes they'd forget us when they got home,' one user laughed.
'Mate, in Scandinavia, parents leave their kids outside cafes and restaurants all the time. It's absolutely fine,' another pointed out.
'This never was too much of an issue in the UK. Kids would get left at holiday parks to run about whilst parents had a drink. Loads of us have been left in the car whilst the adults went in to a shop etc,' a third answered.
'You'd like to think in a theme park full of families the kid would be safe,' someone chimed in.
It comes after a rollercoaster enthusiast revealed that he packed up his life and moved 170 miles away in order to live next to Alton Towers.
Sam, who is known as @coastertog online and has a partner and young daughter, said he visits the theme park in Staffordshire 'basically every day'.
He now only lives a 15-minute drive away from the attraction after making the move from Essex, but admits there's 'not much else to do' nearby - though they do have a Home Bargains.
Many shared their outrage and dubbed the parents 'irresponsible' - but not everyone thought the act was so terrible with some jumping to their defence
Speaking on his TikTok account, where he has more than 176,000 followers, the thrill seeker confessed: 'I moved 170 miles from Essex just to live nearby to this park. I know it sounds a bit mental but this place makes me happy.'
Though tickets to the resort can cost up to £68 for an adult day ticket, Sam insists that it's 'actually pretty cheap' to visit every day, explaining that he has the 'platinum Merlin pass'.
This allows him access the park 'whenever I want' and means that, if he visits the park every day, it works out at less than £1 and includes free parking (usually £12).
However, he says he's ridden the rides 'so much' that he no longer finds them scary as 'I know exactly what to expect'.
When asked if he ever gets 'bored' going on the same rides over and over again, he admitted: 'Truthfully, some of the rides aren't as exciting to me as they used to be.'
These days, he generally visits the park as it's become a 'local hangout' for his friends. 'A lot of the time I don't even bother riding anything!' he explained.
In addition to making money from sharing rollercoaster videos on TikTok, Sam also has a 'normal job' as a photographer and videographer.
This means he is his own boss, and can pop down to the Towers whenever he desires.
People were left divided in the comments as, while some said it was their 'dream' to live so close, others didn't get the appeal.
When one person commented: 'This is proper sad', Sam replied: 'Can you please tell me how it's any different from you going and watching your team lose from row z mate.'