Talk:Play date

Suburbanization and Play Dates
Couldn't suburbanization be another reason to schedule playdates? Playdates are most popular in the United States and suburbanization is a fact of life in the US. As society is fragmented and distances are vast (at least for a child) between childhood friends and children can't drive yet they have to be driven by their parents or nanny or Au Pair and that has to be scheduled.

Furthermore, many suburbs can't be left on foot or bicycle as there are no foot/cycle paths. Also, many extracurricular activities (e.g. sports) result in a fragmented schedule for the children.--Soylentyellow 22:30, 29 January 2007 (UTC)

How about a note in this article about how it's a stupid term for a stupid practice? Geez, kids just need to go play for crying out loud, stop trying to make them go to work so early on. Next thing you know we'll have "play careers" and "play 401k" and "play cocktail hour." As it is, the term sounds like these kids are meeting up for romantic interludes. So stupid. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 138.163.0.41 (talk) 17:04, 13 March 2008 (UTC)


 * Unfortunately many families live in places where there is no suitable place for children to go out and play. That means that play time has to be arranged beforehand with parents and other families. Hence playdates are really needed. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.6.188.203 (talk) 01:42, 18 June 2011 (UTC)


 * So THAT's why I never played with other kids. Apparently you have to have it scheduled for you now. And to think my parents were mad at -me- when it was their responsibility to find someone. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.73.70.113 (talk) 02:21, 31 January 2009 (UTC)

United States English usage
I suspect this is US English usage and virtually unknown in Britain at least under this name. We've had something similar here as part of our children's activities for decades but it's called "Can Sandra/Thomas etc come round to play?".

- absolutely, I've never heard this phrase used in the UK, or for that matter any where else in Western Europe (I also have it on local authority that it hasn't been in use in Australia). So I suggest modifying the text to make clear it's an Americanism. Danja (talk) 23:05, 30 May 2013 (UTC)

For recent examples of British reactions to the term see here: 

"The American mother of a little girl whom Meike visited for a recent "play date" (I won't even try to provide an equivalent British noun) told Marika her daughter had felt "elated" that she was learning a new "language"."

And here: "she informs me, the last boy she looked after, had Gymboree on Mondays, Monkey Music on Tuesdays, Crechendo on Wednesdays.

''He did Aqua Babies on Thursdays and some sort of music lesson on Friday. And every afternoon he had a 'play date'. A play date?''

 'You know, ' she says, 'when another child comes over to play.' It seems that poor ninemonth-old was so busy being stimulated that he needed to make an appointment to play."

Having said that there are counterexamples such as this: --PeterR 20:49, 8 September 2007 (UTC)

"Playdates" as such are probably a uniquely American phenomenon - and if so the article should say so. It certainly seems to be a purely American name - and a rather creepy one at that. It seems to suggest a sexual or romantic context, and to that extend could encourage premature sexualisation of children - which is also an American phenomenon.203.184.41.226 (talk) 07:36, 1 September 2012 (UTC)


 * The term "playdate" is not unique to U.S. English (though it may possibly be endemic to it, but I am unsure about this): it is frequently used in the media in Australia (where I currently reside). I am unsure about the popularity of the term in other regions, so I will not comment on this.
 * 114.75.93.186 (talk) 00:39, 28 June 2017 (UTC)


 * It doesn't suggest romantic dating at all, any more than "release date" in software engineering. 2A00:23C5:FE18:2701:95A:6F28:2114:DA87 (talk) 13:31, 23 May 2022 (UTC)

Reference Number 2
I don't understand the purpose of Reference Number Two. It points towards a chicken pox party, but this Wikipedia article has nothing that relates to it.... 99.237.215.166 (talk) 01:00, 22 January 2013 (UTC)

"It should not be confused with dating"
Is this sentence necessary? Nobody would be sending infants out on romantic dates. 2A00:23C5:FE18:2701:95A:6F28:2114:DA87 (talk) 13:30, 23 May 2022 (UTC)

Finding "Play Dates"
For parents that do not know how to do this I.E. have moved from somewhere and don't know anybody in the area - should there be a "How To" section that features available sources for forming playdates? Think: Facebook groups, Peanut App, Meet Up, Play Connect, Library groups etc. Coldpotatoes (talk) 17:48, 19 March 2023 (UTC)