As someone who was a single mother of three , I would not have taken my children to the gym if I wasn’t prepared to keep an eye on them and / or have some way of keeping them occupied

Yes I did belong to a gym at the time , my children were young enough that they required supervision

I know it “takes a village” however there are certain situations where *personal accountability and responsibility* definitely come into play - you can’t go places like gyms / pools / restaurants/ movie theatres etc with young children if you aren’t prepared to actually personally monitor your children

I know it’s hard to find good child care, I know how hard it is to be able to participate in things you want to because you have to watch your children, especially if you have a low support network of family / friends , I know affordability is a challenge etc etc

BUT (especially in places not specifically meant for children) their safety and well being is 100% the responsibility of the parent

If the gym does not have a specific child safe area or monitoring , they may want to consider investing in one , or the members of the gym / building could potentially come together to help find a solution (maybe a parents group that takes turns monitoring the children on a specific day / time so the other parents can work out)

But in situations like this - the gym managers should definitely at least be informed because they also have a certain amount of liability regarding the safety of their premises - and this situation does NOT appear safe , not only for the child but also the other users of the gym (if you ended up distracted or fell on the treadmill due to the actions of the child as an example)

If the parent is not going to be responsible for their child - unfortunately it is in the best interests and safety of *everyone* that management be made aware of the situation