i know what you mean....i can't really let my one year old run at the park, bc he falls and ends up with a mouth full of dirt or wood chips, and he is not steady enough to run in grass. but i am pretty sure i read somewhere that "the little gym" sometimes has open hours, you still have to pay, but you don't have to commit to being a part of a weekly class. that would be a great place to run around bc there is a padded mat.

Sometimes those jumpy places (KWIM?) have toddler areas where they can bounce safely. Just watch out for the bigger kids!

I had the same issue and ended up signing him up for Gymboree and so far we have gone to 3 classes and he seems to enjoy being able to run around and play and interact with other kids in his age group. We pay $69 a month for one class a week plus on Thursdays between 2-4 pm it is free gym time so we can go and he can just run around and play.