To want a coffee shop with a no children policy

I would like this to be an option. I like kids, I have kids (now young adults) and I even work with kids. But it would be nice to have the option to go for a coffee without screaming tots and performance parenting at every turn.

I would also love a no under 16s ice skating session at Christmas.

My local coffee shop has a “No under 16” rule. It is very popular. I also found out that the WiFi is set to give one hour a day access to an individual device to prevent campers.

As the parent of three young children I would absolutely be down with this! Dad takes the kids to the park and I go to the coffee shop with a book and enjoy my coffee hot and in silence 😂

I think most of us have no problem with well behaved children. However, far too many children are allowed to be noisy and run around as if they were in a playground. I have problems with my ears and was in a coffee shop with a friend when a small child was screaming and allowed to continue. I had a perforated eardrum and the noise was really hurting me physically. Children should be removed when they get to this point. We are paying customers too, and I think we deserve the chance to enjoy a quiet cup of coffee.

I don't blame the child. You would think that the parent would be courteous enough to take the child out of the situation until they calmed down.Some people are in their own little self centered world with no concern for how those around them feel. I'll bet you weren't the only one who was disturbed by the noise.

Insightful.

Lol
parents are probably their best customers…

A cafe near me is tech free - no phones or laptops to be used on the premises. And I have been to a couple places that didn’t allow kids but they were restaurants. But as most cafes near me has a strong mum plus kids customer base I dint think they’ll be turning them away any time soon. But screaming kids are inexcusable- and no toddlers don’t all scream. Most know or can be reminded to use their inside voice

It sounds lovely OP- but please don't advertise it to nail bar mum with her iPad loving girls....

I’m not sure why lots of posters think it’s perfectly normal for toddlers to scream in public. I’m sure mine were stopped from doing pretty early on in life, as I find the noise completely unacceptable. They’d get a warning, perhaps do it once more for a reaction and be dragged out if they persisted. There was a small (perfectly happy/well) child screaming the place down at the swimming centre today and there’s just no need for it - the noise just goes straight through me. Parent just carried on playing with their phone (at full volume 😬) and ignored it.

I always thought you were not allowed to use hotel cafes etc unless you were staying there lol😬

I'm another one who has started more and more using hotels for a coffee. I travel a lot for work, often need a place to get a refreshment or light meal, and to work for half an hour or so answering emails. Nice hotels are surprisingly good value and usually really quiet...

I think most pubs that sell food (nearly all of them these days), also sell coffee. Perhaps that's where OP should go in the morning. Apart from school holidays, they don't get noisy until later on in the afternoon when schools are closed for the day.

I'd love this. I really dislike badly behaved children, and dislike even more parents that just let them run riot while you're just trying to have a quiet cup of coffee.

I realised it had all gone too far when we went to a Costa on a Sunday morning to discover 2 separate kids birthday parties. Complete with bloody cakes! What’s wrong with McDonalds?

we now frequent a local independent which bizarrely I’ve never seen toddlers in.

Jeez a lot of people are so intolerant of anyone that isn’t exactly the same as themselves. Shall we do away with disabled people too? Some can be a bit noisy and annoying asking for ramps and special toilets. Or maybe ban people over 75 because they can be a little bit slow moving around and getting to their tables…children are allowed to be in public, they can also make noise and learn how to be socialised. Maybe just do away with intolerant selfish folk, bring on the toddlers I say!

Or people. People are the problem at the end of the day.

Can we have no dogs as well please?

That is a fantastic idea - I’ve never seen it, but should definitely be adopted in more places

Plenty of them exist already. Knock yourself out.

Dog free cafes. Yes please. Bring them on.

All three of the play cafes in my town went bust as parents stay ages and don't buy that much.

It's not a great business model.

I can see why we've ended up with Peppa Pig in Costa.

Of course it's getting louder, because nearly everyone has a powerful device in their pocket or bag that can play video at whatever volume they like, and has no headphone jack.

I am in my 50s and it's much, much easier to make antisocial noise than it was when I was a kid.

And parents (including other people's parents) and random elderly ladies who didn't even know you, were much more likely to tell you off for making a racket.

Arn’t you lucky then that you could leave, poor mother maybe has to listen to that 24hrs a day. Seriously though, a coffee shop is a business and perhaps without mums and kids they wouldn’t be able to make a profit.

No it’s bloody not, society is just getting more intolerant 🤣