Child only area in restaurant- discriminatory?

erm no. I have kids, so have to sit in the kid area
i hate it! its loud and annoying but not forever!
But, when I am out without kids, I do not want to sit near them! So yes YABU!

What a brilliant idea!!! Wish they were all like this!

You lost me at “restaurant with a ball pit”.

Our local restaurant does the same, it’s brilliant.

Yep, true, it was somewhere to put us whilst they had a drink. Still wasn't seen as some kind of anti-child segregation policy, just that it wasn't appropriate for kids to be in the bar. Which it wasn't.

Don't remember parents hanging about inthere though. My dad would bring us drink/ crispsand go back to the bar

Yes. I remember those and nobody carried on like it was some sort of apartheid.

But you got a child...yabu.

I'm in my 50s and remember " games rooms" where kids could go in some pubs

See I've never really had issues with kids on flights. Once one kicked seat when I was in economy but I turned round , told him stop it and gave the " death stare" and had no more issues.

Once upon a time, before pubs routinely served food, children weren't allowed in at all under 14. It was accepted that there were places which were more suitable for adults. You'd be able to take children into perhaps a snug area, but mostly it was in the garden. I well remember being about 12 and my father trying and failing to convince the barmaid I was 14.

Why can't we accept that it isn't always appropriate for adults and children to always be sharing every space? It's not just about how children affect adults, it's also the other way around. Some adults swear, drink too much, etc, in pubs that serve food. Isn't it nicer to be able to sit your children with others who are perhaps more careful what they say and aren't out for a booze up because they are also with children?

Child free flights would be an a absolute godsend, I don't really understand why any airline hasn't offered it yet. People would gladly pay a premium for it.

This. And if child-free flights are ever offered, I’ll be first on board.

Yes the adult only section as you said is a much better idea.

Some kids do behave like brats so what's wrong with saying it as it is? Don't need to hate children to hate bratty behaviour

Farmhouse Inns do this. I think it’s a good idea having a zone for families but the the soft play area is annoying as it often distracts kids from actually eating.

That's the issue. Children eating at a restaurant are either on iPads or running ragid.

Have no issue with grouping families together, but I don’t understand the need for soft play. As pp have said children need to learn how to sit and eat properly, which is precisely why children in European countries are so welcome in restaurants. We took DS from a very young age to restaurants accepting that we’d have to dine and dash rather than do 3 courses. There are plenty of ways to quietly enjoy the wait times with colouring, Uno etc without soft play needed.

Oh bore off. You are legally entitled to breastfeed wherever you are legally allowed to be. If you feel awkward seeing breastfeeding, grow up. It's a natural and normal way to feed a baby. Breastfeeding is already difficult without anyone judging.

And if you've gone to a pub with a park...what are you expecting? You are perfectly entitled to not want children. You are not entitled to live in a world where you never encounter children.

Children are allowed to exist in public. And children will sometimes screech or cry in public, because they're children. Parents should obviously parent their children, but I find such heavy vitriol towards children unnecessary and mean tbh.

Not sure if they still have them but Wetherspoons used to have family areas. No smoking allowed and no drunk groups. This was before the indoor smoking ban and before I had children. Always thought it was a good idea, I wouldn’t want my children sitting next to a group of adults knocking back the jugs of spirits and mixers they used to sell.

It's not discrimination, but I think the better solution would be to have an 'adult only area' rather than making all kids sit near the play area. Some parents will be wanting to go out without their kid running off to soft play or listening to them whine because they can't join in. I also think it's important for kids to learn to be bored, and how to sit in restaurants for a little while for a sit down meal. Also some families have quiet children. And some families have children that might be overstimulated by a soft play.

Also some people on this thread really hate children, jesus. This is the website where people implode if someone calls them a boomer, but calling a child a brat or whatever is perfectly fine. Also stop saying you hate children. It's like saying you hate all old people, or you hate all men. It just makes you sound like a nob 🤷

Then id have taken him out Simple

And unfortunately places like this are needed and there are parents who don't teach their children.

It is free to chose tho, you don't like and wouldn't go - kudos. But didn't complain that places like this exist.

I agree OP. It’s nice to have the option if needed. But I like to sit down and eat with my kids and chat with them. Not have them moaning about going on bloody soft play.

Sorry, but I'd avoid a place like this. It normalises the idea that kids can't sit still and eat nicely, and makes it almost impossible for us to expect decent behaviour from DD. She is perfectly capable of sitting with us, doing some drawing and colouring until her meal arrives - and then we don't hang around for ages afterwards so we don't test her patience too far. Bring forced to sit with people who won't control their children is horrendous - we have once gone to a cafe that did this and it was just painful.

On this occasion but your sleeping baby still may have woken up and started crying, we know with young babies that it can take an age to soothe them too.

You can't judge every eventuality by your own experience and handling of your child.