To be annoyed when parents hog high chairs

[Mapley]

I hate it when you're in a busy cafe, that only has a couple of high chairs and they are invariably in use.

But what annoys me more is when they have a 6 (or something) month old baby in them that has finished being spoon fed 20 minutes ago and is now being ignored (and conveniently contained) while his mum drinks coffee and chats. In the meantime i'm wrestling my one year old who is too little for an adult chair, wriggles all over the place without a high chair and won't eat half as much as he should when he can't reach the table and isn't strapped in.

Surely when you've finished feeding your baby you give up the high chair, and either hold your baby or put them in their buggy, not hog the highchairs and make other parent's lives difficult?

Today I was in a cafe and this woman literally sat there for over half an hour with her baby in the high chair playing with toys while I tried to feed my toddler on my knee! I finally decided to ask her if she finshed with the hugh chair, and she said no and carried on chatting! Grrrr

I usually do carry round a portable fabric high chair, but it's still not as good and I usually pick cares to go too because I know they have high chairs.

Aibu?

I can't see the problem. I think it's a first come first serve situation. Bring your own fabric one if you are worried about not having one.

High chairs in cafes are not just for feeding. Perfectly reasonable for a child to sit in it after they have eaten and play with toys.

See the mangement if you want more high chairs.

Agree with the majority. YABU, and very rude to go up and ask the woman if she'd finished with the high chair when her baby was still sitting in it.

I've had 2 babies/toddlers (12 month age gap) so at times I had to have 2 high chairs so that both DDs could join in a family meal. what a selfish cow I am!

Other times there haven't been any high chairs available, so I've kept the youngest in a buggy and the eldest on a big chair, kneeling up.

You just have to adapt to the circumstances or go somewhere else.

First come, first served, and the baby doesn't have to get out of the highchair until the whole family have finished eating and are leaving IMO.

MAPLEY are you Scottish by any chance?

Am scottish, but still don't agree with OP!

why do you ask?

Just your turn of phrase in a couple of your posts.

well, technically they are still using it.

It would be like a group of people at a restaurant having a meal. One of them finishes eating and you go and say "You have finished your meal, I would like your seat please."

They've not finished with it until the group has finished, paid and left.

The fact that, in this case, the member of the group is a baby is neither here nor there.

Would you ask for the seat in the situation I describe or would you understand that even though that particular individual had finished, the group had not and therefore the seat was still in use. Or would you expect that person to vacate the seat and stand up until the rest of them had finished?

I'm not scottish but I live in scotland. Strange it comes through in how i type!

Ahh this is just like the prams on buses thread. Just because someone is already using the facilities provided and you end up, heaven forbid having to wait, doesnt mean the people are doing it to piss you off. they just happened to get there first

All this "ohhh what about consideration?"
Well how about considering the other persons comfort? The child was still in the highchair so that the adults could comfortably drink their coffee/eat their lunch.
I dont go into a cafe to then compromise my meal for the convenience of others. Ive paid for the coffee and im going to drink it in my own time and with my child happy and comfortable.

Is it too early for wine??

Cannae be arsed hectate, thanks for your post but i've answered that a couple of times now. :-)

oh have you? must read threads more carefully.

sorry love, didn't mean to make you blush. I'll repeat myself for you as you're nice.
No I wouldn't expect a grown up to vacate their seat while there dinner companions were still eating, but IMO a baby could sit on someone's knee or sit back in their buggy after they'd finished being fed. People have said a few times why they would find having a baby on their knee or in the buggy a hassle, and I've noted it. I didn't realise before. Personally it wouldn't bother me and I'd put someone else's need to feed their child above my inconvenience, but you learn to not judge others by your own standards by having conversations such as this don't you? we're not all the same and most folk don't think hih chairs are for feeding babies. Fair enough!

my 28 month old still uses a highchair, if there is one available. She prefers to sit on a seat so I tend to use a fabric highchair. Not all under 3's are able to sit still on a chair, they do all develop at different rates. After her meal she likes to sit and play or colour whilst I interact with her. On that note YABU to expect me to give up her seat when we are all still enjoying our meal.

that was very kind of you.

having, erm, read the thread properly now, I see that you've been held by the arms, beaten soundly and possibly had pins stuck into you and have gracefully acknowledged that you hold a minority view. (was that before or after the bamboo under your fingernals )

I will leave you now so you can go to A&E

I assumed the OP was a Geordie actually....

This thread reminds me of taking my (then) 8 month old twins into a cafe and taking TWO high chairs. Ten minutes later this women can over, obviously highly pissed off at me and asked if I really needed TWO highchairs. I replied, well yes I had two babies and she started ranting at me how I was stealing (yes she said stealing!)the high chairs and how unfair it was.

"and most folk don't think hih chairs are for feeding babies"

now now, you are twisting things slightly there. nobody said that. we said hight chirs aren't just for feeding babies.

yes, am feeling a tad battered. ne'er mind though. Geordie me? wow! I've never had that before. Most folk think I'm very posh and english when i speak. I must save my dialect for my fingers

switch, what the hell did she expect you to do? squeeze both babies into one chair?

well if you don't find it a hassle having your baby on your knee, and/or your child doens' get upset being strapped in the pushchair staring a people's legs under the table for 30 minutes = you do it then.

sorry, but to Boo. Stop being pedantic, i think i've been perfectly clear and fair minded.

i think i may never eat in a cafe again. roll on summer

LOL @ asking if you needed the two highchairs!

I was in sainsbury's cafe a few weeks ago and all the highchairs were in use.
I just left DD in her pram until one was available and then got that one. It didnt occur to me to note whether the children were actually eating or not.

well, it isn't really pedantic. what you said wasn't what others have said so picked you up on it. but thank you for the biscuit. i am a bit peckish.

No, please do post again - it has been very amusing :)