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've found it quite depressing tbh cheese freak.

It's a bugger, but YABU. First come first served. Off to Sainsbos cafe with you, they have about 300 high chairs!

Not a Geordie? I was pretty confident on that one. It was the "yous" that convinced me. I haven't heard it anywhere but back home in the north-east.

anyway, i seem to have some disease making me keep responding and therefore making more to respond to!

shush mapely. let boo leisurely eat her biscuit while her babies play happily in their high chairs and all will go quiet.

un bump!

we get that alot here in northern ireland kungfu. "yous can all go to hell"

LoveitBoo

I actually think she expected me to say, 'oh yes how selfish of me here you take one high chair and I will balance one baby on my knee while feeding the other'

I could hear here ranting from the other side of the cafe about how selfish I was.

Luckily back in those days the lack of sleep made me strangely serene and my only comment was to say to my girls what a rude woman.

(the cafe owner actually apologised when I was leaving and said I was welcome to steal all the high chairs anytime )

what a silly woman. how did she realistically see that panning out?? maybe highcahirs should be rationed, one per family and teh extra children have to be wedged against teh wall witha load of coats around them.

Boo, you could stick them to the wall with velcro supplied by the cafe.

Be creative woman!!

good idea tee, but what if someone else wanted the velcro you were using.

if i were prime minister i would ensure there was enough FREE velcro for everyone.

Velcro to the wall and just throw food at them- I'm sure the same amount of food would end up on the floor anyway!

first come first served, soory I know its notv what u wanna hear

*sorry , not

YABVU A few days before Christmas I saw a little boy sat on his mother's lap grab at her tea. He was so badly scalded paramedics were called. Hearing the little tots cries were just horrendous.

First come first served, I'm sure the woman you asked would have thought you strange. I certainly would have.

you had a buggy so should have used that, as I often had to do. other mothers might not have had the luxury of having a buggy with them.

YABU. If there are not enough high chairs ask the staff whether they would order some more as there is demand for them.

Wasnt there a thread a while ago about a woman who shouted 'watch out' to a woman who was possibly about to stumble over her 'below eye level' toddler whilst carrying a hot coffee ?

YABU - children and babies are much safer contained and fully on view - ie up in a highchair - where people are walking around with scalding drinks/hot food etc. So as she was there first - you have to make the decision on whether your child will be safe in his/her pushchair or on your lap. If you can sit in a corner or with your childs pushchair against a wall with you on the outside of them - maybe so - if not go elsewhere.

ugh, hate the word 'tot'

Suda gives sigh of relief after completing 'tot' scan of her post. If I had done it would have been a typing error - I too am not a fan. Not keen on 'kids' either tbh.

DISCLAIMER

The word 'kids' that is - not the'kids' themselves.

Not read the whole thread but yes yabu. First come first served. If you are going to a coffee shop, then you need to be prepared that there may not be a highchair and either have a plan b or just don't go there.

I have 5 children so it is MUCH easier to have the youngest contained in a highchair for the duration - it means he is safely strapped while he eats, stops him from crawling under the legs of waiting staff carrying hot drinks and makes it easier for me to keep an eye on all the kids at once. Why is your need to feed your child greater than my need to be able to keep one contained while I help/supervise the others and drink my drink while it is still hot?

If we get there and there is no highchair then he will stay in his buggy, sit on my knee, sit in a travel hghtchair (if we've remembered it) or sit wedged between 2 of the other kids.

It wouldn't be unreasonable, imo, to mention to the staff that they would probably have more regular customers if they had more highchairs, on the basis that if they don't know it's a problem they can't fix it but yes, it is unreasonable to expect someone else to give up their highchair for you.

I deliberately go to these places a bit earlier than the usual "lunchtime" rush to try to get a highchair, perhaps you should do the same.