Banned from Starbucks

[Monicachoux]

I am part of a group of new mothers who used to meet a local Birmingham Starbucks for a coffee and chat once a week. The Starbucks is located within a hotel, and both businesses share a lounge area big enough for us, our babies and baby equipment.
We have (after about 6 meets) been told we are not welcome to meet there anymore as the "venue has been booked for corporate seminars and events on the days you meet, and this will be taking place for the next few months".
Starbucks boasts a sign stating "Sit and relax in our lounge area at the back", yet, we are no longer welcome to relax here with our babies anymore... Numbers for our group range from about 4 or 5 mums with their babies up to about 7 or 8 (so we're hardly an army) and each of us consumed drinks and snacks from the coffee shop and hotel when we went there... Are we being unreasonable by expecting to be treated like any other Starbucks customer in spite of (the horror!) having babies? I have to say that I for one was quite shocked when they (very nicely) informed us we couldn't meet there anymore- this is DEFINITELY NOT a baby-friendly establishment

I was begining to worry that noone yet said 'in britain we dislike children'

Anyway, what expat said to you.

Let's do a compare and contrast...

Imagine Italy, a nation famous for it's love of kiddiwinkles. Now, in all my times in Italy I have NEVER not been able to get into a cafe due to a trillian buggies parked up. Nor are the Italian children mashing their food into the walls/being changed on the tables. Rather, Italian children are treated like small adults, sat at the table, sharing food and being spoken to in a group. That doesn't happen all that often here. Children are shoved into the pushchairs whilst mummy has a natter. The Italians take their children out so that they can socialise too. If you want your children to be accepted in restaurants/cafes then they need to learn to behave appropriately in a restaurant/cafe and they're not going to do that strapped in their pushchair or colouring in with those shitty wax crayons that so many food places dole out to kids now.

TheBoss

what the fuckity fuck is a babychino? And does it actually have coffee in it?

"colouring in with those shitty wax crayons that so many food places dole out to kids now."

- this is why I love Morrisons - the crayons for DS3 - it helps keep him in place while DS1, 2 and I finished out food in a relaxed fashion.

Aaaaw, let her go. It will be a Learning Experience.

Baroque don't get me wrong, they have their place! Morrisons is fine I was a bit at Pizza Express last week when the waiter offered DS a pot of crayons and a colouring pad. I know it's me with the problem, they're just trying to be child-friendly, but I'd just like DS to learn to sit and eat a meal out without the need to be constantly stimulated with toys/books/crayons...

awww, ok then

I quite like the shitty wax crayons they give you too, especially the stacking ones - bloody useful.

Littlemiss and thumbwitch please get off, you're hurting me. You can't stop me - I'm off to the other side to tell them what bullies you are. Please allow me to decide for myself.

My mate joked that my kids were coffee shop trained before they were potty trained. (methinks I spend too much time in coffee shops) However I hope they have learnt from early on what sort of behaviour is/is not acceptable.

You'll be in soft play soon enough, toddlers, grabby babies and hot coffee don't mix. I set my own tots group up for this reason. Find a hall or something and take subs. You can have a snack and endless coffee then without bothering anyone. Btw YABU, 7-8 buggies is a lot of wheels!

Im not going anywhere! I just went for a peek!

Go on then! We'll see you back here when your eyes start bleeding...

Christ almighty - just paid my first visit to Netmums. What the hell happened in there???

I feel soooooo grubby

ahh see I've found that DS1 and 2 naturally grew out of needing the entertainment while eating out and it's always helped distract them from other children being allowed to run riot........and therefore wanting to join in. DS3 has a much smaller appetite that DS1 and 2 so meals out with all 4 of us tend to find DS3 sat there having finished eating while DS1 and 2 are only a fraction of the way through theirs.

He's 3 - he gets fidgety - I don't want to inflict him on anyone in a posher environment yet

(though the parents who let their chidlren run riot don't really help...........)

Oh the crayons!

The minute you sit down you must take the crayons out of your bag because the children will die if they exist 2 minutes without them. Or the portable dvd player

no! the crayons come out once they've finished eating..........well they can come out of the packet straight away - but they are not touched until after they've had enough to eat and if they attempt to use them before they've finished their meal they get taken away.........

I do carry my own crayons, just in case things get to emergency levels but I usually give them to DS at the end of his meal when he might be getting a bit restless and I haven't finished my own food yet. I just don't like this assumption that you do not want to interact with your kid during a meal out and therefore you will NEED THE CRAYONS ASAP.

The thread is too long to read but this backs up the governments plans to scrap child benefit for middle earners, because it's spent on lattes and muffins.

Take it in turns to meet at each others houses for a cup of PG and a jammy dodger.

My daughter used to shun the breadsticks and eat the crayons.

So they had a use.

And they made her poo go funny colours.

we have found that DS's meal often takes a while to turn up as well, so we do have them out before eating. But this was before he was 3. And if it wasn't crayons, then he would have one or two of his animals (small plastic ones, not big fluffy jobs) out to play with. Now he is 3, we don't need it because he is happy chatting and will wait better for his food - but a half hour wait for food can be very tiresome for a small child so the crayons did help.
One rather posh brasserie we went to brought out a jar of crayons and invited DS to draw all over the paper tablecloth (yes I know that "posh" and "Paper tablecloth" don't exactly equate but that's how it was). They were so pleased with his behaviour that they told us we could bring him back any time we wanted. That was rather nice. :)

Personally I would avoid a cafe filled with 8 Mums with babies and buggies - and I have a baby & buggy!

Small groups fine - anything over 3 or 4 Mums/babies/buggies not to mention plus toddlers is a very large group in most cafes IMO.

Thank goodness the weather is warming up and all these groups can get a takeaway coffee/cake and lounge freely in local parks - that's where I'll be this spring/summer anyway

I think we'll have to disagree there, SGM. I think that letting your kid sit scribbling instead of talking to you trains them to be introverted. I've seen it with my brother. He was always "kept quiet" with crayons. Now he sits with his face stuck in his phone/iPod and he's 22...