aibu to think if youre blw then clean up after yourself!

[judgejudithjudy]

so fed up of eating out watching people doing blw & leaving a huge mess all over the floor without any attempt to clean it up!

I'm a waitress and weaning or not, child or adult, if you drop something on floor you pick it up or at least attempt to, surely thats just good manners! As for stacking plates, go ahead and do it, in our restaurant we're not precious about our stacking lol, how ridiculous and pretentious

My BLW baby will not be spoon fed. I clean up after her and she makes less mess than a lot of adults, and a lot less mess than most 3 year olds.

Stacking s fine when people do it properly. I'm silver service/michelin level trained, I hate it when people stack crockery as they certainly won't do it in my crazy anal preferred fashion.
Otoh I went out for lunch with dd today and the table was never cleared. I ended up stacking them up as I get fed up of sitting behind them. They were beautifully done though lol.

Heath27, stacking plates properly is not ridiculous and pretentious. It is an effective time-saving method that looks professional which has been practised for decades for a reason. I can clear a table of 12 main course plates when stacked properly. I suspect that you can't if you do not.

You might have had two children (as have I) but did you BLW them? If you did, then you'd know they aren't keen on sucking down puree from a spoon if they aren't used to it! Other parents on this thread are saying the same thing...

I just give them dryish finger food when we're out (bread etc) - why would I bother with flingable purees that'll get rejected?!

Just checked back - I didn't say you knew nothing about weaning. I said you obv didn't know many BLW'ed babies if you think they will accept being fed "just this once". Trad weaning and BLW are just two different processes, and a BLW'ed baby finds it hard to deal with purees cause they are used to chewing first, swallowing second. TW'ed babies are the other way round.

Both leave mess! Cause they're babies!

As for tables not being filled constantly, that is what a restaurant does. Its a business, there to make money. Having to close half the floor because the local mother and toddler group left it looking like the Somme and it took half an hour to clean up, costs money and effects other diners. Apart from having to look at the BLW detritus, the staff who are cleaning are neglecting their other customers.
you may have enjoyed your meal, but should your behaviour affect other diners experience? Or is it ok if you leave a big tip?

Yes it's a business, but part of that business is cleaning. Your profit should be able to absorb the time it takes to clean. You have earned money from the customer and part of that money should be able to cover that. If you need a constantly full restaurant then your business isn't working. The tip is for the waitstaff who may have had to do a bit more than the usual 10% worth - especially if they wont allow you to clean up yourself. If the restaurant doesn't want custom of this demographic then there are plenty of others who will. I am not talking about trashing the place and as i said i don't do BLW (ds gets a jar if we go out ). But sometimes ds will be messy with a bread roll and i don't think it is unreasonable to expect - if you pay extra for the cleaning - this to be okay and not to be 'judged'. As for other diners, it depends on the behaviour of the child in each case. But i have had my meal ruined by a lot of adult diners and that, sadly, is part of life. Some people are twats and sometimes those twats become parents.

I always pick up after the kids. very inconsiderate to expect someone else to do it. They're my kids and it's their mess!

when Ds was about 8mo and blw we were at the local sea life centre and had lunch there. I asked them for a brush to clean up as he'd made a real mess. The staff were utterly astounded that I had offered to clean up. I was utterly astounded that it wasn't the norm.

Saggy, god no Lloyd Loom chairs must be a nightmare to clean. There is a big difference between having half a floor that needs cleaning and one table. The turnover on the one table shouldn't be affected that much but I can see how having a large number of tables out of action would be. That is really unfair of them.

Digressing slightly (but now i'm thinking about unreasonable restaurant/cafe behaviour baby groups). What never ceases to amaze me is the amount of baby groups i have seen who will start rearranging all the tables and furniture then sit down and hardly buy anything. I have seen groups of 8 people buy 3 coffees, produce own cakes and snacks etc and take ages. WTF is that all about?!

And what's a lloyd loom chair?

Its a wicker one, great for trapping food in, I never let my DC sit on the ones at home to eat.

holy crap - no whicker around children - ds chews bits off his whicker laundry basket

Why would a restaurant have those? surely they a hot bed of germs in general?

Yuck

I clear up after my dcs. Swipe mess off table, pick up big bits, ask staff for a dustpan and brush to give floor a quick sweep.

Yes, they are grateful, it does save them a bit of time by giving them less to do - sometimes you get to hear what they think of the parents who don't clear up....

It just looks entitled if you make no effort. And it sets a crap example to slightly older children who can be encouraged to tidy up a bit. I don't think it has anything to do with BLW, just how you behave in a shared social space.

But according to Saggy its entitled for your baby to make a mess in the first place and you shouldnt waste their time getting in the way trying to pick things up, bollocks it takes a minute tops

Actually, I said it was entitled to think you can go into a restaurant, make a pig awful mess and think you can say sorry and leave a couple of quid tip and thats all right!

You said 'if you let your child chuck food everywhere' you and the other staff would tell you not to clean up but be judging you. Babies and toddlers drop things, and shock horror ive seen adults do it too

And plus if i've been out for a meal I always leave a ten percent tip because thats what I do nothing to do with being ashamed of my pig like baby

People generally only feel the need to stack plates when their waiter or waitress is taking too long to clear the table.

I only ever do it when I've waited an acceptable amount of time after the last person has finished eating, so if I've ever annoyed anyone by doing it, it's only because the staff have annoyed me by taking so long.

I realise that's not always the fault of the waiting staff, but a paying customer has more right not to be annoyed than the people paid to be there have.

im not talking a bit of stuff dropped. Yes we all drop stuff and babies are babies. Im talking a whole meal on the floor, pasta sauce all over the table and chair, and handprints up the nearest wall. im sure your baby isnt a pig. But sadly some parents are. I've been a waitress for years and Ive seen it all.
There are parents out there who are entitled. They think their precious little darling can do no wrong. They think as they are paying they can do whatever they want. Their kids cause chaos while they sit and chat, completely ignoring them.
I dont think it is unreasonable to make sure your child doesn't make an awful mess in the first place, attempting to clean up after is nice but it doesnt help. If a staff member were to slip on said food, youd be the first to complain about a face full of hot soup. If you are on all fours clearing up and are in the way, then you are disrupting other diners meals.

Someone came round for lunch at my house and her BLW baby left at least an adult plate's worth of half-masticated food on the floor.

That is just disgusting!

When my DC were babies/toddlers I always ensured that I gave them 'clean' food when we were out, so plain pasta with salad rather then spaghetti bolognaise, ham sandwiches rather than jam sandwiches, etc. and only small amounts at a time so it was easier to control the mess. And I ALWAYS cleaned up after them.

I agree, we're doing blw but make sure we clean up as much as possible (sometimes there are a few crumbs I can't get with wipes).

I have been know to ask for a dustpan and brush, I was met with an odd fave though.

Well those parents do sound like shits but I take my 3 children out for meals to get them used to behaving in public and spend all my time and attention on making sure they are quietly entertained so as not to ruin anyone else's experience that I may not notice if they baby drops something but will always check afterwards, a quick bend down not a full on obstructive lie down, the restaurant you work in sounds like it doesn't have much space?

Then you arent my problem. The average mother and baby isnt my problem. The ones who do 'BLW' and just dont seem to care are the problem.
My restaurant wasnt particularly jammed in, but it was very busy. They actively encouraged children and have a very good reputation. But sadly some people give parents a bad name!
Yes, you might be paying, yes babies do baby stuff, but that doesnt entitle you to leave the place looking like a herd of wildebeest have been through and think that a tip makes it all ok.

Fair enough