To think the family with the screaming baby...

[Snowbility]

Should leave the coffee shop rather than try and pacify him for this last 10mins - my head hurts - how are they enjoying this? I always left coffee shops when my kids kicked off.

Why should anyone who is quietly considerate not frequent coffee shops?

I was always considerate of others when mine were small and I expect the same now.

I love the drip feeding from the Op. First it was one baby, then it was two, then it was toddlers not babies then it was not a stand alone coffee shop, it was at Centre Parcs.

ineedanexcuse Yes exactly what you said

OP YANBU. I have had many hasty exits in my time, because I don't think others appreciate the blood curdling screams that could come from DD and DSS. I would try to calm them down, of course, but if I couldn't then I would leave.

I am not one who thinks all children are cute and should be allowed everywhere. Even now, I adjust my social life around DD

Massive xpost... Although it does amuse me that it went from one screaming baby, to two screaming toddlers... And now that you have twins and you would have left, this thread has irrationally pissed me off, I never get annoyed at threads and this being a fairly minor thing suggests to me i should go and make myself a

Once a coffee has been paid for you are entitled to sit and drink it.

Much as I hate screaming babies I have complete sympathy for how hard and awful it is to have a child who is just implacable (even thinking about my nightmare with DS1 brings tears to my eyes).

So I say YABU OP

Ha! I was all ready to pile in with a hugely resounding YANBU!!! until I read that you're in centre parcs. YAofcourseBVU as it's a 'family' place (and therefore full of people whose children's needs come way above those of adults').

If you were in a public space where people have paid to sit and relax with a drink/food, then YAentirelyNBU to expect to be able to do that without someone's child ruining it for you by screeching and screaming. When DD was little, if she started making noise, I took her outside, because I didn't see why she and I should ruin the experience of other people who had paid money to use the space.

I have a hypersensitivity to sound - high pitched sounds physically hurt me. I cannot continue to enjoy, or even to be in, a space which contains a source of high pitched sounds. The source of the sound is irrelevant. So, since most people at the very least find children's screaming very unpleasant, and many find it intolerable, I don't understand why some parents think that it's ok to subject people to this in a public space (that the person has paid to be in).

Mine are 14 and 11.6 yo. Before we had DC my DH and I didn't go anywhere that children would be.
We went on holiday during term time.
We didn't go to McD or Debenhams Resturant because there were children there.
So when I had my own DC, these were they places we did go to.
We stayed in a hotel, my DS wanted to sit by the window for breakfast to watch the ducks. There was a man eating breakfast and I asked him if he minded if my DC sat there (if he'd have said No I want a quiet breakfast I'd have sat elsewhere) . I didn't let mine scream in resturants or coffeeshops.
DH or I would take turns to take the crying one out to walk around.

It wouldn't bother me now because I've been there myself I can filter it out.
But there was a woman on the bus a couple of weeks back (about 6pm) getting a load of tutting and FFS looks at her screamy infant.

If I'd paid for a coffee somewhere, and sat down and was halfway through it (and they're not cheap usually!) and one of my kids started up (and they have done), then I'm sorry but I wouldn't be leaving until I'd finished my paid-for drink.

If my child was running around/throwing food etc, then yeah, there would be a case for us leaving. But I don't think people should be made to feel guilty enough to have to leave a coffee shop because some other customers (usually a small minority, i.e., one person) has an issue with it.

As I said, bit of patience wouldn't go amiss. It was 10 minutes.

I apologise for the drip feeding - I loosely use the term baby for small children and I didn't realise it was more than one as the family were sitting around the corner. Alternatively I could be just making it all up just to rattle you.... promise I'm not though.

Will slope off now as my dcs are due back any minute and my one hour of me time is over. Peace and love to you all!

Two year olds to me are toddlers and very likely to make noise!

So what they are kids!

I used to take my dd out if the situation if dd would calm. The world doesn't revolve around me and dd and I'm happy to show consideration for others.

Not sure that it is a small minority though.

YANBU, i agree with 'the cat', I would never have stayed anywhere in public with a constantly screaming infant, consideration has to work both ways.

Well, funnily enough, my eldest is now 12, and over 12 years (and three dc) I've very rarely observed that many people getting arsy over a noisy child in a coffee shop. But maybe I've just been lucky.

Or maybe the majority of people are more tolerant and have a shred of patience.

Heronsfly

It wasn't 'constantly screaming', it was 10 minutes. Hardly the same.

goodness me

Enjoy the rest of your bumsex holiday

I had an extremely colicky child who had silent reflux for the first twelve months of his life. As a result, I didn't do coffee shops, restaurants, etc. as I felt far too self-conscious and stressed by his near constant screams, especially when he went into banshee overdrive after 3pm. Parks were my second home, and pretty much any outdoor space.

I sort of think YANBU, but after living like a near hermit for a year, I don't think I'll be quite so reluctant when DS2 comes along.

YABU, you sound like a barrel of laughs.

This is so wrong, op yabu for wanting them to leave. Yanbu to find it annoying.

Yes it's annoying when kids scream, but you should not expect them to leave. Kids are part of life, they scream occasionally. You don't know the situation. Get over yourself, you are not superior.

Of course YANBU.
Kids being a bit raucous and silly fine.
Kids screaming, chuck em out.
I had two screamers, and then one of those placid kids that I used to be in awe at and wonder what the parents did. (Be lucky is the answer).

taking them outside normally shuts them up too.

I asked to be moved in a restaurant to a table away from a crying newborn. It was my first night out in six months after having my second child, and the restaurant was £70 a head. No way was I paying that plus a baby sitter to sit next to someone else's screaming baby.

A coffee shop is a bit different though!

10 minutes of screaming is long enough to my cup of tea to go cold and hence be ruined by a screaming kid.

Take it out.

When I was pregnant we went out for a meal with some friends and there was a couple with a baby screaming for about an hour. They were walking it around the restaurant and I said they should leave.
My friends all said 'just you wait', it'll be different when you have your own etc'. I have NEVER ONCE stayed around when DS cried. I have left half eaten meals, barely touched cups of coffee, even a half done shop when he was annoying people in the supermarket.
But that's because I have a basic level of courtesy and respect for other people.

I did glance up, caught the Mum's eye and gave her a sympathetic smile.

I'd love to do this more often to harrassed parents, but am convinced it would be misinterpreted as a pained grimace or snidey, smug sneer!

I do sympathise, though. Fraught parents are more deserving than most of a coffee!