To feel like these families spoilt the pub?

[Primadonnagirl]

Our local is a proper old fashioned pub. It is family friendly but tends to attract the more real ale crowd.There are two main rooms, one which tends to be where people eat in, and two smaller ones that tend to be used for groups. We went out with four friends for an early evening drink.Great convivial Bank Holiday weekend atmosphere. We were sat in the main room. After only half an hour a huge party came in..almost everyone was a couple with a baby and pram/ pushchair. The atmosphere changed instantly to that of a play group.People were being jostled when they were trying to get prams in etc. Then all the babies were introduced to each other and passed around the group amid much loud baby talk.the noise just completely drowned everything else.I got up to see if there was a table somewhere else ..and found that the rest of the group were in the other room..It was so uncomfortable we left. I don't have a problem with families in pubs but is it really appropriate to take a large group of babies into one on a Saturday evening, completely dominate the space and have no regard for what is essentially an adult environment??Just interested in your views esp if you have littles ones..

FloggingMolly soft play atmosphere summed it up perfectly!!!

And it is a v old pub so rooms quite wonky shaped..I cannot understand why anyone thought it was a good venue.we had to move the table so the buggies could get past so it's obviously a small venue if you see what I mean! Anyway, Happy Easter ( I'm over it now!)

5pm isn't evening it's tea time.

Happy Easter Primadonnagirl :)

I hate the attitude here towards children, if there genuinely was a real demand for child-free areas, why don't businesses do it? Instead we just get the grumbling and the moaning. I eat out a reasonable amount with my family and we don't see these babies and toddlers spoiling everything everywhere, sometimes the odd toddler says 'hi' or smiles and their parents shepherd them back to where they were sitting. On the odd occasion I go out for dinner without children my night is never spoiled by children, ever.

In fact, in 15 years of being in Nappy Valley and elsewhere in London, I can only think of one time I was next to an incessantly crying child and it was slightly disturbing.

I love going to my husband's culture in the summer, there the whole family goes out every evening til about 11/12 midnight and walks about the parks and sits and has drinks. The whole lot. There isn't a concept such as child-free spaces and there's a lot less violence and public drunkeness at night as the whole space is family friendly and children are not segregated away so the adults can get rat-arsed.

Our local has been turned into a play group as well. Last time I was there lady bashed her pushchair into me twice in 2 seconds thinking she could get through a none existent space. Had pain in my back at the time made worse by her selfish behaviour. How hard would it has been to have asked me to move. I'd already moved helped their table with extra chairs before she turned up. I didn't see her as I was facing the other way chatting. I ended up in pain due to her, and left as soon as we could. Had several older patients say they can't visit the pub anymore due to children running around screaming which upsets the hearing aids. Think it depends on the families the pub attracts as I've been to some where the children behave perfectly. My sister two (5 and 3) would never dream of running around. If they did it's sorted quickly by bil and sis. It's lovely been in a pub with a mixture of ages and also a few digs thrown in and a log fire.

Well some of us hate the attitude of you have to enjoy kids. Not everyone wants to be separated from kids just to get rat arsed.

Dogs not digs. Sorry got awful internet access at moment. Happy Easter everyone

Guess that's why they're called pubs not prives.

thetallesttower - If kids and parents behave, I agree. But some parents have a very high tolerance level for the behaviour and noise from their children.

The pub I go to used to be adult only. It was taken over by new management who instantly introduced things to attract children. Initially they were successful, although now thankfully it has settled down to a few families with well behaved children. I do not go to the pub to watch kids running about between tables, and excitedly squealing and shouting at each other.

When my kids were little we used to go to a restaurant/pub that had a supervised soft play area.

The kids played and the adults could have a drink and a chat and the other drinkers weren't disturbed.

Until they were older we never took them into traditional-type pubs.

Our favourite pub is actually the student union bar. One time we went there and there were three different baby groups there. We sat down and another baby group turned up.
This wasn't just a couple of mums with babies, it was full on groups.

Well some of us hate the attitude of you have to enjoy kids. Not everyone wants to be separated from kids just to get rat arsed

Exactly, there are entire nations where everyone enjoys children, but not this one. I am amazed when I visit my husband's friends that even their teenage/adult children are still great with children, friendly, have fun with them. It's not child-oriented, but child-accepting. Children are just little people and all family members, including the elderly, go and eat together, none of this segregation, trying to only get people like yourself to cluster around you as if being out with the young and the old forms some type of contamination.

If you want to go to a child-free bar, there are lots of over 18's only though, so not sure why this is an issue.

Much ado about nothing.

Some children were in a family pub at 5pm one day and it was a bit louder than you would prefer. This is hardly noteworthy. If it happened every day and in every pub it would be an issue. It happened once. Some days things happen that we would prefer didnt. That doesnt mean anyone has done anything wrong.

You would have a point if it were 9 or even 8 pm, but it was 5pm.

Any large group in a small space is going to dominate. If they live locally and want to meet up what are they meant to do? They probably don't have space in their homes.

I don't think pubs are suitable for babies or kids. (Unless its a family pub - not a traditional one like the OP mentioned)

If you don't like it would the sensible suggestion not be to find a non family friendly pub to drink in?

Don't think you can complain about kids when you're going to an establishment that welcomes them

Children should not be allowed in pubs ever. And those irritating large groups of people with god knows however many prams etc should be banned from everywhere.

Goahead - I don't know any pubs at all now that don't welcome kids.

Really? I know lot's.

Exactly Grennie, it's not like the old days when we had to sit in the car park with a bottle of coke and a packet of crisps.

The only pubs I know that are 18 and over only are in the city centre where people go to get pissed.

Some of us just want a quiet pint or two without children.

I think you are actually very lucky wherever you are to have family friendly pubs. Where i live this is not the norm. Local pubs are strictly no children and aside from late friday and saturday nights(when younger people go out for a drink) are full of alcoholic men. Not places you feel like you can just go into for a quiet pint with a friend/partner.

I so agree with you, Primadonna; pubs are not places for babies; not fair on customers or babies. The same applies to parents who go to coffee shops on Sunday mornings and work their way through all the Sunday papers, with their child strapped in a pushchair for two hours or more. (yes, this means you, Oxford intellectuals in Cafe Nero).

YANBU - the families have done nothing wrong and have every right to be there but it's just not my scene anymore . I have been there and done it and don't wish to experience it again.

I go out my way to avoid little kids. They are cute and I like them but I don't want to hang out with them especially when they are not related to me.