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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

AIBU starbucks and others policy on heating babyfood

93 replies

aaronmum1 · 08/12/2007 22:33

i went to debehams cafe today and it took them 30 minutes to heat up the babyfood in a small bowl of boiling water - still not warn enough but couldn't wait any longer. they say they do not put into micrwave for 20 secs for "health & safety reasons" this gets me so mad! starbucks used to hand you a precariuos bowl of boiling hot water yet would not put in the micro ! this is crazy - is it just an excuse to discourage parents and babies?

OP posts:

MsHighwater · 10/12/2007 23:12

We should NEVER simply accept this garbage about "Health and Safety". It is NOT about protecting us from harm but about protecting the company from litigation.

That's all very well but when customer service takes a back seat or when something is just not done at all because people are too scared to take a common sense view about it, I think it's not OK.

Let me give you an example. Current legislation states that an open flue gas appliance must not be installed in a room intended to be used for sleeping. Imagine you live in a council house and you have a central heating system fired by a back boiler behind the gas fire in your living room. Now imagine that you are ill or disabled and, temporarily, you are sleeping in your living room. Perhaps you are waiting for a stairlift to be installed. If your friendly neighbourhood gas company, contracted by your landlord, calls to carry out the annual gas safety check while this is the case, chances are the fitter will disconnect your boiler. The legislation does NOT say that they must do this but because, imho, most agencies rely on lazy an over-cautious interpretations of the law, this is the kind of thing that often happens. There is a common sense solution involving CO detectors and additional gas safety checks, btw.

CantSleighWontSleigh · 10/12/2007 23:12

'i started this thread because i am angry about this stupid H&S excuse and it is an excuse - because some places do heat it up for you without any H&S silly talk. '

Well you put it in AIBU, so people are allowed to point out that you are.

'i could buy another thermos - already have one for bottles and a thermabag but the point is --WHY SHOULD I HAVE TO???'

Why should a restaurant ie a place that sells prepared food, have to not only allow your child to eat its own food on the premises, but help you to provide it at the exact temperature that you/your child chooses? Your child, your responsibility.

essanel · 10/12/2007 23:16

dont think it is a deafist attitude just an example of the culture we live in today where everything is so litigatious concious (sp?) that if something happened in a large chain ie tescos/starbucks with more available cash etc settlements for any claims would be higher than in a independent chain. Yes the h&s rules are quoted in all cases but that is the reason they are in place surely to help saftey of staff and customers .. appreciate your frustration but think yabu

bozza · 10/12/2007 23:17

Personally I think it is ridiculous not to warm baby food. I went to a Brewsters with my two and my sister once when DD was 8 montsh (am sure of this because Dsis was 39 week pg). Anyway DD would have been fine having the Brewsters food other than the salt so I had taken my own food in a container.

But apparently they are not allowed to warm up food that I have cooked - only jars. So I don't see how the hotspots theory works in this instance. I ended up mixing DD's food with some Brewster's mash to get it to a reasonable temperature. Probably more dangerous for DD because a good heatthrough would have zapped any growing bacteria but anyway.... DD was not all that keen on it and ended up sitting on my knee for dessert. Managed to pull a bowl of custard onto us both. I ran to the toilet and ran her under the cold tap but I ended up burnt through my jeans. So they can serve custard that will burn through a pair of jeans but not warm up home-made baby food.....

MsHighwater · 10/12/2007 23:17

Steady on, MotherFunk. I think the OP was commenting, in part, on places that used to offer this service but have stopped for dodgy "Health & Safety reasons".

I never had this problem but I was blessed with a child who happily accepted unheated food (and was breastfed).

Is it also self-centred to expect restaurants and cafes to provide highchairs or to be able to provide child sized portions?

bozza · 10/12/2007 23:18

Cantsleigh because all the rest of the family are eating in the restaurant and they don't provide baby-appropriate (thinking salt, additives etc) food.

MsHighwater · 10/12/2007 23:24

CantSleighWon'tSleigh "Your child, your responsibility"?

Perhaps so, but don't forget that your future GP, paid carer, hospital nurse, plumber, car mechanic, etc, etc, etc, is currently someone's child (and, therefore, by your reasoning, their responsibility alone). I'm not suggesting that responsibility for everything child related should be totally collective but your statement is close to the "seen and not heard" philosophy which I thought had been long since ditched.

MotherFunk · 10/12/2007 23:26

Message withdrawn

bozza · 10/12/2007 23:30

Oh so MotherFunk, Brewsters is not marketed towards families at all?

CantSleighWontSleigh · 10/12/2007 23:32

You've lost me with your obscurity MsHighwater, but if you think that feeding your own children is tantamount to being seen and not heard, then I think that maybe you should go and have a lie down. Which is exactly what I'm going to go and do.

bozza · 10/12/2007 23:32

I was pissed off because they would warm jarred baby food but not my homemade stuff. So AFAICS they were dictating how I should feed my baby. And neither of them have ever had a a jar of baby food, so why when my second was 8mo should I start because Brewsters thought it better/

Ozymandius · 10/12/2007 23:33

In 'child-friendly' countries, you just give them food off your plate. Purees are rubbish. Just give them so bread, a cold chip, some mashed up casserole, some baked potato, a scrap of omelette, a bit of sandwich or even a jar served at room temperature. They won't die from it you know. Even with allergies there must be something they eat which doesn't have to be served at precisely 55.6 degrees or whatever. Honestly, you'd think microwaves were crucial to the survival of the human race or something. This is nothing to do with 'seen and not heard'. A child that's old enough to be off sole-source milk is old enough to eat normal food.

MotherFunk · 10/12/2007 23:34

Message withdrawn

bozza · 10/12/2007 23:36

Yes but they don't is my point.

MotherFunk · 10/12/2007 23:37

Message withdrawn

bozza · 11/12/2007 09:21

Because I am paying for two adult and a child meal? And they don't make anything appropriate for a young baby? Actually once DD started eating restaurant cooked food, I used to just give her some of DS's so it made no difference to the amount I was spending there.

anneme · 11/12/2007 09:32

Fair point Ozymandius - most of the time. However if you have a child with intolerances/allergies this can be a problem. I had real trouble feeding ds1 when out and about when he was little and I could not bring my own food into a cafe because they provided some so did not allow you to bring your own - which would have been good except that it all had dairy in it which he could not have. They then thought i was being unreasonable....
I do think that places that market themselves as family friendly should be just that but if a place is not marketing itself as such then we shouldn't expect it.

nailpolish · 11/12/2007 09:38

pmsl a tthis thread

ive never had a microwave. how on earth do i survive

babies will take room temp food.
they will also take room temp milk from a bottle.

these things make life easier. think aobut it

nailpolish · 11/12/2007 09:40

oh god, did you really go to brewsters? why?

casbie · 11/12/2007 10:05

isn't it funny that those things that are marketted to make life easy, just makes things difficult!

i BF, and always took a drink and fruit for my children (and me!)...

lol! at inconvienitent convientent food (can't spell either!)

MotherFunk · 11/12/2007 10:21

Message withdrawn

redrosebug · 11/12/2007 10:37

I'll probably get completely slated now, but here goes ! ......

It is much much easier to not heat any food or bottles for your LO. My DD has never had a heated bottle or food (unless freshly cooked). She has milk fresh from the fridge and always has had (after finishing BFing). So much less hassle than trying to get everything "the right temp" !

Okay, let rip ! I have a new name ready just in case !!!

MotherFunk · 11/12/2007 10:47

Message withdrawn

AwayinaMargoNooNooCribForABed · 11/12/2007 10:51

I have never seen the point of heating food up for children. It takes so long for them to eat it, it's stone cold anyway.

Belgianchox · 11/12/2007 10:56

in a perfect world restaurants would agree to heat up baby food without any fuss and this would make life easier for many - i have to say when my dd was small it was often the case, but she was born in Belgium, perhaps they are more baby tolerant there? The other easy solution is to take food that doesn't need to be eaten warm - fruit puree or yoghurt, and then give them something warm (savoury) at their next meal. At least then you've got something instant to give them and don't have to face the screaming hungry child scenario. They won't suffer having there meals 'mixed-up' like this once in a while. Having said that I don't think i would serve cold pasta or casserole or whatever to my child if its supposed to be hot - i wouldn't fancy it much so i'd assume my child wouldn't appreciate it either.

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