AIBU starbucks and others policy on heating babyfood

[aaronmum1]

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?

Well I suppose this is all my own fault for cooking my own baby food. We went to Brewsters because it was convenient for my 39+5 pg sister. The food was not room temperature because it was homemade not jarred so was kept chilled. I think I was scarred by this particular incident due to my burnt legs.

And I think the idea of children having cold milk is great but I had a dreadful time with both getting them to take a bottle so that I could go back to work - they thought their bottled milk should be breast temperature.

But thinking about it I really don't care any more. My youngest is 3 1/2 and has been able to eat using adult cutlery, sit on a full sized seat, drink from a glass, and use an ordinary toilet, not used a pushchair etc for over a year.

restaurant aren't allowed to heat homecooked food or even jarred food if it has been opened because it could be contaminated and the parents could blame the company. by only heating up sealed jars if the food is contaminated there is no arguement about whether it is the company's fault or not.

oh and if you are not happy with your child having the odd bit of salt or additives i think you have to accept that you can't eat in restaurants with them. if you know that you aren't happy with your child eating such food then don't go there in the first place. if you were taking a 4 year old there own food the restaurant wouldn't be happy about. but cos its a baby they should be fine with it. and to the op even puree fed babies can eat finger foods. it would be like saying if you just give finger foods they wouldn't be able to eat soup or yoghurt

Message withdrawn

Ok, I run a family friendly tea room / restaurant. When we took over 8 months ago, I was determined as a Mum who was fed up with non family friendly restaurants to do the best I can. I have to say however, that heating up baby food is a genuine problem!! I do it for people but it is a nightmare! Commercial microwaves heat food up so much faster than domestic. (I do not have room to provide one for customers). I cannot stick my finger in someone elses baby food to check it as I would for my own and we are desperate not to overheat. But, some Mums are so incredibly fussy! I have had jars sent back again and again to make them hotter and hotter, far hotter than I would ever feed a child! Because the thing is, as Mums we all think the way we do things is right and everyone else is odd! I will heat jars, despite the fact that I sell child size and toddler size portions. As with everything in life, it is the minority that spoil things for the sensible majority. The only reason I still do it is because its my business and I care, but I get why bigger chains say no.

I don't think I've ever had need of a microwave to feed my child. What did people do before microwaves?

i'm intriguied why it took 30 mins to heat up in water. when we do it takes 5 maybe 10 mins max.

haven't read the while thread but loved this:

"And they're not doing it to pss you off, they're doing it because some twt somewhere has tried to sue them. "

It's so true. it's the same reason why dd2 can't, under my supervision, play on the climbing frame in dd1's playground while we wait for her to come out.

maybe I was more precious that I thought I was. This same DD at 13 months survived 2 weeks in France eating breakfast in the chambre d'hote and other meals in various cafes/creperies/restaurants. She got through a lot of omelettes on that holiday.

I still don't get the contamination thing, because you could accuse any food that came out of the kitchen of being contaminated. Also don't get why different establishments have different rules if it all about legislation etc.

Message withdrawn

it took 30 minutes in the debenhams cafe because they were using a bottle warmer which they said needed warming up!

my son is seven months and will not eat anything lumpy at this stage - he throws it up. i would like to take a jar of his dinner out with me because i know that he will eat this without fuss as long as it is warm - he will not eat cold = and yes i have tried! he does not like banana at the moment.

i tried to give him real food rather than "jarred muck" but he would never eat what i pureed and i ended up making so much effort and stress when he just ended up eating the jar!

i have to go out when he is due his dinner as i go out from morning - why should i have to stay in the house just because cafes are now giving us this H&S excuse? and it is an excuse. i am a very considerate mum - do not like to put people out, but i would have thought asking to heat up his food was not asking too much.

Can'tSleighWon'tSleigh, you seemed to me, by saying "Your child, your responsibility" to be suggesting that it is unreasonable for any parent to ask any service provider to make a particular effort to meet the needs of a child visiting their establishment. I was pointing out that today's children are tomorrows workforce on whom we will all depend for essential services. I think that confers a certain responsibility on everyone, whether they are parents or not, to accommodate children. Don't you?

Motherfunk, if a restaurant will not cater for my child's needs, I will not go there. I will go somewhere that does. They will lose out on the income they would have earned from my custom. It is in their interests to provide for small children even if the children are not eating food from the restaurant. Most restaurants do not serve purees so do not offer food that weaning children can eat.
I think we are generally on the same side of this argument though. These policies have nothing to do with protecting people from harm but protecting companies from litigation.

I have to say ive never found anywhere that wont heat up things for babies, and having worked in catering for 10 years it was just the given that if a customer (or even someone who wasnt a customer) wanted something heating of course I would do it and just ask them to check it. TBH I would expect it when out with my DD but then I only take her to places where I can do it myself and save the hassle like Debenhams or asda cafe.

that exactly it - any food that comes out of the kitchen could be contaminated but there would be noarguement about who's fault it was- obviously the kitchens. with homemade baby food it could be contaminated before it went in the kitchen but the parent could try and blame the company and say it must have been them. by only accepting sealed jars then it takes away that arguement and if something wascontaminated then they would obviously have to take the blame. basically companies don't want to have to start taking the blame for things they might not have done.

It's the inconsistency of these so-called "Health & Safety" regulations that get me. We had to stop on the motorway when DS was about 5 months and I asked in Starbucks for a cup of boiling water to heat his bottle. They refused "on health and safety grounds" but were quite happy to give me a cup of boiling water with a teabag in it - what's the difference?

And several places have refused to fill my Thermos flask with boiling water when I've asked for a top-up - it's not as though I'm asking them to heat up my baby's food or even give me boiling water in an open container that may get spilled.