Re children in restaurant

[Arbesque]

Four of us booked a table in an expensive restaurant last night for 7.30.
About 10 minutes after we'd sat down a couple came in pushing a buggy and with 2 other children in tow. They were seated at the table beside us.
One child kept bashing his spoon off the table, another kept crawling along the wide windowsill so that he was right behind my head, and the baby was kept amused by the father playing peek a boo while she screamed excitedly. This went on and on.

We asked to be moved to another table. There were none available.Then the baby started crying loudly and the toddler got tired and cranky and joined the wailing.

We left without dessert and complained on the way out. They knocked the price of a bottle of wine off our bill.

AIBU to think expensive restaurants, charging a fortune, should have a policy for dealing with situations like this?

We paid a lot of money for a meal we couldn't enjoy.

Thank you 🙂

RTFT @BerryTiredMama Did you miss the post where @Arbesque told us that the main course dishes started at 30€. Makes £100 per head for the total bill very likely.

@Arbesque
I'll disagree with you thinking that Ireland doesn't have different classes as it most certainly does.

It does I agree. I just don't think we have an Upper Class in the way England does.
We have a professional class - Surgeons, Barristers etc but any landed gentry or titled people would usually be from an old English family.

@Arbesque
Also, the prices you quoted could be any gastro pub in Ireland and not an expensive restaurant.

Anyway I'm deviating from the topic and still think that if children can't behave in any restaurants that they shouldn't be there. If I go to McDonald's on my lunch break I dont want to be bothered by a badly behaved child. It really is all about being a considerate parent.

@Arbesque

We do have an upper class, but it’s very small, many are educated in the U.K., and they mostly live quiet lives on their inherited wealth. They have a small social non flashy circle. Many left after 1922 as their homes were burned but some returned.

@Sunflowerkeep wow I need to go live in Italy!

Oh god, yes please !

I obviously move in the wrong circles 🙂

Yes me too. That would have maybe sent a message.

@Arbesque I'm Irish as well.
And I have to say there's nothing worse than getting a babysitter for your own kids and being landed with someone else's.

Also we expect noise,but having a baby crawl beside you is not the same.
If the child fell or hurt themselves I bet it would be your fault.

As a side I bet all theses saying let babies and children go where they like bring their kids to adult only wedding as their DC are "special"

You are over invested in this, link to the restaurant indeed! Step away from the internet..

I think the old adage applies here...

Children are like farts - you can put up with your own but you're not keen on other people's !

I was in a high street Italian last night for dinner at 7.30pm. My kids at home with a babysitter. As expected, there were no babies or toddlers in the restaurant. I really don't get this thread with all the people defending the idea of young children disturbing other diners in a restaurant past what would be a usual bedtime. I just never see it happening here in the UK. Do the people saying it's ok for toddlers to crawl around a restaurant ever actually take their kids out in the evening and let them do this? And if not, why are they defending their right to do so?

🤣🤣How very true!

@Imnotswallowingthat not sure about that, often not keen on my own, farts that is! 😉

I'm with you OP. If I'm out for an expensive meal part of that is the atmosphere and ambiance. I expect kids in a Harvester or Greene King but not high-end.

Lol they most certainly will, that's how entitlement works.

I kinda agree with this- I’d prefer to hear families being happy together & enjoying themselves- as appose to listening to sloppy drunk asses!! That would ruin my night before kids having a dinner with their family- YANBU but your being a bit unreasonable to have actually complained about it 😬

I am sick to death of hearing from self entitled, totally un -self aware ''parents'' who lack any control of their kids who take over an area destroying the enjoyment of EVERYONE else in their shared space. Do you realise why people without kids absolutely loathe being any near you. I would be thorough p*ssed off too if I had to out up with that after havoing paid for an expensive night out.

Wherever I go with my children at whatever time I ensure they are not bothering other peoples enjoyment of the place or activity we are at.
I don’t think it’s fair for anyone to impact anyone else’s choices.
Parents need to parent properly. Bring activities to keep them occupied, discipline if noisy, take away if they move from the table. We always have eaten together as a family, so table manners are instilled from day one. Kids will be kids and act up occasionally but as a parent I accept that and when/ if they do I do something about it right away. Those that don’t mean everyone else is affected by the child’s behaviour- that’s not fair on anyone.

I can’t believe some of the posts on here. So many deleted too from (probably) those people who allow their children to treat life as a playground.

YANBU. Firstly, I'd not waste a posh retaurant on my fussy child. If I'm going to a post restaurant, I'd want to enjoy my time! Secondly I definitely wouldn't allow my child to cause a nuisance to others in said restaurant if I somehow HAD to take him out to eat at that time (which is his bedtime nonetheless). Children hit witching hour by that time in the evening and there's no stopping them, the parents should've known better and at least apologised profusely for their child's behaviour.

But it wasn't a family being happy together. One child spent most of the time over at our table, and the toddler and baby were tired and cross, and letting everyone know about it, for a good portion of the time.

Why wouldn't we complain when a meal costing 400 euro was ruined by one family in the restaurant? From the annoyed looks from other diners I doubt we were the only ones.

YANBU. I’d have left a soon as they said another table wasn’t available. McDonalds yes, swanky restaurant absolutely not.

crossstitchingnana
I'm with you OP. If I'm out for an expensive meal part of that is the atmosphere and ambiance. I expect kids in a Harvester or Greene King but not high-end.

I had the type of toddler that people would make comments on for her good manners and behaviour in restaurants. I never let her bother people or leave the table to wander around. Why should I have to go to shitty restaurants and be punished for badly behaved children?