Restaurants should have a child free section

[Hdaniels11]

I keener old smoking/non smoking sections at restaurants. They should do the same thing with children/no children sections. I was at a testy with a few friends last night and the table next to mine had two screaming children. Another table had their 4 maybe 5 year old son stun up and down the aisle nearly knocking over the waitress with a tray full of drinks. We asked to move because it was just too noisy and disturbing, after that we had no more distractions and were actually able to converse with one another.

A lot of that reminds me of my sister, her husband believes in being the kids "friend" rather than the parent and says things like "boys will be boys" and "they are just getting their energy out" i just roll my eyes when he says that. NO it's a restaurant not a playground.

As a parent myself i actually think it's a good idea from the other side. It's embarrassing to have your child screaming and acting a fool in public, Around other parents you would at least get a little more empathy.

Really depends on the type of restaurant. A family type pub restaurant, you expect there to be children around. A high end restaurant with a 'romantic meal for two' vibe you'd perhaps not expect there to be young, noisy children.

That said, children are only ever a disturbance if they are running round or shouting/screaming/squealing. If they are sitting at their table talking/laughing at a normal pitch, they're no different from adults.

So I suppose my suggestion would be to have an optional 'family friendly' area where parents could take their younger ones if they knew from experience they weren't likely to sit still and be (reasonably) quiet; but not make this into an exclusion zone - parents' judgement could be trusted on their children's likely behaviour. It would give waiting staff the option of politely suggesting any disruptive children 'might be happier in our family area' and moving them if they were clearly disturbing others.

For context, I'm childfree

YABU. My son is autistic and has still never misbehaved in a restaurant. Why should we be sent to the naughty corner because others can't/won't keep their kids in line?

Agree with this. My grandson is autistic and as quiet as a mouse. Why should he and I/his parents be forced to sit with all the rowdy kids that OP speaks of?

Sorry but I really don't believe you had a perfectly behaved toddler because you politely said "we will be asked to leave if you don't be quiet" 🤣🤣. Maybe you should write a book with these amazing parenting tips 😆.

I have a 1 year old who is just starting to talk, but understands every word you say, honestly this doesn't work. Age 3 or 4 yes, they listen and will do as they are told, so little nope.

Some do. Well, not ‘restaurants’ but we went to a Brewers Fayre at the weekend and that had an adults only section. Farmhouse Inns have them too. Wish more places did.

I have told people with screaming kids to take them outside

I've seen this in many places, in decent restaurants and after 8pm. In Cambridge, Bristol, Birmingham, London, Nottingham.

If your child is having a tantrum especially toddler age it's hardly embarrassing, it's life!

I think your idea is ridiculous. Just go to dinner later if you're that bothered about it when there is typically less kids about.

Horrible idea. My kids are 10 and 12 and behave as well as, or better than, lots of adults I see out and about. The last thing I want is to be stuck next to screaming, running around, shouting, families. We've left our local 'gastropub' more than once because there were babies or toddlers or dogs at literally every table.

Yeah of course you have Rocky.

YANBU.

The noise from children doesn’t upset me too much, although I don’t like it when they start running around. It can be dangerous too.
What really aggravates me, is adults who talk so loudly at other tables, that I can’t hear my own conversation.
I have been tempted to actually join in theirs instead 🤣

YANBU at all. Good idea for planes too.

In some restaurants in SA they have play areas for the kids to go into along with cameras and monitors so you can keep an eye on them, it’s brilliant!

The problem with a section for children is that those with well behaved children have to sit with the badly behaved children.

And in most places it's the drunk adults who make the most noise, anyway.

The only thing wrong is that people won't make their kids wear headphones. They want a screen - they get headphones. No headphones = no screens. If that in turn = screams, you take them out. But otherwise kids are fine.

The more shit like this we demand the less tolerant we get of others living their life around us

I'd have thought that Friday lunchtime in termtime in a tiny, moderately fancy restaurant with no children's menu wouldn't have featured children, but after we sat down to celebrate a birthday last week a family with two children who looked about 2 and 5 were seated next to us.

Thankfully those children were well behaved but had they not been they would have ruined a celebratory lunch for us.

We went to a smart restaurant during school hours... when exactly would you suggest we went to avoid children? That restaurant shuts at 9pm so going excessively late wouldn't have been an option either.

I don’t think it’s practical tbh. I am also not sure where all these restaurants are that are filled with feral children. Groups of loud drunk adults are more common IME. I took my 9 year old out for dinner recently and he was significantly better behaved than the drunk, sweary woman sat on the next table, but it’s not like it ruined our night. Why would it? Get a takeaway if you don’t want to be around other people.

Exactly this

A nice local pub near me was ruined by self entitled yummy mummies hoards of them with buggies and out of control brats....running riot....chucking food...no parental control...its now been turned into a sports pub so thankfully the buggy brigade have gone...!!
i go to a restuarant in essex that has a no child policy...all times...must be over 18....its bliss !!

I can't remember ever having a meal out ruined by poorly behaved children (I might have a high tolerance for it, after years of teaching), but I have had several meals disturbed by excessively loud adults. If I saw an explicitly adults only section in a restaurant, I would assume it would be filled with obnoxiously drunk people and would therefore elect to be seated in the general area. I guess different people just find different noises grating.

I like well behaved dogs but there are too many dangerous dogs in pubs and restaurants now. Someone I work with got bitten by a random dog recently in a pub and there were dogs snarling and lurching at each other when we went for Sunday lunch recently.
At least drunk adults and feral children are unlikely to bite you.

Agree.

I encounter more loud talkers than I do anyone else in restaurants or worse loud complainers and I often slip my earphones in when I’m eating alone or ignore them when out with DH, and when they leave, we share a look of “thank god”.

To avoid encountering children why not just eat at a time and place where they are unlikely to be.

Those places and times are getting scarcer and scarcer these days.

Having a ban on under 8's after 8pm seems to be the answer