Put your frikking babies to bed!

[Plsdiscuss]

I went for a very exclusive dinner Saturday night. I'd been looking forward to it for ages. £150 per head place, which is a huge splurge for us.

A family of 4 were seated next to us at their 7.45pm arrival. The (about) 3 yr old was 50% pacified. The (about) 9 month old in the high chair squawked for about 30 mins then fell asleep, looking very uncomfortable slumped over the side of the highchair.

If their noise wasn't bad enough, I could hear another child crying in another part of the restaurant for about an hour. That child's noise got louder as they were pushed in their pram crossing the restaurant to leave around 9pm. I commented and gestured to my partner. I wasn't as subtle as I thought in this, as the mum looked cross, waved her arm at me and mouthed fuck off.

When my now adult children were that small, they were in bed by 7.30, unless there was an event like a wedding. We got babysitters for evening meals out...very rare as very hard to get babysitters. I would never have dreamt of taking my under 5s to quiet intimate adult spots, then letting them cry for the majority. For 1, I wouldn't have enjoyed my food and 2, neither would those around me.

There's a reason deliveroo exists. Use it. And stop being so frikking selfish. Babies need sleep, not fine dining.

I don’t get that carry on, but I can live with it if they are at least quiet about it.

In my book though meals out are for eating and enjoying the company, not for social media (and anyway I would have scoffed half of it before my DW had found her phone!)

Restaurants shouldn't have to declare themselves as 'child free'. It should be obvious by the style and tone if it's somewhere to take your kids.

And I've had 4 kids, all breast fed, all in bed by 7pm until the age of 7.

And yes, I go abroad every year and when they were little we did as the locals did. But even then I wouldn't have taken them to a posh £150 a head restaurant.

It's about respecting each other.

Was she rude? What did she do that was rude?

You are right, at those ages they should be in bed by 7 with a routine. The reason why they were crying is because they were overtired. The selfishness of people thinking they can do whatever the hell they like these days. Same with taking pets out everywhere, it’s ridiculous.

Jesus. That's horrific. The plane should have been turned back and those passengers turfed off.

Yeah exactly what I just said did I not? SNOB. Should of checked if it was allowed children shouldn't she. Kids cry for many different reasons. If she didn't like it tough next time she will learn to read up on if it's allowed children or not 🤣

We don’t all eat our tea at 6.00pm.

It would never occur to me to book before 8.30 for an evening out.

I often hear kids riding on their micro scooters at 11pm on a school evening. They are 4-6 years old.

Or throw the kid in the hold….

I agree op. Its not fair on babies/young children. And its not fair on everyone else who was looking forward to an evening of adult company.

Your 'attempt' at schooling me on the meaning of rhetorical is so funny, thanks for the chuckles babes.

I’m with you OP - the only restaurant ours came to when they were this young was McDonalds! Bedtimes were sacred and meals out were rare as we never had sitters but I wouldn’t have done it any differently. They’re not little for long - we expected to miss out a few years of a social life and it was absolutely fine.

You did just say but it makes no sense. Google the meaning of "snob", and if we're going to be snobbish, it's "should have", not "should of".

Why should someone's meal out be spoiled by someone else's unruly kids? 😂

Tempting, but probably illegal 😂

You can usually tell.

No highchairs
No kids menu
etc

Might not have ''adults only'' plastered on the door but parents are less likely to take their children there.

Yes. @Plsdiscuss My very very small children don't eat off of a children's menu, and they have been to many fine dining restaurants including stared establishments. When we travel without our childcare, they will come with us when we eat out for dinner, and that often includes a later dinner than normal as we are traveling! Of course, if they are screaming or crying we would take them outside until calm but children have equal rights to you OP and what you define as a nice fine dining restaurant might just be a normal dinner for others. Focus on yourself, and don't harass/or making wild gestures at parents and their children.

also, @Plsdiscuss stop comparing children to dogs. So bloody rude.

SNOB SNOB. Clearly thinks that kids shouldn't be in the fucking restaurant with their parents at that time BOREEEEE. I ain't here for an English lesson either ✌️

But just because you're eating in a McDs or Weatherspoon's you are paying for your meal and you are entitled to enjoy it!

This. All these entitled folk who think it's ok for their kids to interrupt the meal of someone paying £8 or £15 but not ok when it's £150. Or hoity-toity folk who think it's ok for the riffraff in Pizza Express and its ilk to put up with unruly children but they shouldn't have to.

Either children can behave in the relevant setting (however expensive it is) or they can't, in which case don't take them out to eat and inflict them on other people.

A treat for you might be an £150 meal, a treat for someone else might be a £15 meal. In both cases, you're eating out in public and have to share the space with the (hopefully, but not always, well-behaved) general public.

You lost me at 'very exclusive dinner'. Just say a Michelin restaurant or whatever it was.

I would not take a child there but if a baby cries you can't just stop them.

Did you actually come back under a second account after the first comments were deleted?

I agree with you OP....
If it was a run of the mill pubs like a Wetherspoons, Harvester etc I would expect children to be around, making noise etc it's only natural.
But a fine dining restaurant at £150 a head, i'd be annoyed too.
For a child to be slumped over in a highchair & asleep like that doesn't sound right at all whilst the parents ate...
I would never have done this, I would have arranged babysitters...

Nope you may work it out eventually. But seeing as you percieve yourself to be way more intelligent than you actually are, possibly not.

I don't think there are.

@Blah12345678999 I worked at one. Children under 12 not allowed in the evening. And for lunch they were not really welcome. No kids menu, so charged full price. It was a very small dining area with 1 sitting. Sundays were family dining. No dogs either.