To think parents should bring babies to restaurants?

[BePoisedPlumViper]

I get that parents want to enjoy dining out, but isn’t it inconsiderate for those of us looking for a peaceful meal?

Title meant to say SHOULDN’T

Stay home if you don't like it

Very sad person

Also I've literally never had a bad experience with kids in a restaurant and I've only been a parent 3 years

I really think people like this are very sad and should be pitied

Mid-range to upscale restaurants—places where people are generally looking for a relaxed atmosphere to enjoy a meal. I get that casual spots or chain pubs might be more family-friendly, but in certain settings, it can feel a bit disruptive.

What is it you object to op? Their very presence or their noise?

I ate a whole curry with a baby asleep on my lap under the table. People meeting us had no idea he was there.

Depends on the restaurant. I was pretty unimpressed when we had two preschoolers and on a very very rare night out paid hundreds for a tasting menu in a tiny fine dining place near us, plus babysitter and babysitter's taxi, only for the table next to us to arrive with a pram. 😭

In a more typical restaurant it's fine as long as the baby is taken out if unsettled, we had ours out at Sunday lunch etc from the get go more or less.

I find most babies are better behaved than adults.

YABU

It’s mainly the noise and potential disruption. I totally understand that babies can’t help it, but when you’re paying for a nice meal and atmosphere, it can feel a bit frustrating if it’s interrupted by crying or fussing. It’s not about their presence - just more about the experience.

Yes babies should be allowed…. But with the caveat that they are well behaved and the parents parent them. If they aren’t behaving they should be taken out. It can be hard work… speaking from experience.

I’m 90% ok with it my only stipulation on the 10% would be if paid £400 at a Michelin star for a taster menu that lasts hours it’s not really child friendly and would feel awful for the kid.

Why do you think you have more right to be there than a younger human?
Life is a journey remember.

I totally understand not wanting to hear babies and small children making a racket in any restaurant. When my kids were young, one of us would remove the noisy child until they’d calmed down so that we didn’t ruin anyone else’s experience and it’d be nice if everyone did that.

But what I don’t get is people objecting to a baby or small children in ‘fancy’ restaurants, even if they’re perfectly quiet. How does their presence affect you? Should parents only eat in a Hungry Horse if they’ve got the kids with them? I wouldn’t give you a thank you for pretentious tiny bits of food but some people like restaurants like that and like their kids to eat posh food too.

I wouldn’t have dared bring either of my kids to a nice restaurant cos they were both total pests as babies (still are) so I don’t think you’re being unreasonable, however it wouldn’t bother me if other people did I’m just grateful I’m not the one dealing with them

I agree in that I don’t want to sit in a restaurant with a very noisy baby or small child next to me. But that shouldn’t mean that babies or small children are banned from restaurants! Some people remove their child if it’s noisy - we did with all of ours. Not all children in restaurants will make a racket.

Don't go to Spain or Italy then!

Even in countries where children are welcome at restaurants you don’t tend to see them there as babies / toddlers unless it’s a very special occasion. Bringing babies and toddlers to restaurants as an everyday thing is a UK thing.

Spanish and Italian parents don’t eat at restaurants routinely with babies and toddlers unless it is a very special occasion. My friends find it weird that parents would prioritise anything other than homemade food under 5.

Babies are generally ok…now toddlers…totally different story…

This is especially true of obnoxiously drunk adults and unfortunately you get plenty of them in restaurants

And people always say, "yes but Italian children are well behaved". YES because they have practiced the skills. You need to take your child to a restaurant to learn restaurant manners.

We used to go to a lovely place with a French maître d' who would be prepped to give us the 'non' if DD wasn't well-behaved. She was far more scared of him than us

Spanish and Italian parents don’t eat at restaurants routinely with babies and toddlers unless it is a very special occasion. My friends find it weird that parents would prioritise anything other than homemade food under 5.

That isn't my experience. Of Italy at least.

God I feel like this could have been aimed at me earlier today. Trust me when baby is crying the parents aren't enjoying it and are trying to stop it but it's just a fact of life, children cry!

Depends on the restaurant. Would I rock up to fancy, candlelit, romantic restaurant with my baby when it’s obviously meant to be for adults/couples? No. Local family friendly pub or restaurant at tea time that obviously caters for children? Yes. If child-free people choose to eat at these places they know what they’re signing up for. Although tbh, it’s not the babies you have to worry about - half the time they will sleep through their parents meal - it’s the toddlers. If they can’t sit and eat and behave then they shouldn’t go - or should be taken out when they don’t listen when they’re asked to come and sit back down. And I have a toddler. It’s rough. Again, I pick and choose the restaurants we go to because of this. Our local family-friendly pub at 5pm on a Friday has so many kids running round and going to the play area, I see no issue my DC joining them. If he for one moment doesn’t listen to us and won’t stay where we can see him, or gets too hyped up, then he gets a quiet talking to and if he still doesn’t stop we leave. If we went somewhere and it was clearly a different vibe, he was the only kid and it was one of those days where he was just clearly not going to cooperate and sit quietly with his book/stickers, then we likely wouldn’t go or we’d leave the moment he started acting up.