Child only area in restaurant- discriminatory?

[Buyalot]

I’ve returned from a carvery lunch with DH and DD (14 months).

On arrival, despite there being a lot of seats spare in every area, we were told we had to be seated in the dedicated children’s area - an
absolute racket with soft play etc.

AIBU to find this ridiculous?

I think it’s reasonable for the carvery to have those rules if it wants them but I wouldn’t have taken my children there as I’ve always expected them to sit and eat / chat / quietly colour with us and wouldn’t tolerate my child getting up and down or playing in soft play when it’s a meal time.

I wouldn’t want to be around other children being overly noisy / running to and from soft play so I wouldn’t want to go there.

Ah, a mother who literally thinks her child’s shit doesn’t stink. Newsflash: you’re nose blind and yes it does, hope that helps 👍

I'm nose blind? Really? In general breastfed babies poo doesnt smell bad. It's when they eat other stuff it starts to skink. Pretty common amongst small purely BF babies not just mine

Now take the same baby at 18 months old and eating a varied diet then yes could be pretty rank. And id leave a good while before going in the bathroom after him these days. So I'm hardly that nose blind .You sound like to are being condescending to a first time mum of a small baby there lol

@RubySquid

no. Shit is shit, it all stinks. Let’s not pretend. And most adults are capable of not farting during a public dinner

Really? You've never been in a n Indian restaurant after the pubs kick out then. Let's just say beer fuelled blokes can be rather fragrant

Sounds like my kind of place.

@RubySquid

can honestly say I haven’t.

Same here.

We took our DD in to restaurants from when she was very small and she always behaved because we engaged with her and kept her entertained. She grew up knowing that eating out was a pleasurable and sociable thing to do. There were no tablets then and definitely no getting up and running around. Hard no.

I remember once, just before Christmas, PILs had arrived to spend the holiday with us and we all went out for lunch to a country pub nearby that we heard had a good reputation for food. DD was about 9 at this time and had been used to eating out with us for years.

The main area was beautifully decorated for Christmas so we chose a table and prepared to order. Then we were told we had to go in the family room. Very disappointed to find the family room was pretty bleak with no decorations or atmosphere, nothing to make it festive at all.

I understand why places have these rules because of the way some parents let their children behave, but it is a bit galling when you know your child can handle restaurants better than a lot of the adults.

Just as likely to have a sweaty adult at next table.

True.

True.

I'd rather be slightly condescending to point out a truth than listen to misguided "my baby's shit doesn't stink, therefore I don't care if I ruin everyone's dinner when he fills his pants" posts, frankly, yes.

So your child can disturb other diners in the quiet area, but you don't want other children disturbing you?

I might eat out more often if more places did this!

Brilliant idea.

I think it's easier for staff to corral people into certain areas, to make the ordering/paying process easier.

Perhaps their license only allows children in the family area of the premises?!

Why would you think that you could smell a baby so badly that it would ruin your dinner from a different table before the mother right next to it could smell it?

Because the mother is used to the smell of her own baby's shit and doesn't notice it so much, whereas I am not and therefore do, possibly?

Strangely I've never smelled other babies shit from a different table in a restaurant and I'm sure one of them must've had a dirty nappy in the 40 odd years I've been going to restuarants.

Maybe your sense of smell isn't all that acute. Who knows? Since I do smell the shit in nappies on babies a table or even two over from mine, we might just have to agree that not only do our personal experiences differ, other people's may not be the same as mine or the same as yours.

Maybe Are you also unable to eat your dinner if someone was to fart??

I can smell BO at 20 paces so obviously sense of smell not that bad

I was trying to point out, gently, that you are not the only person in the world, but most of us are not banging on about our experience being the only possible experience worth taking into consideration.

Incidentally, the OP's baby is fourteen months old, so it probably isn't exclusively breast-fed and if it is weaned or in the process of being weaned its shit is not just milk-shit.

@RubySquid

i would be proper disgusted and lose my appetite if I could smell either a shitty nappy OR a fart. Wouldn’t you?

Farting should be banned in restaurants as should babies. And dogs. Let people eat in peace.

it is not discriminatory
If there is a play area then kids will want to play in it. It makes sense that their parents are near by so the kids are not running about the whole establishment. If it is a carvery, then there will be fellow patrons walking about with plates of hot food and not a handful of waiting staff.