to be annoyed that national express trains won't heat baby milk?

[trixie123]

On a National Express train from york -London the other day and buffet car staff refused to heat the bottle of milk I had managed to keep fridge cool all day ready for the journey home. Produced a letter from managaement backing up their "health and safety" excuse. This might be slightly more believable if the changing table wasn't lacking a safety strap - not fun on a train hurtling along and rocking from side to side. Bloody H&S and bloody jobsworth staff who sympathised "I've got children too" but would rather my 3 month old screamed the place down or drank cold milk then give a me a pot of hot water (which I would have used there, not carried down the train). Can't help but assume it is profiteering so you buy a herbal tea or something to get the hot water.

OrmIrian, thanks for the laugh, just snorted my cup of tea on the keyboard.

I find that in general people are happy to heat up milk for me. The one place where they told me they couldn't give me a jug of hot water, they kept the bottle in the water behind the counter until the milk was warm. They would happily have given you some hot tea to carry down the train which is surely more dangerous than some warm milk, so I think YANBU.

I must say I am surprised at the amount of people saying it is perfectly normal that they refused it to you.

I BF my children until 2yo so I have never been in a situation where I had to ask but I am pretty sure I would have done the same as Op and ask for some hot water as well.

OP YANBU to have thought they might do it for you. You have been a bit U critcising the train staff though. It is probably out of their controle and they could be consequences to them if they had gone against the company policy.

I have to agree with BoysAreLikeDogs. I am convinced that if people where taking some responsability when something goes wrong, instead of suing for all they can get, these "stupid" policies would not exist in the first place but I suppose they have to protect themselves.

LOL at OrmIrian.

OP - YABU - as everyone else says, they are probably fearful of getting sued.

I don't see it as due to a litigious society. It is about minimising risk. Do you think they put soft surfaces at parks because of the risk of being sued, or because it is safer for children?
To much bloody cynicism around here!
The bottom line is why SHOULD they give you hot water?

I don't think you're being unreasonable at all. It can be terribly difficult to travel with small children in the UK; as a society we're generally very unwelcoming to parents and children unlike on the continent, for example. I sympathize too that it's not as easy as offering a baby cold milk. You could carry a flask of hot water around with you but 1) what a faff as if there's not enough already you need to cart round with a baby and 2) trying to open said flask of hot water on a rocking train while also carrying baby is no mean feat and potentially very dangerous too. Much less dangerous for the buffet car to heat it for you.

But clemette, NE allows people to walk round its train carrying scalding hot tea- potentially far more dangerous. I don't see why they can't provide hot water to warm baby food or milk while stating clearly it is the parents' responsibility to test temperature of said milk/food before offering it to a child.

Oh and the reason they should give her hot water is because she is a paying customer travelling with a baby who requires that as part of her service. it's like saying why should John Lewis provide baby changing facilities? Of course, they don't HAVE to- but it makes parents lives much easier that they do and as a result happy customers will return again to spend more with them.

Unfortunately we don't have much of a customer service culture in this country.

I think people sometimes expect far too much. I agree with clemette - why should N/E do this? Its really not necessary. Op should have taken a flask of water and taken responsibility for heating her babys milk herself.

Clemette,"The bottom line is why SHOULD they give you hot water?"

Because it would be a kind thing to do to help someone asking for it?
It is one of the reasons I could think of.

NE is NBU. I understand your frustration as a parent. However the guidelines for making up formula has significantly changed in 2007 and for them to heat up formula taht was made up heavens knows how long ago, they are well within their rights not to do so.

I agree, take hot water with you or ask for hot water where you can and mix it with powder that you may have already measured out at home and left dry in the bottle.

They could, but they don't and I don't really understand why that makes them a bad company or why it means that their staff are slated on a public forum. It is not exactly an insummountable problem - room temperature or take your own flask!! Next thing, someone will be complaining that baby changing rooms don't provide free nappies which is a real faff as there is enough to be lugging around...

Fayrazzled, if all parents of babies NEEDED this service then fair enough, but they don't because they are BF/ offer their babies room temp milk/ take their own facilities.

yabu.

either take a ready mixed carton and bottle or buy a travel bottle heater.. you can get ones that have a chemical activating heat thingy. i used to use one.

My DD always had room temp milk made night-time feeds and out and about much easier! Especially with the cartons open and serve....

I think its probably the attitude of the NE Staff that bothered you more. I travel with NE every day to work and the staff are generally rude but I suspect they aren't happy in their jobs. I think they have to stick to the guidelines even though they find them ridculous themselves!

In future I would either take a flask (Fisher price do one that fits a bottle perfectly) or keep trying when DC isn't too hungry to offer room temp milk!

Do you never forget to take something "vital" Clemette and hope that someone will be able to help when you do indeed realise you have forgotten it?

It is wrong to say bad things to someone who can genuinly not help. In the case of Op I would be ennoyed (maybe not as much admilltingly) because they do have hot water and they could have helped.

I suppose I just don't think anything is "vital" for a 3 month old beyond a source of milk (at whatever temperature!)

SO you order the largest size tea you can, take the teabag out (or not) and dunk the bottle in.

Annoyed at 'jobsworth' too. Would you do somehting against company rules, something you could get fired or seriously reprimanded for, for as little reason?

This wouldn't of been any good for my son he was on specialist flour feed that had to be cooked and needed to be heated as he had such severe reflux that he couldn't keep anything down we were lucky to drive everywhere and had a plug in heater but I think they could of heated the bottle for her if they didn't want hot water to be carried around.

The provision of hot water (in Ops case) was hardly 'vital'!!!

Touche clemette.

But Op clearly prefers the milk to be warmed up for her baby. She has asked if it could be warmed up for her. It would have been nice if they did but yes ,ultimatly not a reason to be taking it on the staff if they have been told to not give hot water away.

have been very interested in all the replies. Fair enough on the "jobsworth" comment - probably unfair but as some have pointed out, does seem to be something we encounter so often now. Also, I have used the individual cartons before just happened to have run out that day and as I had yet to be refused hot water anywhere I had asked for it, (various different restaurants) didn't anticipate it being a problem. I will know for next time. Thanks to those who saw my point of view.
Also, to the person who said I shouldn't expect a list of what they don't do, obviously not, but for something like this, where you are somewhat of a captive audience, it might be useful. On the cold soup comment, its different because they don't sell baby milk that I could have bought instead (and would have happily done so rather than give DS cold milk). anyway, a interesting mix of responses so thanks

this is why i always served milk cold

I used to work in hospitality and there is no way any of us (mainly non-parents) would have heated a baby's bottle.
A) As a non parent I would have had no idea what temp it should have been
B) You might sue me if I get it too hot and burn baby - even though I've done you a favour
C) You would pay me to make you a cup of tea, why should staff time be used to heat up baby bottles for free ?

You would have got a pot of hot water with the rest of your order where I worked and if you weren't ordering something else/weren't a resident you wouldn't have got anything

I am very irritated by National Express. Slightly off topic but you must allow me my rant.

This is what happens when a bunch of bus company executives get aspirations.

There was once a perfectly good train company called GNER. They lost the franchise because National Express paid more for it than could be commercially achieved. National Express now provide a much MUCH worse service, and still can't afford to make any money, and then have to be bailed out.

So, thanks to the bus executives, who managed to put a perfectly good company out of business, we have a much shoddier service at greater cost to the taxpayer.

The system is ludicrous.