to be seriously contemplating legal action????

[WaitroseHater]

Shopping in Waitrose this afternoon trying desperately to get baby to sleep in the process. Can't stay in the house currently during her big sleep as have builders in, so planned to do the big weekly shop. DD normally goes off to sleep like a dream but today decided she didn''t want anything without a fight.

I've learned to tune her out, apparently others havent. In the BABY aisle of all places, 2 OAP's blocked my trolley and said I was not allowed to leave the aisle until the baby stopped crying or I left the shop . DD in a sling btw. One of the OAP's SHOUTED that if I needed to 'shove your teat in its mouth then you better do it or I will take her myself and get someone to take you out'. Obv attracted other shoppers and security.

Manager came to see what the fuss was and after me explaining asked me to leave. I abandoned half-full trolley in serious flounce mode. I honestly they were being absolutely horrendously discriminatory against my crying newborn!!!! DH is being extremely unhelpful saying I should have left to 'take the high road' Do I actually have a legal case about this?

No.

To be fair I did like binky.
And my flatmates cat used to shit in my bed.

I will promise to reconsider cats if everyone stops all the hasty cultlery returning.

"And my flatmates cat used to shit in my bed."

you see, they could sense the dislike.

my housemates cat used to come into my room to curl up over my lady region to sleep.

cue jokes ala Mrs Slocum<

I'm really hoping it was Worthing Waitrose, it could so have happened there.

and what was that? women and children first???

Why would you continue with a screaming baby? Babies don't cry with9out any reason, certainly not when they're in a sling....I do find it upsetting to hear a baby cry.

I dont think you really havea case legally. Could it be that the ladies were concerned about the crying baby rather than irritated? I react badly to small babies hunger cries in terms of it makes me feel very stressed. Perhaps they thought you were neglecting the baby in some way. People do jump to unfortunate conclusions sometimes.

I went for a coffee the other month with a work collegue. Her 3 month old was bawling clearly wanting to go on the tit-meanwhile my friend is chatting away about the photocopier oblivious-my knuckles were white against the table

why be concerned about a crying baby? Babies cry...

there are plenty of people biased against sling-carrying as well - that generation that thinks tinies need 'air' and 'space' rather than warmth and cuddling....things there's plenty of statistical evidence to contradict.

i reckon that was their beef really.

I must confess that if I hear a baby really screaming the place down for ages part of me, okay the old fart judgy pants part, thinks why can't mother feed/change/cuddle whatever. And if it happens say in the middle of a wedding ceremony I'm willing the mother to take baby out for a little while. But then I remember how mine own screamed the place down when I was out once and a kind shop did allow me to sit down in a corner and bf only I had hardly any milk (was exhausted). And in a supermarket??? Hardly an enclosed space. And what an intimidatory thing to do - and the manager asking YOU to go is ridiculous. I think a letter of complaint to Waitrose is definitely in order, though I think going further is not worth it - remember it is not you who has demonstrated how aggressive you can be (think karma!).

Old people in Waitrose are mean, it's a known fact. As are many in Marks and Spencers and Sainsburys.
Stick with Lidl and Farmfoods for a friendlier class of OAP.

What could the OP have done to settle the baby other than what she was already doing - carrying her close in a sling?

OP you have my sympathy - we have just been for a walk and DD was in her sling. i thought she would go to sleep but no she screamed most of the way round (until I managed to contort a nipple into her mouth).

DF there is no Waitrose in JL Cardiff (well not one that I've found anyway) I only ever go To Waitrose to buy things on the blue bargain stickers...got an organic chicken for 10p the other day (I kid you not it was a billy bargain)

You have my sympathies OP - we went to our local Waitrose once, and vowed never to return when the staff all gave us dirty looks when we trawled in with 3 dc's. Apparently, our local is mostly used by very posh over 50's - anything younger and not smartly turned out is greeted with suspicion!
(Or maybe we broke Waitrose etiquette by turning up in a scruffy zafira, and not a 4x4 with a personalised number plate.)

FWIW, ds1 screamed his head off until he was 5 months old, wherever we went - unless I was feeding him. And hoiking one out and feeding him in the sling whilst shopping wasn't an option, as I would have had to attach the poor baby in his sling to my knees so he would have a fighting chance of reaching a nipple.

wearthefoxhat, I had that problem, nipple was pointing straight upwards but it did keep her quiet

I would have told them to fuck off to the 3 of them and
carry on doing my shopping.

Don't bother with the legal action but complain complain and complain.

How terribly rude. Can't believe it was the OP who was asked to leave.

If I was asked to leave every time my DS cried in the supermarket I'd never get my shopping done. Babies and children do misbehave and cry - it's what they do best. A bit more tolerance is what's needed.

OP was already doing the best she could by wearing her baby. Sometimes when older people want to get past when I'm out with the pram, you can see them thinking I should step aside and let them pass, and usually I do, but I secretly think to myself 'have they never had babies then'?

Do complain to Waitrose - this is unacceptable.

I've only read first and last page but I can't believe people are suggesting OP never leave the house in case baby cries? Babies do cry. This is MN. Surely as mums we know that sometimes babies just cry and the world can't stop. She wasn't neglecting her baby- the baby had been properly cared for and was simply making a fuss and probably over tired by the sounds of things.

OAPs or not, those two would have got a piece of my mind and I would have complained to the manager about them. Babies crying is a fact of life- if they hate it so much perhaps they should be the ones at home making their online orders?

I would suggest you write to the manager and to head office about this- you may even get vouchers as an apology.

Surely no one can think that what happened to the poor OP is right?

Admittedly if my child makes a fuss I leave shops but that's because I get embarressed and can't stand tuts, etc. But really, I shouldn't. After reading this thread, I won't leave from now on, I'll ride it out and anyone who tries to block me or throw me out of a shop will seriously wish they hadn't.

How can people say the OAPs may have been concerned for the baby? It's none of their goddamn business how OP parents her children.

I would also like to point out that this is a British attitude to children and I hate it.

When we took DS to Cyprus, even when he kicked off in shops, at 14 mo, the Cypriots thought he was adorable and wanted to cuddle him and play with him all the time. It took us ages to get anything done because they were constantly talking to and playing with him. If he cried at dinner, they would take time out to try and make him smile.

The attitude of this country is that children should be seen and not heard and it makes me sick. It's high time things moved on.

No idea if this is serious or not, but I was on a bus once with a woman trying to settle a newborn baby who was absolutely sreaming it's head off. The driver asked her (well, rudely told her) that if the baby didn't stop crying she would have to get off. I - and everyone else on the bus - was outraged. It wasn't just his request - it was his delivery. If he had oulled over, asked to speak to the woman and said politely 'look love, your baby's screaming is really distracting me and I think it's probably quite dangerous for me to drive in these conditoons' then fine. But he bawled at her in front of everyone and made it seem like it was al;l her fault that her baby was crying.

Babies cry. That's what they do. FFS.

I don't know about legal action but I did write to complain.

Agree re: other cultures. In Portugal the waitresses would come and take DD and try to settle her (without evena sking me! ) - seemed to happen everywhere. have had same thing in the Caribbeana nd S.E Asia.

p.s. Waitrose is ruled by mardy old battleaxes.

Write to JLP Waitrose Head Office so that they are aware at least that their store manager at that particular branch is acting in that way.
The store manager does need to consider all those at the store, shoppers and staff, so not sure what would have been the correct response, though expect most managers would have suggested going to the manager's office or staff cafe to calm down your baby.

In my experience, JLP staff love having babies and toddlers in the store. The little one I care for is now 2 and gets treated really nicely by staff... he got give 3 of those green tokens yesterday, so he could post one in each of the slots. He carried his banana's himself to the checkout. I've stopped using the barcode reader as he likes to hand over his shopping to the cashier, as long as he gets it's back immediately!

If the OAPs wanted the OP to leave the shop, why were they blocking her way? Couldn't she reverse her trolley? Was this a gang of elderly ladies, blocking both ends of the aisle?

Whole story is absolute bollocks.

And actually, if my baby were screaming its head off, I would have left the supermarket. I am a mother but that doesn't mean I have lost all compassion and sensitivity to other people's comfort. Screaming babies make a horrible horrible sound and it's hugely selfish to inflict it on other people unless you absolutely have to. Take the mummy googles off for god's sake!

I don't really agree, I heard a baby crying in the supermarket the other day and all I thought was there's probably some poor mum feeling stressed. But then I have an 18wo so I suppose I;d naturally e a bit more sensitive.
I quite often have to go round the supermarket with a screaming dd (if she's in a screamy mood, she is, I can stop for a feed and she'll just start again when we get going). Yes, I cut it short a bit but everyone I seem to encounter is sympathetic rather than miserable (the miserable ones are at the other end of the store no doubt )

Where is the op?

Can we have an answer to that?

I don't agree either. It pisses me off more when parents have walking children that play up and get in everyones way and are constantly being shouted at by their parents than a screaming baby.

Sorry to anyone who is like this

LadyBiscuit- how intollerant

People do have busy lives to get on with and no one 'inflicts' a screaming baby on others purposely. It is sometimes unavoidable.