Got asked to leave the pub yesterday

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I have a six week old DD, and I am a governor of the local school. We had a fairly informal meeting last night, to discuss some events we are planning, and so it was suggested that we meet in the local pub rather than in the school as usual.

I did intend to express and leave DD at home with DH, but he was late home, I didn't get chance to express and as DH was trying to get DS to bed, I decided to just take DD with me. Unfortunately, the moment I entered the pub I got asked to leave.

Luckily there are two pubs in our village, and the other pub was more than happy to accommodate a 6 week old who needed a feed!

This isn't an AIBU to want to feed my baby in a pub question. I'm not worried about being asked to leave the first pub, and can see the landlords point of view, after all, although I know my DD would have slept in her car seat, or fed quietly and discreetly, who wants their evening ruined by a crying child in the pub etc etc, although I was a little embarassed though, especially as my need to feed a baby meant that the whole meeting had to be moved to a new venue.

Anyway, I spent the early hours of this morning feeding, and wondering what other things you can't do with a baby in tow, and how things have changed so much since I had my first baby 3 years ago. For example, I would never have taken him to the pub because the smoking ban wasn't in place then. Now there are so many places that you can take a baby and breastfeed that it's actually difficult to know when it's not appropriate!

I should add that the other governors are very supportive. DD's first meeting was when she was two weeks old! If the meeting had been at school as usual there would have been no issue at all.

As it was though, the pub that wouldn't allow DD missed out on the sale of 12 drinks and several bags of snacks. When we left that pub, there were only three other people in there, so they could probably have used the trade. Ironically I feel guilty about this as well, as we had booked the table so they were expecting us.

Anyway, has anyone else found themselves in a situation where they have misjudged whether it was acceptable to take their baby along somewhere?

Thanks, and sorry for the ramble!

I do generally try to express so that I don't have to take the baby with me to governor events etc, but sometimes that isn't possible. I should add that the other governors are supportive. DD attended her first meeting with me at just 2 weeks old. It was the venue that was the problem, not the other governors. The school needs governors

Sorry, that last paragraph of my original post shouldn't be there!

Was it the fact it was a baby, or the fact you were breastfeeding? Were you in an over 18s part?

I am glad you were able to go to the other pub and that the other governors didn't mind moving .

Sorry, did they give you a reason why you were not able to take the baby into the pub?

I would not be feeling guilty that they didn't sell 12 drinks. They turned down the trade. I would now make it my business to interject into every conversation I can what shite customer service they have. How did they figure out that your dd was going to cry and annoy the other patrons?

I am a non-white immigrant and I have never ever been treated this way in teh UK when with any of my bf dds. I am beginning ot wonder if they do it to their own because it is ok to tell a bfing British woman to stop feeding but not ok for some stupid racist reason to not tell a forren woman. Or maybe I have a don't-even-think-of-saying-anything-to-me scowl on my face that puts them off.

FWIW, I would never darken their doorway again.

DD has had me booted out of several pubs because they don't allow kids.

Thats just the way it is, some people don't want their pint disrupted by the sound of children. I sort of understand. There are family pubs.

If it had been a case of you being asked to leave because you wanted to feed her then it would have been out of order but as it was I don't see it as a problem.

If they only have a license for children up to a certain then you have to leave after that, end of.

It was the fact she is a baby. The reason I needed to take her along was because I am breastfeeding and these meetings run on and on and on!

I can understand that some pubs prefer not to have babies, I was just embarassed as I hadn't really thought it would be an issue. The landlord didn't say anything about licensing agreements, just that he didn't allow babies, and couldn't make any exceptions.

It wasn't an over-18s area either. The pub has two rooms, and we were in one room with no other people at all. There was just our governors group in this room. Other people would have seen the baby if they had had to walk through the room to get to the loo though.

It was great in the other pub though, they made a big fuss of her and the other drinkers (of which there were many more than the original pub) all wanted to have a peek at her!

time

Up to a certain time.

Is this in England? I don't know about the licensing laws down south, but I do know that most pubs here in Scotland are not allowed to have kids in after a certain time because of their license.

I guess the landlord would rather lose the sale of 12 drinks, than risk losing his license.

Can you phone/write for clarification as to why you were asked to leave? Perhaps suggest to them that they display a sign somewhere clarifying if and when children are allowed.

Yes, it was in England. He didn't say anything about the licensing law, just that he doesn't allow babies and if he made an exception for me he'd have to for everyone. The other pub had no problems, so I think there must be different licensing laws.

I've been in other pubs with babies, on several occasions.

Like I say, I understand that some pubs allow babies, some don't, and I don't have an issue with the pub for not letting my DD stay, I was just embarassed that I had to move everyone somewhere else just because I am breastfeeding. (well, maybe not just because I am breastfeeding, but because I also wasn't organised enough to have expressed enough milk to leave her.)

I took DS now 13 months all sorts of random places without ever being asked to leave or (I presume!) upsetting anyone.

I have the feeling that we are moving closer towards the family-friendly mentality of the Europeans and that pubs like the one that turned you away are heading towards extinction. Like you said, it's hard to really blame them as I suppose they got used to no babies and children during the 'smoking years' - but I do think it makes very poor business sense.

All we can do is keep turning up everywhere with babe in arms and money in purse and wait for economic good sense to prevail!

I'm a licensing officer and legally a landlord can refuse entry to anybody they wish. Having said that, the Licensing Act 2003 allows accompanied children under the age of 16 into a premises that is mainly used for the sale of alcohol except between the hours of midnight and 5am. There are some premises that still have the old licensing laws (because they were unchange in the transition) and children under 16 aren't allowed.

In any case, the premises licence summary should be displayed and the last paragraph should contain details of when children are or aren't allowed. You can always ask to see it or just look for it in the pubs and restaurants you use. If it isn't displayed then it is an offence.

I agree with the ladies here, it was plain stupid of the landlord to ask 12 people to leave an empty pub. The whole idea of the new licensing act was to make it more European and family friendly.

I was just in Paris with my 11 week old and couldn't have been more welcomed. I'm always nervous going into a premises worried that I'm going to be asked to leave because of our baby.