Reheating baby food while out - RANT!

[chicaguapa]

I had forgotten what a palava this was. Does anyone actually know how long it takes to reheat a jar of food standing in hot water?

I am really uneasy about giving my baby food with meat in, or even just vegetables for that matter, at room temperature from a bacteria point of view.

I'm sick and tired of uncooperative staff who don't give a monkeys about whether your baby eats food that's safe for him. I know it's a food hygiene issue in restaurants/ cafes etc as to why they won't heat up baby food for you. But does the baby not have any rights about the risk of feeding food that's not been reheated properly? Not to mention the risk of having a 4 year old at the table with a jug of boiling water sitting there for half an hour!

Are mums just not supposed to go out around meal times? It's like living in the dark ages!

Surely there's something we mums can do about it!?

[spod]

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[handlemecarefully]

Everybody seems to be missing the point. The reality is that parents can sue publicans and restauranteurs in this sort of scenario, it's the law that is at fault not the pubs and restaurants who, quite sensibly in the circumstances, refuse to heat food. Why should they put themselves at risk of litigation...

[spod]

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[nannyjo]

surely if your not responsible to test your own childs food in the pub then how do these parents cope at home on their own. they must have enough common sense to do it at home so why not have that responsiblity to do it at a pub.

Definitely is a nanny state.

[lucy5]

Ditto Aero!

[Aero]

Sorry Redsky, but I'm not a fussy mum - my ds2 was a fussy boy - if he would have eaten cold jars then I wouldn't have had a issue. I'm well aware that industrial microwaves are very powerful, but I'm also sensible enough to let my son's food cool or to leave some cold in the bottom of the jar to mix in if too hot so I can cool it more quickly. I also realise your position and that there are some parents who perhaps are not so careful, but I do think health and safety has gone mad in not allowing the parents to take responsibility for their own children. Would you expect me to sue if my food was brought out piping hot and I burnt my mouth on it?
I fully expect my own food to be hot and enjoyable for me. I expect nothing less for my children than the good level of service I would want for myself iyswim.

[handlemecarefully]

You might be very reasonable Lucy5 and quite sensible about testing the food, but another mum might feed their baby too hot warmed food and then sue the establishment when the child gets a scalded blistered mouth. It happens.

If I was a publican or restauranteur I wouldn't take the risk....

[lucy5]

Is this a nanny state, cant I decide if food is too hot and take full responsibility for my actions? Can't pubs with food have jars as a standby? Can't they all be uniform? no means no and nobody does it so you know to bring a jar or something cold.

Here in Spain, nobody thinks twice, will even puree for you. Sorry I think it's the heat. Fussy or not we are still customers!

[handlemecarefully]

I've got some sympathy with restaurants refusing to reheat - given health and safety considerations and our propensity to sue these days.

[lucy5]

I walked out of a pub after having ordered a meal for four including starters because they wouldnt heat dds food and didnt have an alternative like a jar. The thing that annoyed me was they had been doing it every monday for 3 months. You would have been proud of my flounce, manager chasing after me shouting that I needed to pay, me shouting back that the food hadnt arrived, so they would have to cancel it or reheat for the next customer, whoops you cant. Tough! Sorry I dont get angry very often but I hate jumped up little hitlers. This happened about 2 years ago and as you can see it still makes me angry. It was in a wacky warehouse too.

[handlemecarefully]

If that's you being offensive redsky you're going to have to try harder - lol

[redsky]

I run a pub and I am always uneasy when mums ask me to just pop their jar of baby food in the microwave. Our microwaves are way way more powerful than domestic ones and the food can be red hot in under 10 secs - and I am VERY worried about the consequences. So if I am asked I try to do it myself (which is a right pain to the chef) and then warn the mother to test it carefully before giving it to baby. I prefer to offer a jug of hot water. Personally my kids always ate a bit of whatever I had or jars of cold food. Fussy mums are not my favourite customers!


Ok ok - I know I'm being offensive - that's the kind of mood I am in tonight.

[spod]

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[nannyjo]

it was the 'two for one pub' by the way

[nannyjo]

i meet a group of friends weekly for our 'day off' in the pub. we go there cos they are fantastic about warming food in the microwave (which less and less will do these days) last week there was a notice to say they can't heat for hygeine reasons. GREAT i thought, but it also said that they are happy to heat baby food in a jar but not home made, therefore they are happy to provide a complimentary jar to all with babies!! Thats good i think!

[Aero]

I found this a total pita as ds2 would only eat jarred food if it was warmed - the only way it seemed even vaguely palateable imo!! Basically it became the first question we'd ask before we sat down anywhere and if they refused to heat ds2's food, then we refused to eat there. I was sooooooooo glad when he was big enough to eat finger food!
I did sometimes take just a 'pudding' type jar with banana which is quite filling just in case though. He would eat those cold with gentle persuasion.

[spod]

Message deleted

[handlemecarefully]

Chicaguapa

Are you a bit peed off with us for not empathising?

[bundle]

bonnie

a friend who had a child before me said if she could only give one piece of advice to a new mother it was never to reheat milk

[SoupDragon]

Or buy cartons of ready mixed.

[aloha]

I fyou are breastfeeding just feed, if you are bottle feeding you can buy great little plastic containers which dispense the right amount of powder into a bottle of previously boiled water. You shake and feed. Easy!
As for food, I could always find something, even it was just a banana and some yoghurt and a bit of bread roll.

[handlemecarefully]

bundle - that's exactly what I always did.

[bonniej]

good idean, bundle, that sounds easier!gosh I'm thick sometimes

[Ameriscot2005]

I don't think I ever worried about baby food when out. I just stuck the baby on the boob, or let the eat food from my own plate - there was usually something appropriate.

[starshaker]

start by giving them milk at room temp then the wont want it warm. dd will take it anyway it comes cos its food lol. if im goin out i make a bottle before i go and by the time she gets it its just the right temp