Would you clear up your own child's vomit??

[GloriaMumble]

www.richmondandtwickenhamtimes.co.uk/mostpopular.var.1268453.mostviewed.mum_told_to_clean_up_her_chi lds_vomit.php

hmm if it's a cafe specifically geared to be child friendly, then it's the part of the staff's job to be child friendly... without knowing the full story, difficult to know if the staff had a generally helpful and sympathetic attitude or not. Did they just throw the paper towels at the mother with a look if disgust or did they hover round helpfully?

To me, the phrase "child friendly" doesn't mean that they are obliged to clear up vomit.

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree on that one.

While it would be helpful of the staff to help the mother, I don't think that it should be obligatory.

She was just plain rude, and her attitude of 'Its what the cleaners are paid for' sucks.

Cleaning up your kids voit is gross, but just about bearable. Clearing up some one elses vomit is disgusting.

Of course the mother should do it.

Saying that, ds had a friend over once when they were about 2.5 - his friend vomited all over ds's bedroom carpet. It stank to high heaven. The Mother stayed downsatirs drinking her coffee while I cleaned it up!

Northerner !

I think I would've have shouted down to ask her for a hand getting to grips with little archibald's pukeathon.

tigermoth - why did you complain? were you indignant that you were asked to clean up your child's piss, or indignant that the staff member said it was 'disgusting' - or both?

We were in a child friendly restaurant and DD2 spectacularly projectile vomited all over the table. I was very embarassed and offered to help clean it up. I felt very sorry for the staff and all the other customers because it must have put them off their lunch . The staff were very helpful and we left a large tip - I really felt they did more than they were obliged too.

donnie, it was the work 'disgusting' that did it for me, mainly - the aggression of the request.
Also, it was all a bit futile as it was raining very hard outside.

And as we were at a place specifically for children - a not too clean place either - I felt the order for me to clean up a bit of wee was an over reaction.

or even to

I'll admit that it is a bit odd that they asked you to clear up wee that your DS did outside. I could understand if he'd whipped his kecks down in the soft play area.

but but but

When you sit down to eat in a restaurant do you expect them to have a health and safety policy that excludes the cleaning up of vomit? Or do you expect them to be legally liable and fully accountable for the hygiene of their place? Are you happy to sit at a table which may have been wiped down very begrudgingly by a parent of indiscriminate hygiene standards? Or do you expect the establishment to have put in place some sort of standard of cleanliness that they are responsible for?

If you caught some nasty gastro bug from eating somewhere that had been inadequately cleaned following a pukey baby incident, would you accept the excuse from the restaurant owner, "ah, but you see, we aren't responsible for cleaning up vomit. You can't blame us, you must take it up with the random parent who we asked to clean the table for us."

The question is not "would you have cleaned it up?" because I suspect most of us would have done so without a doubt. That is about manners. (But actually I would expect the restaurant to then clean it again to whatever standards were expected of them by health and safety guidelines. I would also expect them to have predetermined exactly whose job responsibility it was to clean up. Because I'm not sure I want to visit a commercially run establishment that doesn't believe they are responsible for cleaning up vomit)

The question should be "Is it acceptable (or safe, or legal) for an establishment to eschew responsibility for the hygiene standards of its premises?"

Be gentle with me.

I would of course clean up after my own child if they had been sick. I would have offered to do it myself in the first place. Definitely wouldn't have complained abotut having to do it!

verylittlecarrot - I would assume that the cafe would then clean the tables etc with whatever H&S endorsed cleaning products they need to use once the parent had cleared the actual vomit up. In the same way they wipe & spray the tables when you leave, even if you have wiped it clean yourself with a babywipe (or whatever).

okeydoke, so just for argument's sake, if this lady had refused to clean up (although apparently she did clean it), and had walked out leaving vom everywhere...

was the establishment correct in having no strategy / designated person responsible for cleaning it?

She sounds like a spoilt brat and should defo clean up her childs vomit.

Tigermoth - I know you won't like this but your child pissing anywhere other than a toilet is disgusting. As his mother you are responsible for him not some minimum wage staff member.

As someone who worked in hotels for years it never ceases to amaze me the attitude of some people. Unfortuntatly a minority of adults seem to think that piss/shit/condoms and vomit clean themselves up and at the very posh hotel I worked in added £50 to their bill upon check out. Perhaps the "mother" would have preferred this.

waffletrees - clearly you havent done a lot of adventurous travel with toddlers if you think they should always pee in a loo!

I agree with Tigermoth actually - it does depend how the cafe handles it. If it's a child-friendly cafe, but teh friendliness does not exend to cleaning up after your child, how about making that clear, and providing cleaning materials for the customers?

doh! meant to click preview.
I mean, display the rules, have the cleaning materials there for adults (obviously!) to help themselves in case of need.

I have two kids both potty trained - just don't see why someone else should clean it up. And no my kids did not pee on the floor like dogs. Sorry but bodily fluids of people you are not closely related to tend to be disgusting.

Reading between the lines, I would imagine that her attitude informed theirs. Would probably have been a lot more helpful to a more apologetic/prepared to muck in normal person.

why should the staff clean up her childs vomit???arogant cow!

When I was working in retail, we had a family come in and the child was sick all over the floor and they all just left!

We were all tossing coins over who was going to clear it up with all eyes pointing towards those that were parents etc, but strangely they were the ones point blank refusing. Unfortunately for me I lost the toss and had to clear it up (pre children)- IT WAS FOWL!!!! I was heaving all over the place and had to sit outside afterwards for fresh air! (I have always been prone to dramatisation .

To this day I shudder when I think of it, and I don't clear up my own childrens if DH is at home - I am the one who always, rather helpfully I feel, runs the bath for the sick ridden child!

So - yes I would clear up my own childs if we were out (and DH wasn't with us)as it is the right thing to do.

long may your illusions last, then waffletrees

When I was in the second year of junior school, so about 8 or 9 years old, one the the pupils was sick on the floor. The teacher made another child clear up the mess .

Oh - I forgot to say, as the mother of two boys I have often found a quiet outside space, alley etc for my ds's to wee in if desperate and no toilet nearby. Better that than a puddle on the floor of M&S!

Also you never know my ds(4) had a urine infection recently and just on the way from the docs to the pharmacy he needed several tiny wees and just dropped his trousers and did it in to the gutter! I was very embarrassed but explained to the passers by he was ill.

mablemurple at another child having to clear it up!