I have been away to Looe in Cornwall and have come to the conclusion that...

[ELF1981]

there have never been any toddlers in Looe before, and that my daughter has excellent comic timing.

It was a big family holiday - eight adults and my nearly two year old. One evening we went out for a nice meal, and DD was being a little bit loud. Not naughty, but loud, because she is always loud when she is around my parents and siblings.

So, there she is being loud in this quiet "families welcome" restaurant. We take up one table, and there is a couple at another table.

I become aware that my mum & dad and two sisters are suddenly very pissed off about something (while trying to stop my daughter spilling her drink, I swear I had an extra pair of arms that night) and it takes me ages to realise that this woman is GLARING at my daughter from across the room. And glaring at me, with a "bloody hell, cant she shut that child up" look on her face.

So then I get really peed off, and am muttering to my mum "either she has never had kids, she's blocked out their ventures out from her mind, or she had mute kids, and if she doesn't stop staring I'm going to knock her block off" (dead elegant me!)

DD is now on the floor, wondering why her whole family look annoyed. So she decides to break the tension by FARTING really loudly and doing that tell-tale-red-in-the-eye business, then grinning at us, holding her nose and shouting (at the top of her lungs) "Mummy, I STINK!". I was too busy crying with laughter to notice what the womans reaction was, but it must have been a good one!

Kids - gotta love them!!

We unfortunately went to a place like that in Wooton Bassett in the summer - I don't think people there have ever seen a toddler before either...

Kudos to your DD!

awww man, i love kids in a restaurant but i would have been glaring if someones sprogs fart put me off my expensive lobster thermadore - specially since i dont get out very often

LOL in fairness we were on the other side of the restaurant, she stinks but not that badly

We had another night out, jsut me, dd and Dh, and the couple sitting near to us cancelled their order and left. She wasn't even being noisy then, just very chatty and telling us all about the seagull that stole her sandwich from her hand.

Well I don't know about looe exactly Elf but the rest of us here in Cornwall are toddler friendly

We did have a lovely day out in Plymouth, except that DD wasn't allowed down the flume in the swimming pool on DH's knee like she is here, and they said we should let her go down by herself , she's not even two.

In the day time, and in little cafe's, people were most plesant, but it was just at the restuarants at night time.

Am knackered after all that hill walking in Looe though

(and I dont think it was the locals glaring at us to be honest, just other people on their hols maybe!!)

We had a lovely day near Polzeth, we went to Daymar bay which was a complete throw back to the past as we always used to holiday there as kids, and we did the walk from Polzeth beach to Daymar Bay along the cliff top.

wtf re flume!! Did they want her to drown

I guess people aren't used to kids being out and about in the evenings, should be seen and not heard you know

Yeah, DH said that about the flume, they said "cant you go to the bottom and catch her when she comes out". I did PMSL.

We have an excellent swimming pool near us, one flum kids can go down on knees or by themselves from about five I think. The other you cant go on until you're eight or older.

We've been to Looe lots of times (with kids) and have never been aware of any glares in our direction. There are 1 or 2 restaurants near the harbour I'd avoid as seeming to be more "coupley" - but that'd be the case anywhere. I figure there's no point spending too much money to eat in an environment where at best you're merely "tolerated", as opposed to welcomed.

TBH, anyone desperate to have a quiet, peaceful dinner (not that that's wrong in itself) is stupid to go to a "family-friendly" restaurant anyway. I agree that such restaurants shouldn't be a free for all with kids jumping on the tables and throwing bread rolls around but FFS, children are allowed to talk.

We once had a similar experience in a family pub in a large family group when my daughter then aged 2 was being similarly "loud" (as in, she hadn't quite mastered the "sotto voce" mode of restaurant behaviour) but NOT naughty and a middle aged couple nearby spent the whole time tutting, muttering and glaring in our direction. My DP nearly came to blows with them as their theatrical "whispers" (ironically - and hypocritically) about how we should be keeping "that child" under control were loud enough to be heard across the room.

I'd be interested to know which restaurant it was .... hopefully you were just very unlucky. Looe is most definitely a family destination and everyone knows that.

We're going there this weekend.
No kids yet though.Still under construction.
Dh used to go there all the time when he was little.
I have promised him we'll go crabbing this time.

I love seeing children chattering away happily and being themselves.

I think we were probably unlucky in our choice of restuarant as a big group. In fairness the staff were fantastic (in both restaurants we ate in) it was the other diners. One restaurant was next to the harbour, the other was further in the town and the waitress was lovely, my dd was very taken with her

We ended up eating in most evenings (well, me, DH and DD) because the rest of the family didn't want to eat until late (around seven / eight) when she is used to her tea at five and bed at seven, so we were pushing her on our big night out, too far past her bedtime to not be a bit vocal.

When do kids learn that quiet voice?