coffee house etiquette & a stupid question

[keely027]

quick question, I love going into local coffee houses (costa, nero etc) when I am alone. I would love to do this when I have baby, but wondering how it works when you have a newborn and very expensive pram in tow?

Normally you queue get your coffee and sit down, is it ok to do this with pram? or do you get seat/table, park pram/baby next to your table and then queue up? Looking at others they seem to come in pairs so someone is with the baby while someone queues up, but that's not always possible with me. I haven't seen anyone queuing up with pram?

Also is it ok to take out baby in all in one babygrows, with blankets etc, ensuring they are tucked up warm in their prams or do they need little outfits (jumpers and trousers) if they are newborns when out in public?

I parked the pram at a table in view and then queued. Far safer than trying to negotiate queues of people with hot drinks and a hot drink myself.

And sleep suits are absolutely fine for small babies. I don't think I bothered abut clothes for DD until she was 6 months old. But she was a winter baby so sleep suits were always the warmer option.

I have no outfits as such for my baby and I don't intend to buy any either, they'll be living in sleepsuits and cardigans until it gets warmer, but then I don't really care what anyone else thinks, if you're worried what people will think, then maybe get a little going out outfit but I'm sure people will buy you one or two. I'm glad you asked the question re coffee shops though, I'd never thought about the whole queuing issue.

I queue up with pushchair, pay for what i want then take pushchair to the table while they are making my drink.

As far as outfit vs babygro, its totally up to you! As long as baby is warm enough it doesn't matter what you put him/her in. It's your baby.

Sorry I then go back and collect drink but 9 times out of 10 they offer to bring it over for me when its ready.

I work in a coffee shop and people queue with prams and sit down after normally, I take everyones drink over so no one really waits but I can't imagine anywhere they wouldn't offer to take things over? (actually marks and spencers are the worst with there weird buzzer things)
When you go to coffee shops have a look out, find a quiet one somewhere, I'm planning on going to my local house of fraser coffee shop because it's massive and normally quite quiet, also libraries sometimes have nice cafe's. (I like going to coffee shops alone too despite working in one!)

I'm really looking forward to taking my baby out, I wouldn't worry about dressing up, you can get some nice colorful sleepsuits from h&m and other places so they can still look more like an outfit.

Every branch of Costa Coffee I have been to over the last few years of having babies hand chlidren has always brought my stuff over to my table if my hans have been full of baby/pram,tioddler etc. I don't know if this is company policy, but it is the reason I always look for a Costa wherever I am.

I think if you have a favourite local branch of whichever coffee shop, the staff there will be more than willing to pop your drink and yummy piece of cake (!) over to you while you sort your stuff out.

The lovely ladies who do the early shift at my local Costa thought something was up when I didn't visit at all during my 20 weeks of 'even the smell of coffee makes me want to hurl, let alone the taste' and thought they'd done something - I would add that I was a very regular customer before that! Once I could tolerate the smell and starting going in for large hot chocolates in the middle of August, they relaxed when it was just because I was pg! They were quite exciting for me, and have demanded that we visit!

Oh and LO will be dressed in sleepsuits for quite a while, as we have been donated quite a few and I don't see the point in forking out for outfits that will last one wear. They actually look quite snuggly!

Tiny babies can look a bit odd in proper outfits I find. I did sleepsuits and rompersuits (footless sleepsuits) for ages. Maybe leggings and a babygrow sometimes. I put my daughter in outfits more when she was a bit bigger. But even then I mostly go for leggings and other very soft stuff.

What everyone else said about coffee, normally staff are happy to bring it over to you, or if not I queue with pram and then pop pram where I want to sit while they make my drink. Sometimes I go to a cafe where it's a "take your seat, note table number, order at counter" deal. In which case I dump my coat or something at the table I want and then go up with pram.

most places will offer to bring your drinks etc over for you-even crazy busy places like Pret if they see you have a lot to carry. Other than that, order, park buggy, go back for the drink. If you inform them you are going to do that (I'll be back in a minute when I park the buggy..." then they will almost certainly offer to bring it over if they haven't already!

I learned to always carry a novel for walks and moments in coffee shops when DS was a baby as the sleep induced by the walk was often the only peace I got all day!