Do you bring your babies to the restaurant?

njmp · July 2012

Hello all. I was just writing a tripadvisor review for a restaurant I ate at while on vacation, and it brought back the extremely unpleasant memory of the screaming baby in said restaurant. This restaurant was a pricey one, avg.$25 dollar a meal at least, an oyster house. The baby screamed and screamed and screamed. Admittedly, I do not have children. But when I do, I will not bring my baby to a high class restaurant. In my opinion, if you want to bring your baby out to eat with you, you should go to a child friendly restaurant: that's to say, they have a KIDS menu.

So just curious the get the opinions of parents out there. Not the first time my experience has been almost ruined by a screaming infant. Not only were they sreaming, the parents just let it sit in it's carrier and scream. And scream...you get the drift.

taylor5877 · July 2012

We only take our 18 month old out if it's during a time he would normally be eating.

LuckyLeprechaun · July 2012

No. (They're grown now, but at the time, No.)

This is very inconsiderate behavior by the parents. When this happens to me, I ask to speak to the manager. Then I politely let the manager know how disappointed (that is key, you don't want to be "angry", gotta be "disappointed") I am to have my special meal ruined.

Most of the time, this results in either a discount from my bill, the manager talking to the parents and hushing the kid, or both.

impyimpyaj · July 2012

I would take a little baby, but if the baby were screaming I'd leave. Nobody's having a good time if the baby's upset, so I don't see the point in hanging out there letting the baby scream. I would not take a child who was old enough to eat solid foods, since as you said, there's no kids' menu.

For me, when my kids were newborns, they were kind of like... an appendage. They went everywhere with me. We didn't leave them with babysitters. I wore them in a wrap and just went to normal places. But I made a point not to go out when it was naptime, or if the baby wasn't feeling well, and if the baby did get upset and was inconsolable, I'd go to a quiet place to try to get them calmed down. And if I couldn't calm them down, we'd just go home. That's parenting. It's not even about the rest of the patrons, because frankly I couldn't care less. It's about the fact that clearly your child is unhappy, and you should try to solve the problem, since young babies don't cry unless there's a reason. And sometimes, that reason is simply that they dont' want to be in a busy restaurant because they're feeling stressed and need some quiet time. And your job as a parent is to keep your infant feeling safe and secure, not stressed out just because you're too bratty to give up your dinner.

Stefanie99 · July 2012

I don't like fancy restaurants and so only ever took my son to family-friendly restaurants; however, if I knew there was a chance my child might act that way, I definitely would not take him to a not-family-friendly restaurant, just out of respect for other patrons....same as a movie theater (except for kids movies, obviously), or any other place where you wouldn't expect to be interrupted by screaming children.

But my son never did that. I guess I was blessed, but he never screamed in restaurants or threw tantrums in the store. THANKFULLY.

(Added: I also never took him during naptime, or late at night, or when he was sick, etc, otherwise yes, he might have been a screaming infant if I had done that, lol.)

teeley · July 2012

^^ don't really care how your experience is, but if my baby is screaming I will tend to her and make sure she is ok

LonLB · July 2012

The way you describe your experience sounds pretty awful.

However (and I'm not saying this is the case with you) I hate it when a kid is being a kid, and someone is rolling their eyes or sighing or whatever. My children are BEYOND polite and behaved in public. And I'm not sure I remember anyone doing this to us. But I have witnessed a kid be a kid, not overly obnoxious or anything close to that, and someone having a flipping fit about it.

Stefanie99 · July 2012

I care how other people's experiences are. To a point. I would hope that someone sitting near me in a restaurant would mind their P's and Q's so as not to disrupt other patrons, and I do the same. It's common courtesy in my opinion.

impyimpyaj · July 2012

My point is though that I'm going to calm my child down in a quiet, private area, not because of the other patrons, but out of concern for my own child. Child trumps other adults. But the result is the same -- no screaming baby in the restaurant.

supahstar71 · July 2012

No. Most restaurants don't allow dogs. :ohwell:

LonLB · July 2012

Yep.

teeley · July 2012

double yep yep!!

Stefanie99 · July 2012

Yes of course, child trumps anyone else.

As a customer, I must say, I do really appreciate the parents who make an effort to calm their children down, whereas I have been guilty of the eye-rolling when a parent does nothing. BUT I don't think I overreact to normal children things....I just eye-roll or heavy-sigh when the child NEEDS tending to and the parent is oblivious or just doesn't care.

creech6317 · July 2012

I was took my kids out to eat when they were little, otherwise how will you teach them how to act at different places. That being said, they need to old enough to understand when you are trying to correct them if they are doing something wrong. A tiny baby doesn't understand that crying may be annoying to others, but the parents do and they should have taken the baby out of the dining area.
I think it is rude for parents to think just because they have a baby and want it with them at all times that everyone else wants to hear their kids throwing a fit. Sorry I don't want to hear it.

PANZERIA · July 2012

This. Lol.

beckajw · July 2012

Wow, you definitely should not be getting a discount. The parents have a right to eat there too. If you don't like it, eat somewhere else.

With that said, I would not bring my child to an expensive restaurant, but Red Lobster, Chili's, Diners? Yes.

LonLB · July 2012

That's a fact.

beach_please · July 2012

We take our kids out to eat a lot. We usually go to family-friendly places. It happens sometimes that we'll take them to more upscale restaurants BUT, if one of our kids is acting up, either me or my husband would take them out of the restaurant. I can't remember a time we've ever had to do that, even when they were really little but I wouldn't want to sit next to a screaming child either.

BAMFMeredith · July 2012

I agree. For a family restaurant, I took/take my son all the time, and I pretty much expect it to be noisy and/or baby friendly. However if I'm paying $25 a plate minimum and it's a nice, upscale restaurant, I think it's totally inappropriate to bring young children. No kids menu? Then that place probably isn't for children.

stepharega · July 2012

:bigsmile: haven't you seen the movie Friends with Kids ?

nosey_rosey · July 2012

We have 4 boys.... I would NEVER take them to a upscale place!! Now when it comes to Denny's or chili's I would. They are surprisingly well behaved kids so we probably wouldn't have an issue at a upscale place. We know our roll... people go to the fancy shmancy places to enjoy a night without the kids... not to be bugged by mine

))

kenyajae · July 2012

Fully agree.

Erica0718 · July 2012

The worst is when the child is screaming and everyone else notices but the parents are either ignoring it or not doing anything about it.

feliciapeters · July 2012

its got nothing to do with the baby, its the parent
if the baby cries, you remove him
i have always gotten compliments on my childrens behavior in restaunts
and they have been in restraunts alot more expensive than $25.00 a person
its called teaching them manners

Ready2Rock206 · July 2012

If I took my baby (he's 15 now - long past the crying stage) and he was crying I would certainly make an effort to get him to stop - and away from the other diners! There's just no excuse. I hate to see that even in a store or on the street. You had the baby - take care of it!! That is a whole other rant though....

Even in a family restaurant I expected my kid to behave.

Kenzietea2 · July 2012

If you have a quite, well behaved baby or child I don't see the problem. If you know your baby is going to scream the whole time, then be respectful of the people around you and simply do not bring your child. If your baby does start to act up, go outside.

SairahRose · July 2012

My kids have gone to high class places. They don't misbehave, because they know where they are and how they're meant to act. Even as little babies I tried to make sure they had enough attention and stimulation so they weren't fussy and didn't disrupt other people.
I know though that the moment they do I will first try to calm them down, then I will warn them, and then I will simply leave. I choose to bring my children into places that required a certain behaviour pattern, and if my kids are ruining it for all the other people in there, then I will be the one to leave because it's simply not fair for one to irritate loads of others.

tigerlily8045 · July 2012

I took my baby out but she never cried, she was always sleeping. If she had started having issues then I would have left. Especially in an upscale resturant.

Now as an almost 5 yr old, my daughter knows to speak quietly, not to be turned around bugging people.

I don't want to listen to other peoples children either. Make them behave and if they can't then you need to leave. You should not be allowed to let your children run around the resturant. EVER!

matchbox_girl · July 2012

I HATE that. There is nothing more unpleasant than a screaming child in the same room while you're trying to enjoy a meal, movie, company, etc. And like you said, the parents just ignore it! If you're going to bring your screaming infant, at least have the decency to stand up, take them out of the room, and soothe them until they stop hollering. Same applies to any child who parents let run like freaking banchees around a place.....take control, people!

cheerforsteelers · July 2012

I was at a sushi place and there was a screaming child somewhere behind me, but not directly. My friend mentioned something to me and I turned around for a minute to see what was going on because a lady was talking loudly. It turned out to be the mother and she wasn't moving from her seat as her child was screaming. I turned around for a second and she snapped at me saying "What are you looking at?!" I didn't say a word to her or make a face. I could have just stayed seated facing the front, but I didn't see a reason for her to be yelling back at me. She never took her kid outside who continued to scream. I think the manager had to come over and talk to her. I don't have kids myself, but I try to be understanding as much as possible.

tashjs21 · July 2012

We took our daughter out to eat when she was little but only to places that were family oriented. If she started crying one of us would take her outside if we could not calm her down.

If it is a more expensive place then I would say it is not appropriate to bring children (unless they are at an age where they can control their behavior in public)

That being said, I feel for the managers, they really can't do much about the situation. If you ask the people to leave, you have irate people on your hands that will scream to everyone they know about their horrible experience.

Then the people that are being interrupted are going to complain and expect discounts. Lose/lose for the management. :frown:

Do you bring your babies to the restaurant?

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