Babies in pubs

[lady_p_gold]

I will probably be shot down in flames for this, but last week my colleagues and I went to the pub to have a meeting about various work things and a pleasant chat. Now I know children come into pubs these days and provided they are not screaming the place down we have got used to it. However on this day we sat down and next to us were four mothers all with small babies, they had commandeered most of the comfortable sofas and chair round the fire and the whole area was strewn with toys, blankets, buggies and bottles and three of the babies were crying loudly and we really had trouble trying to hear each other. They had cloths and bibs and the whole feeding thing going on .... and one of them was dribbling lumps of food onto the table ... does anyone else think this is a bit much ?????

[quibbmedusa]

yup, morning Lady Gold..i am very child friendly but a pub is an adult place, im sure if we went into a nursery and spilt beer everywhere there would be a real hue and cry!

I have a very amusing picture of you all trying to avoid the dribble tho lol

[Grunty]

These sites will give the legal position. Unfortunately it seems that the only remedy is to find a pub where this does not happen.

http://www.culture.gov.uk/alcohol_and_entertainment/lice nsing_act_2003/children.htm
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2003/20030017.htm

[gammaray]

I agree Lady, a pub is not the place for ANY children. A pub is a place for adults to relax. Sadly some landlords take the principle of an inclusive society too far. I stopped going to my local when they introduced a "Kids" area. It was populated with the most ignorant abusive little T**ds imaginable - the kids were quite bad too!

[VictrMeldrew]

Whilst it is quite unacceptable for the pub to be taken over by young children, neither should it be taken over by people holding business meetings. Given the choice, I think I would prefer the children to the typical loud nerds who insist on showing their (they think) importance in a pub.

[noxlumos]

These ladies and their babies have quite as much right to be in the pub as you do. As for them geting the comfy sofa's well they were there first weren't they? I can never understand why it's only the Brits that have this massive prejeudice about kids in pubs. What possible harm could a child being fed be to you and how exactly could that detract from your enjoyment? If I don't like the way somewhere is I go elsewhere.

[lady_p_gold]

Well Noxlumos I did try to explain that this was a little extreme, we in fact could not have our talk as we could not actually hear above the crying, and of course I do not mind them having the sofas however all the buggies and toys had spread right out and were stopping people getting by etc. etc. If I had been one of those mothers I would still have had some consideration for my fellow drinkers - and I must have a low threshold or something but three or four babies screaming at the tops of their voices for an hour does detract from my enjoyment I am afraid ! However point taken in good AB spirit which hopefully we can always have.

[Pippa68]

Whilst I agree that 'taking over the pub' could be unacceptable (& I mean ANYONE taking over the pub!) I have to agree that we Brits have a huge problem with children & pubs.

I remember going out to a pub for lunch with a few friends ~ there were 8 of us in all, & I was the only one with a baby..she was about 4 months old at the time. As soon as we sat down the landlord came over & told us we would have to leave as he couldn't allow a baby in his pub. We didn't kick up a fuss ~ just took our business elsewhere. His loss, he lost out on a good sized lunch bill! it put me off for a long time, as I wasn't in the habit of going out with my baby anyway ~ and I don't think it does any harm for kids to go to pubs occasionally. Crikey, the nation is constantly spouting off about unsociable kids..they can't win ;o)

In the great big scheme of things is it something really worth grumbling about?

My main gripe with pubs is the constant 'bar propping' of the regulars, leaving you no space to order drinks. Then you get the evil eye for not being 'local'!