High Chairs in local restaurants, cafes and bars (legal requirement) (Louged)

[Alan Dale]

I can't believe they made us shut down the workhouses!

[Jah Lush]

I agree wholeheartedly with what Sidhue has expressed on here.

If you can't keep your children under control then publicans/restranteurs should not only ban the little blighters but ban the parents as well. That way you might get the parents to learn to control their children a bit more and have more respect for other people's feeling and sensibilities.

Children should be seen and not heard in places like the pub. High chair or no high chair. If parents can't keep a grip on their child's unruly behaviour then they should be politely asked to leave.

And no child should be in such a place at 9pm. 7.30pm should be the cut off point for children.

[mockney piers]

If you stop little Tarquin punching babies and throwing tantrums then you're just suppressing his creative urges and possibly contributing to his future therapy bills as he's taken back to the Oedipal issues brought on by an overbearing control figure in the father and the bosom of the mother that quietens the tears.

Do you want that on your conscience, well, do you?

[rifleman harris]

Yes. If I can eat my Emental Salad in The Cabbage in peace.

[Jennys]

I agree with Siduhe, parents should attempt to keep their children behaving reasonably. If they are seen to be making a bit of effort to do this (talking to the children, bringing a few small toys or books or pencils a paper for the children) we can all empathize when the children do (occasionally) have a scream up. But no longer having any small children myself I think there is also the place for a few child-free restaurants around here.

[Cassius]

I think one of the problems is that one never remembers the children that DO behave well, only the ones that behave badly.

[rifleman harris]

Just before the christmas break I was in Le Petit Chou and was tucking into my lunch when i had a kid rolling around, running around and screaming. The parents who had their noses in their Mocha Latte's looked up occasionally and told Raif "Not to run around sweetie there's a good boy because all these people are eating their lunch". I then had the darling Raif stand at my table staring at me with two candlesticks of snot running from his nose into his mouth. Nice!

[Jah Lush]

In that case perhaps they should incorporate a naughty step for children and parents in the pub.

If a child misbehaves in Russia is he/she sent to the Naughty Steppe?

[Mellors]

My son would get his creative issues supressed by means of a smacked bottom and a sharp telling off ;)

Which parents would want their kids in the pub at 9pm? I am relived to pack the little blighter off to bed at 7pm every night, not having him hanging around and disrupting my Quality Drinking Time. My view is that only when they are old enough to stand their own round they are old enough to stay in the pub till late.

[mockney piers]

perhaps we could hire someone to patrol the local establishments to keep them in line

 

[PeckhamRose]

PR keeps Hands down.

[dulwichmum]

The Boxwood at The Berkely Hotel is amazingly child friendly for such a super restaurant. They give the poppets a pack of goodies (stickers/crayons/colouring book) to occupy them as soon as they arrive, and take their order in minutes. The darlings have their food before the waiting staff have even taken the adults orders and then when the children are finished they took ours into the kitchen to sample marsmallows with the lovely pastry chef and gave them a guided tour of Gordon's pass and kitchens. It really was superb and the children just loved it. I was shocked as I don't bring them to adult eateries too often, I don't like to see them spoil a meal for others with their ... outragous tantrums exuberance. They are not little adults afterall, just little children.

Munchkins are positively embraced at Gordon Ramsay restaurants, which I must admit was rather a shock, but then I suppose he has a young family himself so perhaps he knows what it takes to keep them happy!

Actually, speaking of little children, have any of you discovered the High School Musical Karaokee Wii game over Christmas? My husband James is completely addicted to it! He loves to sing Gabrielas songs!

[EDOldie]

When my kids were young, about 10-15 years ago, there was a really good Egon Ronay guide which recommended restaurants and hotels which were child friendly and sold good food. It was a godsend fo parents who liked their food but had small children, it even listed pubs that welcomed children. I had a quick look tonight but it seems to be no longer in print.

Er, last time I was there it was the Berkeley Hotel.

[macroban]

The tide is turning.

[dulwichmum]

OHMYGOD - Microban!

I really believe that this is completely wrong. This country really should be much more child friendly than it is already, and this is a step backwards. I have been told off by countless au pairs (from Mediteranean countries) for not allowing my poppets to stay up past 7pm on a school night as the children should be welcomed to remain with the adults until they wish to sleep. I personally enjoy routine, and feel that grown-ups need their space, but I can see where they are coming from. I would never like my children to feel that they were considered a nuisance.

I will not go near a Witherspoons pub from now on. (Could anyone point one out to me so that I can be sure to avoid it?)

[*Bob*]

DM - The Wetherspoons are the ones full of miserable old men drinking cheap flat beer, waiting for their two-for-a-fiver meals to arrive.

You can't miss 'em.

[Cassius]

dulwichmum Wrote:

> I will not go near a Witherspoons pub from now on.

> (Could anyone point one out to me so that I can

> be sure to avoid it?)

There is the delightful Kentish Drovers in Peckham and the equally lovely Capitol in Forest Hill (at least the building is or could be lovely). I don't think you would have taken your kids there anyway to be honest!

[PeckhamRose]

Fox On The Hill, Denmark Hill. Wetherspoon pub probably closest to East Dulwich.

The garden area became a massive play ground with slides and child's furniture and so on.

We used to go there regularly because of the non smoking area as I am very allergic to smoke.

All Wetherspoons had great no smoking areas.

But their no smoking areas always tended to be the dining areas which were full of kids and had nervous waiting staff carrying the hot foods to the customers anxiously worrying about whether a kid would run into them and cause a nasty accident.

Since 1st July of course it's all changed.

But I always held a soft spot for Wetherspoons as they were the first chain to have large sno smoking areas. And of course their Tower Bridge pub went totally no smoking (though it was not the first London pub to do so).

Anyway, I am very interested in the fact they're turning the tide and basically encouraging parents to only have 2 alcoholic drinks so as to prevent the kids seeing them get drunk, and drive dangerously home (will their be WetherPolice making sure they don't drive home without strapping the kids in the back properly?).

I am sure this shall hit the headlines today on the news. It certainly should do.

I am the luckiest person for having the Clockhouse as my local. It really is on the whole childfree, lovely atmosphere, a great chef, not over-loud music but good music at that, and friendly staff. I have not been paid to say that.

[citizenED]

But lets face it, the weatherspoons rule is there so that a manager has an excuse to kick out an unruly tribe of drinkers who happen to have kids with them. No manager would eject a group of punters with children who are behaving themselves, however much they are drinking. I think it sounds pretty commomn sense.

[dulwichmum]

Dear Bob and Cassius,

Thank you so much for kindly pointing the offending public houses out to me. Indeed I have never been in them and will never ever darken their doors now for sure!

[Alan Dale]

I spoke to the guy at Caravaggio. They have had a lot of families visiting at lunch times and have consequently ordered a high chair to meet this demand.

I also went to Buddha Jazz and the Bear this weekend. Two or three groups in The Bear had impeccably behaved children with them. Great place all round.

The people at Buddha Jazz are charming and the food is great. They do not have high chairs though but they were incredibly welcoming to the kids nevertheless.

[mockney piers]

Yeah they gave Mrs MP's niece over from Ireland short chopsticks and a little lesson as it was first time she'd used them.

She got to keep them too!!

[Siduhe]

I also went to Buddha Jazz and the Bear this weekend. Two or three groups in The Bear had impeccably behaved children with them.

To add a little balance to my earlier post, we popped into the Plough for a Sunday afternoon drink/papers session (2-3pm ish). Absolutely crawling (quite literally) with families and children, but all impeccably behaved as well. Highchairs also in evidence.

[Domitianus]

dulwichmum Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Dear Bob and Cassius,

>

> Thank you so much for kindly pointing the

> offending public houses out to me. Indeed I have

> never been in them and will never ever darken

> their doors now for sure!

Another reason to frequent Wetherspoons. We can avoid sprogs AND DM!

[*Bob*]

A drink in a Wetherspoons is about as enjoyable as running your tongue around the rim of a toilet bowl.

But each to their own.