LIFE

Diner divides parents after confronting mum with crying baby in posh restaurant

First published on Wednesday 9 November 2022

The woman was left unimpressed with her dining experience after getting a babysitter to look after her own children

As busy parents, evenings spent dining in fancy restaurants where we get to take a break from the kids are few and far between for many of us.

But one woman was left seriously unimpressed after her restaurant experience with her husband was interrupted by somebody else's crying baby.

Sharing her story on social media , the woman explained that she had two children herself, and had decided to eat out with her partner in a 'very nice fancy restaurant' for the first time after they'd had their second baby.

The couple had also got a babysitter to take care of their own children while they treated themselves to the meal.

Unfortunately, another couple with a baby were seated next to them, whose little one started crying shortly after.

After the woman asked a waiter if her and her husband could sit at a different table, the couple with the baby overheard their conversation and said there was 'nothing they could do.'

Explaining her side of the story on Reddit, the woman said:

'My husband and I went out for dinner a couple of nights ago. It was our first time by ourselves after our baby was born. It's my second child, the first for my husband so it was kind of a big deal for us. We got a babysitter and we went to a very nice fancy restaurant.

'A few minutes after we ordered, another couple sat on the table next to us with a small baby in a stroller. At first, it was fine but after a few minutes, the baby started crying. They tried to comfort it, but every time it seemed they had managed to make it sleep, it woke up crying again.

'We just wanted to leave but we had already ordered so we decided to ask the waiter if we could change tables to sit at the other end of the restaurant.

'The waiter asked if there was a problem and I said it was our first time out after having a baby and we didn't feel like spending our evening next to someone else's crying baby. He was super nice and quickly asked another waiter to help him set up the new table for us.

'The couple with the baby overheard what we said to the waiter and the mum got upset and called me an a******. She went on and on saying that I probably don’t have kids (I have 2), and that babies are also people and we should just accept that babies can be loud and cry and there's nothing she could do about it.'

Left 'annoyed' by the mother's words, the woman told her she should have taken her baby outside and left when the restaurant when they began crying.

'I didn't want to start a fight or anything but I got really annoyed by her attitude, so I told her that she could actually do something about the crying. She could take her baby home so it can properly sleep and then let everyone else there enjoy their meals,' the woman elaborated.

'She kept saying stuff but I just ignored her, went to our new table and tried to have a nice dinner (although we could still hear the crying baby but at least it was not right next to us).

'This morning I told my sister what happened and she said she agrees that I might have been an a**hole. She said I shouldn't have said to the waiter that we wanted to move because of the baby and I shouldn't have said what I said to the mum.'

The Reddit post was flooded with comments that mainly defended the woman, saying the mum should have taken her crying baby out of the restaurant.

'This is why we only take our son to "family friendly" places - and do our best to make sure he's quiet and behaved. The absolute LAST thing I want on a kid free night is to deal with someone else's kids,' one user remarked.

'I am the mother of a very loud child. I would not be at all offended if someone asked for a new table in this situation. In fact the only way I would be offended is if they didn’t invite me to go with them 🤣,' said another.

'I have two kids and don't take them to restaurants that will disrupt other people. It's not fair to anyone. I do think you shouldn’t have engaged with the mother and just moved,' wrote a third.

Back in March, we reported that a parent who let their toddler use a potty in a busy restaurant had been backed by others, after someone online called them 'lazy' and 'disgusting' for their actions – read the full story here.

Looking for some family-friendly restaurants for the kids? Check out the best ones near you ... Or, if you're looking for recipes you can whip up on a budget, here are 35 meals that'll cost you less than £5 to make.

What do you think, is it OK to take babies to fancy restaurants or do you prefer to stick to family-friendly eateries?

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