# An infant walks into a bar... **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 4, 2011, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-infant-walks-into-a-bar/570109 "2011-02-04T02:54:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-infant-walks-into-a-bar/570109/21 "2011-02-04T13:55:51Z")
**An infant walks into a bar…** Bumps his head and “Waaaahhhhhhhh!!!” ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-infant-walks-into-a-bar/570109/22 "2011-02-04T14:09:23Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > Meh, as long as you aren’t letting the kid drink, I do not see what the big deal is. I got taken into bars when I was young - there was a piano bar that was a blast near where my parents lived. I would get a ginger ale, Mom would get a glass of wine, Dad would get whatever he was drinking and we would sing along. > > I am sure that I am one of the few people of my generation that knows Hold That Tiger, Sheik of Araby, Lili Marlene and St James Infirmary =) [or at least could sing along competently at the age of 10 …] I’m with you, **aruvqan** ; as I’ve posted before, my cousin was a club performer, and I grew up hearing him sing pop/jazz standards. I was very familiar with cocktail bars before I was 10, and “Satin Doll” and “Fly Me to the Moon” when my friends were screaming for the Monkees. ---
**Author:** ![Cumberdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@Cumberdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cumberdale)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-infant-walks-into-a-bar/570109/23 "2011-02-04T14:20:27Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > Meh, as long as you aren’t letting the kid drink, I do not see what the big deal is. I applaud the bar. There are times when it’s nice to be able to go out and not have to deal with others children. And this kid may be perfect and never make a peep, but we do need places that are for adults only. There is no reason kids have to be taken everywhere. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-infant-walks-into-a-bar/570109/24 "2011-02-04T14:57:34Z")
> [@Sigmagirl](#): > > I’m with you, **aruvqan** ; as I’ve posted before, my cousin was a club performer, and I grew up hearing him sing pop/jazz standards. I was very familiar with cocktail bars before I was 10, and “Satin Doll” and “Fly Me to the Moon” when my friends were screaming for the Monkees. ooo I love Fly Me To The Moon … it is oddly enough about the only thing by Sinatra I actually like him singing [I for some unknown reason that I do not like Sinatra 😕] ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-infant-walks-into-a-bar/570109/25 "2011-02-04T15:19:01Z")
CatherineZeta: > [@](#): > > Do you have a family member who can watch the kid? Or a babysitter who specializes in babies? > > My friends left their baby who was approximately that age with me when there was a gap between both of them going back to work and the grandma’s flight arriving so she could take care of the kid. I was 20 at the time and terrified (it turned out fine though)- so I wouldn’t advise doing that while you’re at a bar, but there must be babysitters who have baby CPR training, etc. LOL - we’re not over-protectively worried, it’s just that he’s still nursing, so unless there’s some really dire need to go somewhere without him, we’ll keep him and my wife together rather than go the pump-for-the-babysitter route. Once we start giving him solids, then the babysitter (who’d likely be my older kids) can settle him with cereal or baby mush if he gets hungry. Also, by then his feeding needs should be less frequent, so if we feed him before we leave for the night he may not need anything at all. Hakuna Matata: > [@](#): > > Good luck with the kid. Welcome to the wonderful world of being a parent! Thanks - it’s actually my eighth “welcome”! 🙂 This is more about my unfamiliarity with bars than with kids! ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-infant-walks-into-a-bar/570109/26 "2011-02-04T15:28:35Z")
So there is no place that can be kid-free? Not even a bar? I mean, I don’t ask that kids be removed from all public spheres as a specific person will no doubt accuse me of wanting, but I do value the few kid-free places we have. ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-infant-walks-into-a-bar/570109/27 "2011-02-04T17:49:34Z")
> [@cmkeller](#): > > And sure, I can see (now) that it’s possible some of the adults might not enjoy a baby being around, but it was clearly the technicality of being “under 21” that the bouncer was enforcing, not some aspect of the other patrons’ fun. I get that you’re not at all worked up about it, so this may seem a bit like beating a dead horse, but “you’re under 21” is most likely just a simple, legal, enforceable way to make sure that the adults who might not enjoy having a baby/children around don’t have to deal with a baby/children being around. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![drpepper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8baadc/32.png) [@drpepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drpepper)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-infant-walks-into-a-bar/570109/28 "2011-02-04T18:19:58Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > So there is no place that can be kid-free? Not even a bar? I mean, I don’t ask that kids be removed from all public spheres as a specific person will no doubt accuse me of wanting, but I do value the few kid-free places we have. Agreed on all points. Heh, let the outrage and eye-rolling begin. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-infant-walks-into-a-bar/570109/29 "2011-02-04T18:23:11Z")
Misnomer: I suppose, but generally the whole “minors can’t be in a bar” thing is meant to enforce the behavior of the minors, not the enjoyment of the adults. That said, whatever reasons adults might want to enjoy a kid-free environment usually apply only to kids who are capable of independent speech and motion and can observe and imitate behaviors that adults don’t want them doing. An inert (save for breathing) lump like a three-month-old infant in a car seat or on his parents’ shoulder is not _usually_ the sort of kid that curtails adults’ enjoyments of adult pleasures. If the mere presence of such a child is in fact a problem for the other patrons, then I do apologize for my and my wife’s insensitivity in not thinking suchly. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-infant-walks-into-a-bar/570109/30 "2011-02-04T18:33:30Z")
**cmkeller** , none of your eight children cried at the age of 3 months? Ever? Sometimes adults want to get away from crying babies, even (heck, especially) adults with babies of their own. I’m guessing they didn’t want to deal with a bunch of customers getting pissed off because a baby started crying, and then finding out the parents were the type who utterly refuse to take their crying baby out of the room. ---
**Author:** ![Cumberdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@Cumberdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cumberdale)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-infant-walks-into-a-bar/570109/31 "2011-02-04T18:36:13Z")
Also, what happens when a diaper needs to be changed. Some parents will do it there at the table rather than get up and go to the bathroom. There was a long pit thread about that topic a while back. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-infant-walks-into-a-bar/570109/32 "2011-02-04T18:58:08Z")
muldoonthief: > [@](#): > > cmkeller, none of your eight children cried at the age of 3 months? Ever? Sometimes adults want to get away from crying babies, even (heck, especially) adults with babies of their own. I’m guessing they didn’t want to deal with a bunch of customers getting pissed off because a baby started crying, and then finding out the parents were the type who utterly refuse to take their crying baby out of the room. Of course they did/do, but we’re not neglecting him. If he starts crying, we’re there to immediately pacify him, so we didn’t think it would be a serious disturbance factor. Cumberdale: > [@](#): > > Also, what happens when a diaper needs to be changed. Some parents will do it there at the table rather than get up and go to the bathroom. Well, that’s just gross. Bathroom stuff, even if it’s in a diaper, belongs in a bathroom. If there are parents who’ll change a diaper on the table where food and drink is placed, and in full view and stench of people who are not themselves doing smelly business, they’re likely the type of adults you wouldn’t want to keep company with even when no infant is present. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-infant-walks-into-a-bar/570109/33 "2011-02-04T19:04:29Z")
**cmkeller** , the point is that the bouncer has _no idea_ if you’re the type of customer who will immediately soothe the crying baby, or just let her cry it out, if you’ll take her to the bathroom to change her or do it right on the table. It’s quite possible before their “no babies” policy that they did have parents who did the latter in both cases. It’s easiest for them just to not allow babies at all (realistically, how much business can that cost them?) rather then find out they’ve got to toss you out later. Most of the good stuff is unfortunately gone, but there was a [NYC bouncers blog](http://standingonthebox.blogspot.com) where he talked all the time about people asking him to relax the rules a bit for them. It was rarely worth it. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-infant-walks-into-a-bar/570109/34 "2011-02-04T19:29:13Z")
**muldoonthief** , that’s certainly true enough. However, I would be more surprised to discover that the bar was excluding babies in order to preserve the adult atmosphere than to keep to the letter of the “no minors” law. And as I said, I’m fine with that. I just hadn’t expected it, going in. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-infant-walks-into-a-bar/570109/35 "2011-02-04T19:32:33Z")
Here’s an NYT [article](http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/10/fashion/10stroller.html) about babies in bars. ---
**Author:** ![E.Thorp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@E.Thorp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E.Thorp)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-infant-walks-into-a-bar/570109/36 "2011-02-04T23:47:54Z")
> [@cmkeller](#): > > So the infant says, “What’s the problem? I wouldn’t drink anything alcoholic. Everything I drink is right there in the lady carrying me.” The answer is right there in the OP. The appropriate place to take a baby is a titty bar. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2011, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-infant-walks-into-a-bar/570109/37 "2011-02-05T00:59:30Z")
> [@cmkeller](#): > > It wasn’t so much a pure bar as a “lounge”, my wife thought it would be a fun place to go because they had bowling and ping-pong and other fun games to play (albeit with drinks). [Here’s the place’s website.](http://www.play-ny.com/our-venue.php) > [@Anaamika](#): > > So there is no place that can be kid-free? Not even a bar? I mean, I don’t ask that kids be removed from all public spheres as a specific person will no doubt accuse me of wanting, but I do value the few kid-free places we have. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with a place being exclusively 21+ but shouldn’t they mention that on their website somewhere? They clearly host Bar Mitzvahs and Bat Mitzvahs at the same venue, so how the hell is someone to know that a baby wouldn’t be welcome during some hours? ---
**Author:** ![Cumberdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@Cumberdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cumberdale)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2011, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-infant-walks-into-a-bar/570109/38 "2011-02-05T05:07:49Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > I don’t think there’s anything wrong with a place being exclusively 21+ but shouldn’t they mention that on their website somewhere? They clearly host Bar Mitzvahs and Bat Mitzvahs at the same venue, so how the hell is someone to know that a baby wouldn’t be welcome during some hours? Why do they have to mention, “oh by the way, no kids during normal hours”? Should a porn theater have “no kids allowed” sign? If I go somewhere with my grandkids,it’s up to me to pick an appropriate venue. If I’m going out to hang out with adult friends again, I’ll pick an appropriate venue. Parents need to stop assuming that every place they want to go is kid friendly. If they must take their kids with them, it’s up to them to be sure kids are welcome. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2011, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-infant-walks-into-a-bar/570109/39 "2011-02-05T05:16:38Z")
> [@Drain\_Bead](#): > > My parents took me to bars when I was a kid all the time. I was a tween before I realized how insane that was. > > I’m pretty horrified about it now. I couldn’t imagine taking my baby to a bar. If it’s a restaurant too, then that’s silly (and you probably live in Indiana), but a straight-up bar? Totally inappropriate. My dad always tells me stories about how when he was a kid, his grandfather would take him and my aunts to the local pub – my great-grandfather would have a beer and a shot, and he’d buy pop and pretzels for the kids. Imagine doing that nowadays! ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2011, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-infant-walks-into-a-bar/570109/40 "2011-02-05T08:24:17Z")
> [@Cumberdale](#): > > Why do they have to mention, “oh by the way, no kids during normal hours”? Should a porn theater have “no kids allowed” sign? If I go somewhere with my grandkids,it’s up to me to pick an appropriate venue. If I’m going out to hang out with adult friends again, I’ll pick an appropriate venue. Parents need to stop assuming that every place they want to go is kid friendly. If they must take their kids with them, it’s up to them to be sure kids are welcome. Because obviously what you think is appropriate and what other people think is appropriate is different. If you don’t want somebody to do something, is the smart thing to do to just hope they get it, and then get all confrontational when they don’t, or to tell them ahead of time so they know not to bother coming in? It’s just common sense. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-infant-walks-into-a-bar/570109.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-infant-walks-into-a-bar/570109.md?page=3)