Are you allowed to take your baby to a bar?

[kayT]

I myself do not think I have the right to live my life without having to be in the presence of children.

I just wish I could.

[Dangerosa]

I wouldn’t, and I’ll admit, I’d look askance at anyone who did.

Now, a bar/restaurant - in the restaurant section - sure. Or a cafe that also served alcohol - sure. But when I think of bar, I think of two sorts of places…

The first is sort of a dive - the sort of place kids shouldn’t be.
The second is the sort of place hip young things sip craft beers or choose from the “martini” menu - the sort of place kids shouldn’t be.

On the other hand, if you don’t know anyone in the bar but your friends, and you are comfortable with it, why do you care if you get the weird fish eye from someone like me. You know you are there for your friends.

Although I agree that if the baby starts to wail, that’s absolutely inappropriate for a bar. Then you leave. And I have two kids of my own, it isn’t a hating kids thing. If you bring kids into an adult space - like a bar or a fancy restaurant - that you have the option to leave - you take them out when they are no longer discrete.

[TriPolar]

@Jake_Jones

For me it was the last time I was on a plane, which was two days ago. Babies are always screaming on planes. Babies have to get places too, and they don’t understand changing air pressure and you can’t just say “Hey Baby, force a yawn and it will equalize the pressure in your head” so I get it. I don’t complain about it.

Last year, I was vomited on by a toddler on a plane, who then burst out in a screaming fit of tears. I wanted to be like “Hey Toddler, you just puked on me. If anyone has the right to be having a tearful screaming fit right now it’s me, so knock it off!” But I didn’t. The father apologized profusely. What can you do? It wasn’t his fault. It wasn’t anyone’s fault. Fortunately we were getting off the plane and I was already standing up, so she only got one leg below the knee.

I completely empathize with what parents have to put up with, even though I’m not one myself. At the same time, if you are never subjected to screaming, crying, vomiting babies, toddlers or young children in public, count yourself fortunate. To insinuate that this is the normal experience of all other people, that people with tales or implications of unpleasant experiences with small human beings are being dishonest, is uncharitable at best. It’s at least as bad as the dickheads who think they have the right to live their lives without ever having to be in the presence of children.

I don’t have a problem with babies in bars, but they definitely shouldn’t be allowed on airplanes. Mine traveled on airplanes, but they were precious snowflakes beyond reproach.

[lorene]

@John_Mace

Bring the baby, but… if he/she starts crying, get the little monster out of there IMMEDIATELY!! No ifs ands or buts about it. OUT!! And figure that’s it for the evening. Do not even think about bringing the kid back in.

@Ruken

It would never occur to me to subject others in a bar or restaurant to my crying child unless I were in some sort of obvious family establishment. That seems to be pretty standard practice, including the bar I just mentioned.

@kayT

Some people do not enjoy the sound of screaming children. Sorry about that. And a bar is a place we I mean they might expect I mean hope to be free of screaming children.

I don’t like the sound of crying children, either, and I agree they shouldn’t be in a bar if they’re screaming, but that’s no reason to call the baby “the little monster.”

In other words, I agree with the sentiment, but why such hostile language? It just makes you sound like a dick.

[kayT]

Only one of the three quotes you list has anything remotely “hostile” so why are you accusing all of us?

[lorene]

@kayT

Only one of the three quotes you list has anything remotely “hostile” so why are you accusing all of us?

I’m sorry! That’s not how I meant it.

I thought you and Ruken were reacting to Leaffan’s “what’s wrong with people?” post as though he was not understanding that it’s ok to not want screaming kids around. My point was, I think it’s ok to not want screaming kids around but that John Mace didn’t need to resort to “little monster.”

You’re right that my use of quotes was misleading and I apologize.

[Antinor01]

My experience isn’t totally relevent as I almost exclusively go to gay bars, but I’d be shocked to see a minor of any age in a bar. On one hand just because it’s a bar and on the other hand…it’s one of the few places there is an expectation of being around adults only.

[John_Mace]

Oh my god. Did I use some harsh words towards (screaming) children? I’ll give myself 30 lashes and report to the re-education camp tomorrow where I will learn that one must never, ever, EVER speak in unkind terms when discussing [del]rug rats[/del] children.

[AnaMen]

It’s hypothetical children. They are even more sensitive and delicate than regular ones.

[lost4life]

@Zsofia

I don’t mean “is it allowed in South Carolina”, although if you know one way or another, good. I mean is it socially allowed? I’m really not sure and we don’t have a lot of friends with kids, you know?

Friends I never get to see are in town and they’re planning on going to a bar Christmas Day to escape their families and I did want to see them, but I’d have to bring my five month old. I was planning on wearing him, so not taking up a seat with a car seat or anything. He’s generally very good in public. This is a bar bar - they serve food (although not on holidays) but it isn’t like a restaurant that also has a bar. It’s got, like, gross bathrooms and all. Kind of a hipster bar.

Is that okay, or is it a huge party foul? It wouldn’t be late - probably before 8.

So…what happened?

[Zsofia]

Our friends couldn’t get away from the in-laws anyway.

[pulykamell]

Me? Heck, I’m going to meet my uncle and some out of town visitors at a bar in about an hour with our seven-month old. Nobody’s going to bat an eye at that neighborhood joint–it’s just that kind of place, and it’s pretty early here (lunchtime). Last time we were there, all the patrons were just oo-ing and ah-ing the kid, but it’s a real “old man’s” type of bar. But it really does depend on the place–I’d take my kid to the neighborhood bars around here, but I probably would hesitate a little at the more up-scale bars or hipster bars past around six or seven o’clock or so. It’s just kind of a judgment call for me.

[Bouncer]

@Zsofia

Our friends couldn’t get away from the in-laws anyway.

Man I was hoping for a great story about how a barfight broke out and you held the baby up Simba style and everyone just stopped fighting and then The Circle of Life song broke out!

I am dissapoint.

Regards,
-Bouncer-