Yep. When you don’t have kids, a crying baby is a nuisance. After you’ve dealt with your own for a while, someone else’s crying baby just becomes Something That Is Not MY Problem.
Well, I don’t think it makes her a bad parent. But if she’s in there ‘just browsing’ then I think it makes her a little bit of a rude bookstore patron. Its the sort of store where a loud crying baby will drive out customers.
Take courage - a scant few years ago, the student body at my University staged a protest march that began on the edge of campus and went straight to a meeting where the admin had gathered - in a conference room in the basement of our library. As the protestors (of which I was one) stepped into the library and wended our way downstairs, we continued our chanting - in whispers. It occurred to every one of us, at the same time, to lower our voices in the library.
But then, we ARE Canadian. Maybe that makes a difference.
I agree. I was in Borders last weekend to look for a book and, as soon as the stroller was stopped for more than 30 seconds, my 15 month old would cry. I’m not “allowed” to stop the stroller, apparently. ::sigh::
As soon as she fusses like that, we leave. If we’re in a restaurant and she gets unruly, one of us takes her outside and the other one packs up the food to go and pays the bill. I get embarassed when she’s like that because I don’t want to be rude. She’s usually a pretty content, well behaved pre-toddler, but like other children, she has her moments.
I don’t understand people who hear that their child is upset and just let them cry*. If we’re in public, I’m going to do something about it. At home, the only time I let her cry is when it’s a (thankfully) rare tantrum and there’s nothing that can be done.
Yeah, the woman described in the OP was rude.
Me neither. I’m sorry, I know I’ve got a very easy baby as such things go, but if she’s upset and making noise, there’s a reason. Unless she’s strapped in the car seat where I can’t reach her, I should be able to fix it pretty quickly.
And then she stops. Imagine that.
-Joe
Borders has to be kept as quiet as a library? Since when? I mean, I understand a screaming baby is annoying, but Borders? A retail store?
Since when did retail stores become daycare centers and playgrounds? Shouldn’t quiet, or at least non-ear-shattering-wailing be the default, libraryesque bookstore or not?
Yes, plenty of people to go bookstores to browse and maybe read a chapter or two. If something catches their eye they buy it. When there’s a crying baby, the browsing isn’t much fun, you may as well go home and pick something off of Amazon.
So which is worse - a patron who stops in for free reading (and desires absolute quiet) or a patron who actually spends some money, but whose baby cries?
Maybe in addition to the “how not to kill your newborn” literature, we could use a list of places that we’re not allowed to take them?
As someone who spends money, and doesn’t have a crying baby, I’ll be happy to point out the location of the front door to both of them.
I specifically said, "if she’s in there ‘just browsing’ ". You’re of course allowed to take your crying baby wherever your want. But a crying child will disturb people and in some cases the disruption is unnecessary.
I don’t think gigi is saying relative quiet should not be the default, just that Borders, as a retail establishment, with lots of speaking customers, spoken inquiries and other transactions, etc., would not normally be as quiet as a library.
Additionally, a screaming baby who won’t be calmed after a reasonable waiting time should not be part of that.
Probably about the time they put a big kids section in the back, with little kid size tables and a play area. Borders is kid and mom friendly, deal.
Yeah - little kid tables. A little kid is not the same thing as a screaming infant in a stroller.
And if your little kid has a habit of screaming uncontrollably in the play area, you’re not welcome either.
But even the OP admits the mother allowed the child to cry for just a few minutes before comforting her. This was not a case of a kid screaming for twenty minutes or running up and down the aisles knocking books off shelves. Are we now at the point we can’t take babies into a store for fear they might be noticed for even a brief moment?
No. We’re at the point where, if your baby starts to make noise in a bookstore, you should do something about it immediately (either comfort him, or take him outside). Don’t just sit there for “a few minutes” and force the rest of us to suffer through it with you while you ignore him.
A grocery store? McDonald’s? The gas station? Not so much. But a bookstore? Get your little noisemaker out of there.
I agree with that. Sorry, gigi.
I’ve seen those. Putting in a kids’ section with cute little plastic tables doesn’t mean “kid-zone, screaming allowed.”
There seems to be the notion emerging in this thread that if kids are welcome, hysterical screaming is also welcome, and if you don’t want to hear screaming, you’re out to ban children. When did that happen? By all means, bring your miniature humans with you in public. Leave your screaming miniature humans at home, or do something about them when they fire up.
Anyway, what’s the kids’ section of Borders got to do with a screaming infant in a stroller? Was the woman in the OP supposed to drop it off in the screaming infants’ section and carry on with her browsing?
You’ve obviously never been near Borders when they’re having one of their readings or game times or trading card events. The noise in there exceeds some concert venues.
Why don’t you guys go out and start a book store. You can call it “Shhh…” and since you own it, you can make the policy that no one is allowed to make noise in there ever and then you and the other people in this thread can stop judging those of us that have kids.
Absolute, you are my new hero. 
Gah. Here we go again.
I can’t wait until some of you get old, deaf and incontinent. You’ll be walking too slowly, talking too loudly, and looking for someone to help you read the fine print.
If you’re lucky, those of us who are raising children will have taught them to offer you more patience and sympathy than you are willing to extend.