Babies in bars, yay or nay?

[TravelingGal]

http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/03/02/brooklyn.babies.in.bars/index.html?hpt=C1

I say nay. I save my drinks for sans kids time. Otherwise I head to the park if I need fresh air and have my friends meet me there.

 

[meresal]

I think my issue is more with having a baby at a bar at night, rather than being at say "Happy Hour" after work.

Living in Texas, once Spring and Summer hit, DH and I will randomly meet after work for a beer at a patio and sit in the sun after the heat of the day cools off a bit. I can see bringing our little one once or twice... however, I can never see taking our baby to a bar at night.

ETA: This is all assuming the bars are smoke free. I'm also talking a BABIES... (ie not walking.) Definite "Nay" to a child that can walk around the bar.

 

[Mandarine]

hahaha I definitely need to get some sleep or something. I read this and thought: "how do you put babies on exercise bars?". Don''t ask me what I was thinking.

I say nay!

 

[fieryred33143]

Nay.

We don''t have very many traditional bars in SFL. All of our restaurants are smoke-free so I could bring DD to a happy hour if I wanted to because a) it''s early, b) it would be in a restaurant like a TGI Fridays, and c) there would be no smoking around her per policy.

But to a traditional bar, no way.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Nay for smoke filled, late night, party vibe, crowded bars.

Yay for smokeless, food served, before 8:00ish.

 

[sunnyd]

Oh hell nay.

Makes me think of Sweet Home Alabama though - "You have a baby...in a bar!"

 

[Lauren8211]

Date: 3/2/2010 4:40:12 PM
Author: sunnyd
Oh hell nay.

Makes me think of Sweet Home Alabama though - ''You have a baby...in a bar!''

Thats what I was thinking! Haha!

I agree with smoke-free bars earlier for happy hour. Not when the clubbin starts.

 

[Maisie]

There is a lovely country pub near me. They serve really great food. I have often taken the children there for lunch. It's against the law to smoke inside a public place in the UK so there is no risk of any of us breathing in smoke. I wouldn't take them there in the evening as I think the vibe changes and it's less of a family place.

 

[Irishgrrrl]

Date: 3/2/2010 4:41:19 PM
Author: elledizzy5

Date: 3/2/2010 4:40:12 PM
Author: sunnyd
Oh hell nay.

Makes me think of Sweet Home Alabama though - ''You have a baby...in a bar!''

Thats what I was thinking! Haha!

I agree with smoke-free bars earlier for happy hour. Not when the clubbin starts.

Me three! LOL! Great minds think alike!

And I say absolutely "nay"! There are just some places where babies do not belong, and bars would be at the top of that list.

 

[BeachRunner]

A couple weeks ago I met my DH and some friends at a brewery after work. One of our friends has a 1y/o child. So I thought, it can''t be too hard to find 3 men and a baby at this place. Every table had a child sitting with them. This was a casual bar/rest/brewery and of course, smoke free. I saw nothing wrong with the little one with us.

But, I agree w everyone else; seeing a small child in a bar after 8pm/bedtime, is not right.

 

[janinegirly]

Not a fan but I can kind of understand it...Brooklyn is a world of its own (hahahaha). My friend's DH is a stay at home dad (lives in Bklyn)..and I'm not saying he fits the profile, but he's a bit of an artistic slacker and does spend his days w/dad groups and having a pint here and there. And I think along with this new phenomeon (increase in SAHD in some communities) may be the desire to do leisurely things they like to do..ie hang out and have a pint in the sun (just as a SAHM might want to hit a mall). Which I suppose is fine as long as it's occassionally and doesn't turn into 5 hrs (which we all know is easy to do when sitting in the sun with some pints!)...because of course a child needs to be interacted with and be in child-centric environments more often than not. But for me personally, I wouldn't be too happy about it.

I think this is separate from cultures like England where pub life during day / wkends can and does involve families..big pub meals sitting outside etc. Or restaurants with bars that follow same concept here (more family/meal oriented on wkends, earlier in day,etc.)

 

[trillionaire]

I can understand a baby in a restaurant/bar where food is being served, but certainly not a traditional bar. The noise level is so high in those places, I can''t even imagine why you would take a young child there. My parents and my friends parents managed to raise their kids without needing to take us to bars... I don''t understand why things should be different now...

FWIW, I have a friend who took her infant to a bar and was SHOCKED that they didn''t let her in... I just rolled my eyes.

 

[janinegirly]

Date: 3/2/2010 4:27:06 PM
Author: Mandarine
hahaha I definitely need to get some sleep or something. I read this and thought: ''how do you put babies on exercise bars?''. Don''t ask me what I was thinking.

I say nay!

LOL!!

 

[princesss]

Like I said in the other thread, when I was in Spain (Bilbao specifically) it was very common for parents to bring their babies and kids to the bar with them. Generally they congregated outside the front door, and the whole family would be there until 11-12 at night. There were many bars that I could not get into without passing through a crowd of kids.

Generally, though, these were wine/beer bars, not the kind of bars where 20-somethings were hanging around looking to get wasted.

 

[Blenheim]

We''ve done it multiple times, but always early in the evening at bars that are smoke-free and serve food. I''d say "nay" to traditional bars though.

 

[CNOS128]

I don''t have a baby - but I live in Brooklyn and see this all the time, and I love that people feel comfortable bringing their babies to bars. I''ve seen many babies sleeping happily while their parents enjoyed a beer or glass of wine.
Most of the places I''ve seen kids are wine bars (some of them even have children''s menus), so while they can get loud they are pretty low-key. And in NY there''s a smoking ban in bars, so that''s not an issue.

 

[jas]

As I tend to only go to bars to escape babies, I''m voting nay. But I''m evil.

Bar n'' grill to me is different than a bar.

 

[Mara]

crap does this mean i shouldn''t be strapping the kid into the bjorn and heading to our local Saddle Rack? there goes my entertainment for tonite!!!

 

[fieryred33143]

Date: 3/2/2010 5:36:48 PM
Author: Mara
crap does this mean i shouldn''t be strapping the kid into the bjorn and heading to our local Saddle Rack? there goes my entertainment for tonite!!!

Maybe you can get this so that when you want to get down on the dance floor, J can hang out with the locals

 

[NovemberBride]

I am with those who say yay to bar/grill that serves food and at an early hour. We have taken DD with us to the local pub several times during happy hour. We usually sit at a table and eat, but will occassionally stand around the bar with friends. All bars/restaurants in PA are non-smoking. We always leave before it turns more bar than restaurant (say before 9 pm). DH plays in a softball league and they always go out for a beer after games. I am sure DD and I will go to some games and head out for a drink afterwards. But we are talking little neighborhood pubs at like 6 pm.

 

[Pandora II]

If I''m going somewhere then the sprog comes too!

I''ve taken Daisy to bars here in London - various private parties: engagement/leaving do''s/work events - and never had a problem. DH and I don''t really drink so we wouldn''t choose to spend an evening in one.

 

[IloveAsschers13]

Date: 3/2/2010 5:54:19 PM
Author: Pandora II
If I'm going somewhere then the sprog comes too!


I've taken Daisy to bars here in London - various private parties: engagement/leaving do's/work events - and never had a problem. DH and I don't really drink so we wouldn't choose to spend an evening in one.

This is my only issue- if you drink and are unable to care for your child 100%, leave them at home. If you don't drink, although i don't think it's okay to bring a baby to a bar, then you are perfectly capable of taking care of your own child however you please! My worry would ONLY be if the parents are unable to care (due to alcohol) for their child to the best of their ability.

 

[Mandarine]

Yeah...I was thinking more the traditional bar, not a bar & grill where you can go for dinner...totally different.

Fiery, that carrier cracks me up every time...lol

 

[Kay]

The picture with the article sure makes a statement. The little girl is staring at the camera with a tear streaming down her face while her dad stares off in another direction.

I would never take A to a loud nightclub, but do not have a problem occasionally taking her to an uncrowded casual pub or wine bar in the afternoon or early evening for a quick drink and snack if she is in a mood where I think she will behave. No smoking is allowed in bars or restaurants here in CA, so that is not an issue. During the first 10 months of her life, DH and I could go out for a nice dinner and A would briefly flirt with the waiter and then sleep in her stroller. At 16 months, we rarely take her to restaurants any more because she does not want to sit still. We spend most of the meal trying to feed or entertain her. For that reason, I can''t see hanging out in a bar with a toddler very often.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Smoking in resturants/bars isn''t permitted in my state so that''s not an issue. . .that aside, my kids were never taken into a bar as infants. Too loud and also if I''m going to a bar, I want to drink and kick back and that''d be impossible with a baby or children.

We''ve taken them to a pub before (as kids - around 5 and 7ish) but that was at Whistler and we were on vacation!

 

[charbie]

bars at a reasonable hour, if you''re going there for some dinner or whatever, sure.
if you''re going to a bar with loud music, drunken college kids, and people looking for a hook-up...well, i hope that answers itself.


i used to LOVE going to bars when i was in college, and honestly don''t nearly enjoy them as much now that i''m married, work full time, and get killer hang-overs. id rather have some drinks with friends at someone''s house playing poker or something like that.

 

[Kaleigh]

OK when you say bar, I think of a place that is geared toward drinking, not eating. So no I don''t think babies need to go to that kind of establishment. Those places are few and far around here...


If it''s a restaurant bar/grille type of place , sure it''s fine. Nothing wrong in that.

 

[phoenixgirl]

Yes, within reason.

With a 4 month old, it''s pretty easy to walk down to the bar/restaurant on the corner and have dinner before her bedtime. Would we pick a packed bar full of hipsters? No. We pick the place with one booth filled and a few people at the bar in the after work hour. Friday we were home by 6:30.

This is helped along by the fact that a smoking ban was finally passed here.

Would we take a talking/walking toddler to the same bar? Alas, probably not.

 

[DivaDiamond007]

For a traditional bar I say nay. For a restaurant with a bar then I say yay within reason. There''s no smoking allowed in public in Ohio so that''s not a worry here.

 

[Miss Sparkly]

no. You wouldn''t let a 17 year old into a bar, nor a 16, 15, 14 etc year old in the bar. So, where do you draw the line? For legal reasons it''s too much of a gray area, plus mom and dad shouldn''t have a couple drinks then drive their baby home. Buy a nice bottle of wine to take home with you. Also, I agree with the fact that I''m okay with putting up with kids in places kids should be (g rated movies, fast food, etc) but I don''t want to have to listen to kids at a bar, r rated movie, etc.