Anybody who has ever fed a baby in a highchair knows what a mess these little cuties can make and it may occasionally appear like a bomb has exploded. Most parents accept the mess and go on, but one mother was not pleased with the circumstance she was placed in. The young mother had a terrible interaction with café employees and is now questioning if their request was acceptable. Read the story to know what happened in the cafe and what would you do in such a situation.
Source: Mumsnet
I go with a group of friends and our babies to a cafe each week. Apparently the week before last the cafe manager had a go at one of the mums because she said that her baby made a mess under his high chair and she didn’t clean it up before she left.
This week, as I was packing up to leave (with a screaming overtired baby who is refusing to nap because of teething!), she gave me a dustpan and brush and pointed at the few bits of food under her high chair and asked me to clean up after myself.
It’s advertised as a very family friendly cafe.
To make it clear, if she had made an unreasonable mess I would of course have cleaned it up (or tried, it’s a bit difficult when you don’t have any cleaning materials). But there were a few bits on the floor. I’ve offered to clean up in other cafes and they’ve said “don’t be silly, we’ll do it!”.
I guess I’m going to be way more conscious about allowing my baby to make a mess in the future (good luck!). But after I told my mum, she said I should leave a negative review about it on their cafe page and seemed to think it was unreasonable.
Is it unreasonable to ask a parent to clean the floor after their baby? I’m torn because on the one side, I can see how it would be annoying for the staff. On the other hand, I don’t bring cleaning materials with me and it’s advertised as family friendly… which I would think would mean they’re aware that babies make mess!
