I basically grew up.in the pubs around d my town, even as a kid i could have walked into any local pub on my own and the majority of people would know who I was.
It was horrible, I have a minimal relationship with my parents now because if this, I hate socialising and if I do go out with friends and they want to go to a pub I end up leaving as the smell of them just makes me feel so ill.
OP what you're doing to your kid is so wrong yet you're acting like it's some kind of achievement.
I took my Dad's dog out for a walk in Islington. He handed me Ā£20 and when I asked what it was for, he said "you'll see."
The dog sat down in front of the door of the Mucky Pup and refused to move. Not needing much persuasion, I headed in and the regulars / bar staff all said "hello Seumas!", before looking me up and down and asking "who the fuck are you?"
We sat by the bar, the dog had his usual packet of crisps and I had my Dad's usual - couple of pints. A lovely wee walk!
My partners parents have a dog that has to drag them into a certain pub whenever they walk past. Heās not bothered about others, he just loves this one specficic pub and they have to go in or heāll sit and refuse to move.
My dog has taken to stopping outside the doors of the local pubs. Sometimes he is successful in getting us to go in. Interestingly, he doesn't actually like the dog treats they have there. I think he just likes being in there.
Reminds me of this video where the Mrs must've taken the dog for the walk and it was used to going in
>Pub-loving Dog Refuses to Walk Past Without a Pint
https://youtu.be/RDdoxgXEp0g?si=Toyuixn_YpM3O2Jr
This is how our dogs ratted out my dad. On his work from home days, heād take them for a walk then stop at the pub for lunch and a pint where they were given dog biscuits. One of us took them on that walking route and they went straight to the pub
I *used to* go in the mucky pup a fair bit, always say hello to dogs. There's a fair chance I've met your dad's dog.
Edit: miss spoke. **Used to** frequent the Mucky Pup.
Has it been that long? I miss spoke, I **used** to go in the mucky pup a lot, but moved away around 2015. I remember suggesting going back to meet up with some old friends just before covid and they told me it closed. I didn't know it had reopened as something else though
We took our little lad everywhere wth us when we lived in Hong Kong. We lived in a lovely neighboured with loads of cafes, resturantes and pubs/bars. Everyone loved meeting our son, it was great. I now live out in the middle of nowhere and don't have a local. Wish I did. Enjoy it!
If I were down the pub and got to watch a new born grow up, have a little walk with them, pull some smiley faces etc then I'd never leave the pub again. The joy some of the regulars would get from seeing the little one will literally make their year
Once a week, we meet my FIL in a pub for a couple of drinks. Our five year old always comes with us. He walks out that pub full (regulars bring in choccies etc for him), with coins jingling in his pockets and happy as Larry having laughed most of the time we are there. He is a substitute grandchild for a lot of the regulars who either have none, or dont see theirs a lot.
This is so bloody refreshing to hear. Itās like that where I live too but if you go solely on what you normally hear online itās just folk moaning.Ā
Those people moaning have a very specific title. And they don't tend to be well liked by the locals, so rarely have much to say for themselves in person.
Aye. And I live in a really small community so the kids tend to be viewed as āour kidsā collectively belonging to the villages rather than just their parentsĀ
Wetting the head of my firstborn was like something out of The Wicker Man. There was pretty much the entire village unable to function properly the following day.
I had that when I turned 18, grown up in pubs all my life, 1 next door when I was younger and then that closed and my dad worked in a pub in town. By the time I was 18 I knew all the regulars alongside regulars at half the other pubs in the town centre and naturally all the bouncers.
I walked in the pub my dad (and eventually mum) worked in at about 1pm for 1 drink, to then go for food. I left at 4:30 without paying for a drink and about 10 shots deep. Spent about 10 quid all day including food and was out til about 4am š
I remember every Sunday my dad's football club which half my family were part of would head to the pub and id make friends down there
Wonder what happened to some of them
Yeah when we lived in the UK weād frequently go down the pub with our Bub. Sheād be excited to go and chant āpub pub pubā.
I love that many pubs are family friendly and everyone is chilled and having a nice time.
Best mates kid, aged 4, walking past a pub with the front door open, stops in his tracks, inhales deeply through his nose and exclaims:
"Aaaaah, I LOVE the smell of a pub!"
And then walks on.
I dont understand the hate youre getting at all. We first took my daughter to our local pub when she was 6 days old. We often stop on our way back from the park to get ice cream or meet family there for a meal.
Shes now 11 and her favourite place is the pub (she also loves a good cafe).
If youāve got a nice wholesome one in your neighborhood itās a huge blessing! Ā I have 1-2 half pints with the same people who helped my husband get the guts to propose, who cooked for me when I was pregnant, who bought Wendsleydale for my American parents when they visited, and who have known my daughter her whole life, including entertaining her when I was alone and at the end of my rope and needed someone else to hold her while I ate dinner with both hands.
I wish we had anything like this in America! Ā Didnāt know spending regular time out in your community would be so controversial.
Thatās why I made the edit. Ā I must be missing something. Ā Weāre spoiled for choice of pubs in our neighborhood but we get people of all ages and walks of life, including other families. Ā Are people picturing pubs from the 80s?
I think it's a combination.
Specifically your situation, we don't know your pub, your regulars, what kind of pub it is, when you didn't say in your original post. So it is open to interpretation (and projection).
Secondly, you say you go there a lot, multiple times per week. So it sounds like you go out drinking and your kid plays in a pub - not in a crĆØche or anything, but with beermats at the bar! It made it sound like your baby was ignored while people around him/her are just drinking. 3 times per week.
Third, you seem to have a big blind spot around traditional pub culture so there are chances you are naive about pubs in general.
Furthermore, pubs are primarily drinking places. That's just the reality, that is what they are for and what the license allows them to do. However, of course a lot of pubs are now a lot more family friendly and focus on food etc, but without these details it's hard to know. These places usually have specific kids activities and support, but what you said sounded like you just propped the kid on the bar for a few hours. Like you took it every other day to the bar on Cheers for a session.
Finally, yes a lot of people will be projecting their own view on the pub here. If you're in your 30s/40s, pubs were likely far less child friendly when you went often, and when you started having kids, you went even less. The pandemic changed going to the pub too, so a lot of people simply don't go or go much anymore.
I just got to this thread now and read down this far so thought this point of view might help how it comes across. Hopefully, you have a lovely place that is really positive and is going to be a good environment for your kid. But it didn't sound like it from your first post, frankly it came across as a naive American who left their kid behind the bar at the Nags Head all weekend. But that's just from how it was written I'm sure you're good parents :)
Great point. Not so long ago most pubs were full of smoke , so no place for a baby, and then they just stank after the smoke ban. By now theyāve mostly been refurbished.
And just like any house, it depends who lives there. Ā Sometimes people are assholes, sometimes theyāre wonderful, usually theyāre somewhere in between. Ā Iām very lucky with our pub.
I've lived in America for 15 years now and the thing I miss the most is my local pub. The community that is built in them is like nothing else. My local stopped me from living on the streets, by letting me stay upstairs. Let me stay for free until I could afford to pay some rent, fed me and protected me from a couple predatory men. I'm so happy that you're getting to experience something special and unique to british culture!!
My daughter has been a regular at a local brewery in the US since she was maybe 2 weeks old. The bartender, brewer, and quite a few regulars are always excited to see her. Sheās 2 now and they love hearing all her new sentences and interests. The bartender was overjoyed the first time she said his name! It was so cute.
Not pubs exactly, but where I live in the States the breweries are very kid friendly! Board games, corn hole, strollers all around. Thereās a great one walking distance from my house, just had my kiddos there this weekend. Yours sounds lovely though!
We have an amazing local pub. As a couple, it's our ritual every Friday to go for a couple of pints straight after work.
When our baby was born, we had a traumatic birth and ended up in hospital for a few days. Discharge finally rolled around with little one thankfully doing well. We packed up to head home then realised it was 4.30pm on a Friday. We looked at each other with a knowing glance with the same thought on our minds: wouldn't it be perfect to celebrate our baby's birth as well as recommence our Friday evening pub ritual tonight? So that's what we did!
Our little one comes with us most Fridays, from about 6-9pm at which point it's 'baby kick out' time. It's always been friendly at the pub and we've had no issues.
Hah! We took ours at 5 days old to our local. Was in the hospital for the first 4 days so it couldnāt be any earlier! Our local friends all came to meet the baby and it was nice to see everyone without having to host them in our house. Heās now 5 and he loves our local pub, all the local kids do as it has a cracking garden.
The hate is probably from foreigners. Pub culture is nothing like it is in, say, America. They seem to think pub=bar. Many of them are family friendly and even have beer gardens with equipment for kids. Besides, lots of families go for meals in pubs too
I think its viewed as a negative because alot of neglected kids have alcoholics as parents. As soon as someone says pub they're back goes up. Wetherspoons has a mixture of the alkies at the bar and families at tables. Fine for babies but for toddlers...not for an extended time period I'd say
Man fond childhood memories of being 7 years old walking my old man back from the pub because he would get so drunk he would forget where we lived so I would have to show him ā¤ļø
Bingo. OP seems naive and left out a ton of information, so everyone jumped at the stereotypes we know (and honestly you can't fault that).
There are still a ton of bad parents who focus on the pub, go out and get pissed and neglect their kids. We all see them. And some of us went through that with our own parents.
A supporting, genuinely wholesome pub environment with lovely regulars, no violence and nobody ever getting drunk around babies, when you are there several nights per week, is a rare combination. OP seemed too naive so the more stereotypical situation seemed more likely.
We used to take our kids to the social club one night a week. We could socialise with friends and family especially in the winter when it was cold and dark outside. If the pub you go to has a good sense of community it's probably quite a good environment to be in.
My dad did suggest once that it was a bit late to have the kids out. I decided not to remind him that we never saw him at night as he was always down the pub and our Saturday afternoon activity was sat in the skittle alley with a bottle of coke and a packet of crisps while he sat in the pub, we weren't the only ones though and it seemed quite common in the 80s.
I was in pubs in the 80 as a child. Ā Still here, productive member of society, married with the usual kids, house mortgage etc. even in the 80s it was fine.Ā
More likely they don't have a local, and all they know about pubs is from chain bars and US TV programmes and films... a lot of people on Reddit are completely disconnected from real life/their community.
A few people on this thread seem to struggle with the concept of going to a pub and not getting shitfaced, or being surrounded by alcoholics. The fact that you can drink in a pub doesn't mean that
you must, or thatvis the only thing you can do. Get a grip
There used to always be kids in pubs in the 90s. Youād go for a nice lunch, kids get a coke as a treat. Then the kids play out in the garden which usually had some sort of play equipment. Parents can have a couple pints or glasses of wine, then because youād gone to your local youād all walk home as it was less than 15 minutes. Gets you all out the house and gives the parents a couple hours respite lol. Then by 5pm kids were all gone and the evening trade starts. Pubs are still around, but we have lost them as a third space in a way.Ā
Anyway I donāt think youāre doing anything wrong OP.Ā
I was just thinking about this. You can still go to Marstons or other chain pubs and they'll have a bit of play stuff outside but in the 90s I'd go with my Dad to the local independent and they'd all have slides and swings in the beer garden and there would always been a few other kids there and you'd make friends for an hour whilst your parents got a bit of peace. In general most pubs are a bit more friendly but not quite so family friendly. Those sorts of places just dont have that now. No one wants the liability, and they want more tables.
However, for me, I'd always have a blue panda pop. It wasn't fluorescent, I wasn't drinking it.
I have twins and would take them to my local from about 6 months. And by that I mean it was a Hungry Horse that I rarely went to pre-kids unless there was match I wanted to watch with more atmosphere than being home but walking distance.
My kids learnt how to behave out and about by being taken out and about and shown how to behave. We went with a friend and her kid the same age and all three would be cooed over and as they got older would talk to random people (under our watchful eyes). A nice pub is a nice pub, nice kids learn well in nice pubs.
There are equally awful adults who donāt know how to behave in public as there are kids. Nothing wrong with kids in an appropriate pub, as long as kid isnāt drinking alcohol itās all good! Glad your baby has an active social life even though she can barely sit or talk!!
I love this. It's so easy as a mum with a young baby to become isolated, and even if you have a baby group nearby it's often the same 3 people every week. I would have loved to have done something like this when mine were little - a sense of community, friends of all ages/walks of life, a change of scenary, headspace when the same four walls and never-ending breastfeeds were wearing me down. They say "it takes a village" for a reason. Fair play for finding your village, OP.
Thereās some evidence to show that babies are evolved to demand more than their parents can actually give. Ā Theyāre designed for us to fail. Ā It is neither possible nor desirable for mother to be everything her child could possibly want all day, and through the night, every day, no holidays, no weekends, year in, year out.
Especially in the first year, momās mental health is a huge factor. Ā If Iām at the end of my rope, staring down the barrel of 20 hours of mothering, itās not going to go well for either of us.
That hour or two of adult conversation in the evening with people I trust who are happy to bounce the baby around makes a HUGE difference.
Everything I do is for her. Ā But some things are for me, for her.
I wish my village had something as wholesome, all we have is a really grotty pub with what looks to be some bizarre plywood bar and the same 3 regulars every day. Then there's a social club frequented by the scummiest of the village residents
A young couple who were both members of the social club have been taking their two kids there since they they were born but that's because grandma is a functioning alcoholic and does the majority of the childcare whilst mum and dad do fuck all with their lives as they are both as inbred to hell and back.
I am in Los Angeles right now vibrating with jealousy. Not only are you living where I wish I was living right now, but I wouldāve killed to have had a third place like that when I had my babies. I craved community and the tiny breaks you get from someone else holding your kid. Plus, it just sounds so FUN.
Our daughter is now 4 weeks old, and has been with us to the pub about 5 times. Sheās very well looked after, and generally reserves her crying for 12am to 4am when weāre in bed trying to sleep, so is no bother to others around us. People love talking to us about her (or the dog, if heās with us). Weāve not settled on a regular pub yet as weāve plenty of choice, but sheās been welcomed everywhere weāve been!
Nice isnāt it!
I havenāt seen what has been said for the edit to be needed but pubs have always been family friendly unless stated otherwise. Some people just enjoy hating children. Continue what youāre doing if youāre happy with it. Itās good socialisation for you and your little one!
I'll be honest, my first response to a baby being in a pub so much was wtf? But then I remembered people aren't allowed to smoke in pubs anymore so it's just any other building.
I grew up in the 80s, spent a lot of time in Devon and a lot of that time spent in various rural pubs. ONe thing that was common, that you sadly dont see much these days were the ubiquitous 'playgrounds' they had in the garden for kids: Plastic slides shaped like elephants and the classic 1970's lethal metal climbing frames. Us kids would be sent outside with a bottle of coke and some salt & shake, told to entertain ourselves.
Live rurally again now, my little town has 5 or 6 pubs, one fantastic, two fine (nothing spectacular bbut perfectly decent) and three/four shitholes. All of the pubs allow kids in. Personally I only take my son in one or two of them (the fantastic one broadly) - and have done many times. Hes 6 now. He knows the staff, a number of the regulars, and will chat to the ones hes comfortable with.
He wIll happily sit at the bar with me; il have a pint, hel have a lime 'n soda (free might i add) and a packet of scampi fries. We chill and do his reading/writing homework. If i fancy a quick cigarette il nip out the front (i can still see him through the window) and leave him sitting at the bar without fear or compunction.
Im very lucky to have such a nice local, and from the sounds of it you are too!
In a little town called Bittaford near Ivybridge in Devon, there's still one of those plastic trees with a slide outside. If you ever fancy a bit of nostalgia pop along. Pub is okay and safe for kids, but nothing to write home about.
I think people aiming criticism here might be projecting their own experiences and attitudes onto yours eg years ago I had a work colleague who would take his wedding ring off any time he went to a pub, so he could try to meet women. He was also the most paranoid person about the fact his wife might cheat (she didn't), because he thought his experience and attitude was everyone's.
When our kids were small we went to our local with them probably weekly, and it was really nice and relaxed.
I used to work in a pub that was dog and kid friendly. There was a local who would come in with his dog Charley, and she would decide how much he got to drink. Sometimes I would have to sneak him a secret half pint into his glass, or sneaky swap his empty for a full, but the dog COULD NOT see, as she would try to knock the pint out of his hand. She'd eventually lose patience and stand by the door, he'd down his pint and they'd carry on. I used to bring dog biscuits to give him more time. She would only ever have two. They were my favourite pair and so wholesome. She didn't put up with her owner for a second.
That's how pubs used to be, real community hubs. Sadly, they are VERY far and inbetween in London mow. Turned into gastro pubs and apartments. Glad you have a good one near you.
Sounds lovely š. I don't have kids but my local pub has a community feel as well which is nice when you live in London but don't have any roots / family here. Most of the people I know I do because of my local. I don't spend hours every day there but might pop in a couple of times a week for a few hours with my book.
I think it's a nice way to meet people and makes you feel a bit more part of your community.
I read this and thought āmy kind of familyā superb! I also thought there would be a negative response but apparently OP, I and the Reddit world are on the same wavelength! My faith in humanity is partially restored.
Itās been a day, but I wanted to say that my parents used to take me to the pub as a baby. My mum said one time a guy somehow didnāt notice until halfway through the conversation that she was nursing me (she had a cover up, but I guess he didnāt question it).
They werenāt alcoholics, my mum was obviously not drinking. It was just a way for them to socialize, especially since they werenāt from England (we were only there for my dad to get his masters). I was colic at night and slept all day, so my mum got to have some peace while meeting new people and practicing her English.
Our 2 year old is a pub regular. Has been since before she was born. The few times we've gone into the pub without her because we have a babysitter for the night everyone asks where she is and jokes we aren't allowed in without her.
The pub now even has a growing collection of toddler toys with the board games to keep her entertained. I hate to think what our nursery staff think when I pick her up and she says she doesn't want to go home, she wants to go to the pub!!
I am not British. I have absolutely no idea why this post ended up in my feed. But I have a great similar story to relate. When I was 2, my mom was hospitalized while pregnant with my brother. One day the smoke detectors go off and everyone is evacuated outside of the hospital. Some woman comes up to my mom and is like āoh I know your daughter.ā My mom is like āuh no sorry I think youāre mistaken, my daughter is 2.ā And sheās like āyeah no, your daughter is Brooke with curly blonde hair right? Yeah she sells snacks at the ballpark with her babysitter. I know her.ā
Americans (in America) will not ever understand British pub culture. This is wholesome af. You should be handed a passport just for this!
If you were taking your child to the local spoons Iād be a bit concerned but the local pub is completely fine.
We loved taking our eldest to the pub when she was a baby! It was always quiet āfamilyā pubs and during the day and sheād be asleep most of the time. So much easier taking a baby than a toddler! We got to eat food we didnāt have to cook and chill for a while and it was great.
By the time she was old enough to eat in the pub she absolutely loved it. Sheās always been really outgoing and friendly so loved all the attention and trying new food. It also taught her from a young age how to behave appropriately when eating out.
When I was a child and we visited Ireland, there was a big pub culture in rural communities. I loved going with my family and meeting the locals. Random family friends would buy me orange juice and treats like crisps and sweets, give me coins for the video game machines (not gambling ones!), and sometimes even pocket money. I once came back from holiday with the equivalent of around Ā£300 today! I was always had a parent by my side and never had any sinister or scary interactions - everyone was just really kind and friendly and it wasnāt unusual for there to be kids in the bar, whereas I donāt think it was allowed in my country at the time.
Of course, there are pubs that arenāt suitable for any kids to be in (and I wouldnāt want to hangout in those anyway!). My kids are too young to be out late so they were never exposed to any drunk/rowdy/noisy behaviour.
Years ago I remember being in a club on holiday abroad at 3am and there was a young couple with a toddler asleep in a pushchair. Thatās a little bit different.
Good for you! I worked in a pub/brewery prior to having my baby. The owners had small children, the regulars had christenings/birthdays there. No kids allowed after 7pm and there are 3 other bars within eyesight that people can drink in if they don't want to be around families. I rarely go in without the baby because the look of disappointment I get when it's just me is pretty devastating š
I go a board games night at a pub quite often, me and my wife take our 3 month old son, one of the guys who goes often always liked holding him.
Last week someone who didn't come very often asked to hold him, he puked all over her, he's not a pukey baby, I felt really bad even though it was no one's fault...
My little lad (4 years) loves the pub after taking him when it was warm and sunny, local has massive beer garden and play set which he loved playing on. So every time we walk past or the sun is out now, he just says, "Mucky pub?"
Last bank holiday weekend, I got an argument with him as he wanted to go the pub, but I was skint cause it was the end of the month and day before pay day
My parents used to take me into pubs when I was a baby 30 odd years ago. They said the pram was always surrounded by people coming over to make a fuss and pop some money in. Even had me up at the fruit machines pressing the buttons. Pubs are social places!
Tbf that's more the parents being lazy af than the kids but fair enough. I got put in the car if I was acting up in a restaurant as a kid,learned after the second time
Absolutely love this! Wish we could've done this too, but our local had a strict "no babies or children" policy so instead our eldest has the claim to fame of being kicked out of a pub at six weeks old! Enjoy your lovely community with your little one š.
We took our daughter to the pub within her first two weeks.
She also knows more neighbours than me so introduces me to people.
She loves going to the pub, although we don't do it very often.
But if we are out for the day and want to relax for a bit we'll pop into a pub. She is nearly 9 now.
It's great that many pubs are kid friendly. We are lucky that one near us has a very large beer garden.
We never had more than two pints as she gets bored about then.
Weāve done the same with our son, he has a staff polo shirt with ācadetā on the back. He knows the route to walk out to the kitchen and will stand at the door until they give him food! I wish I could get free food. Weāve been able to sit and have a meal as a couple because the land lady would take our son and walk him round, let him see the dogs that come in etc.
We've taken ours to the pub since a week old, mostly for dinner so that my wife didn't have to cook. It's nice - most people there like to see a young family out and about. There's nothing unusual about this at all.
I used to take my children to the pub. Most pubs are fine with well behaved children, and most people like children.
Pubs which aren't can die a slow death of five lager on tap and nothing else.
I took mine all the time (30s now), they're still friends with lots of my old friends. When they got a bit older, they'd collect a few glasses (fully supervised of course!) to 'earn' a drink and some crisps, or a lunch. They all knew them, and looked out for them when they were older and going out on their own. We had birthday parties there, and jobs when they were in college.
I'd also get a phone call if they skipped school and went to town, so there were a couple of times it bit them on the arse lol
I donāt have a job, my husband works late, I live in a tiny flat 25 meters from said pub? Ā If you want to come keep me company in the evenings, let me know!
That's so funny & wholesome š
I don't really go to my local pubs that much, sometimes with friends but we usually go to each others houses & play boardgames or outside stuff. I'd love to start going to my local & get to know people but no idea how to start š (I'm a bit socially awkward).
I spent lots of my childhood in a country pub, still go back there as often as I can. They can be lovely places to grow up! Plus there was a couple of us kids so we kept ourselves busy
My ex-gf managed a few london around Hampstead and Highgate, every single one of them was very family friendly and I wouldn't mind taking my kids to any.
People don't realise there are parts of London that have that village feel.
I live in upstate New York, and thereās a little pub down the street from my apartment. Fenway and I walked past this pub 3 to 4 times a day and he would sit his chubby butt down whenever he would see the owner of the pub at his car ( and the guy would get up, open his trunk and give Fenway dog cookies). When the pub was open, he would shoulder his way in if the bar was open and every one would greet Fenway and heād work his way through the room to get scratches and pets and Iād occasionally get a āHI Fenwayās momā. Dogs are great.
I'd far rather meet a baby than a dog in a pub, but glad for you that you can do both. My US niece and her husband were utterly delighted that they could take their baby to my local, demanded to go to the pub every day of their visit, and didn't believe me that many pubs would welcome babies, until I took them to others.
This is so wholesome ā¤ļø Iām glad theyāve taken you under their wing! ignore all the miserable gits commenting, you do you! I imagine the early days of being a parent can be quite lonely so itās great that youāre getting out and about!
Tell me, what is your pint of choice? š
I like the beers that donāt really taste like beer so I like a sour or a Hefeweizen or a tropical IPA or some such nonsense. Ā My husband is strictly a cask bitter drinker so heās always horrified š
I live in a tiny 1 bed flat, my husband often works late so I'm alone with the baby for most of my life, I've known everyone in my neighborhood for over a decade, and I usually have 1-2 half pints. I don't know how many months you've spent in one small room alone with a baby but it's not great for either of us. Thanks for your judgement though, let me know if you're up for babysitting!
Reddit parenting commentary was the eye opener I needed to recognise that the majority of people on this site are not people IRL I'd even spare two minutes with if they started spouting their nonsense.Ā
Every now and then, I'm reminded that this website selects for antisocial shut ins. Didn't know spending time with my community would incite so much pearl clutching.
Where I live there's a small craft beer bar where the owner regularly has their children in and where all their friends bring their children and it's an incredible welcoming and social atmosphere enjoyed by everyone. Shame you worked in such a horrible place.
Mate I feel you have a certain image in your head here, probably coloured by where you grew up. Nothing she had said suggests she's doing anything wrong. Babies gonna baby wherever they are, who gives a shit if it's down her local while some folks give her a hand so she can enjoy her meal? Jesus Christ...
"Down the pub?? You're taking them down the pub?!?!" "... Yeah" "But I wanted to be the first one to take them down the pub!"
What's this from again, I can't quite remember
Gavin and Stacey!
The Gavin and Stacey Christmas Special! Smithy and Nessa
Literally watched that yesterday for the first time š
Upvote because Chibi Godzilla profile pic.
I basically grew up.in the pubs around d my town, even as a kid i could have walked into any local pub on my own and the majority of people would know who I was. It was horrible, I have a minimal relationship with my parents now because if this, I hate socialising and if I do go out with friends and they want to go to a pub I end up leaving as the smell of them just makes me feel so ill. OP what you're doing to your kid is so wrong yet you're acting like it's some kind of achievement.
I took my Dad's dog out for a walk in Islington. He handed me Ā£20 and when I asked what it was for, he said "you'll see." The dog sat down in front of the door of the Mucky Pup and refused to move. Not needing much persuasion, I headed in and the regulars / bar staff all said "hello Seumas!", before looking me up and down and asking "who the fuck are you?" We sat by the bar, the dog had his usual packet of crisps and I had my Dad's usual - couple of pints. A lovely wee walk!
So fucking wholesome.
Thatās hilarious. My dog does this at the London Beer Dispensary in Crofton Park to the bemusement of her dog walker.
My partners parents have a dog that has to drag them into a certain pub whenever they walk past. Heās not bothered about others, he just loves this one specficic pub and they have to go in or heāll sit and refuse to move.
Itās honestly a tragedy.
My juck Russel currently has me doing exactly this, got to go in on the way out, and the way home, little shit lol
sounds like i need to get me a dog
I've done that myself many times.
Can I walk your old man's dog?
I run a pub. We make sure to give the dogs that do this extra treats and rewards. Because they are very good Bois.
And help the owners spend money in your pub
My dad's dog goes to his local for mini cheddars.
My dog has taken to stopping outside the doors of the local pubs. Sometimes he is successful in getting us to go in. Interestingly, he doesn't actually like the dog treats they have there. I think he just likes being in there.
Reminds me of this video where the Mrs must've taken the dog for the walk and it was used to going in >Pub-loving Dog Refuses to Walk Past Without a Pint https://youtu.be/RDdoxgXEp0g?si=Toyuixn_YpM3O2Jr
This is how our dogs ratted out my dad. On his work from home days, heād take them for a walk then stop at the pub for lunch and a pint where they were given dog biscuits. One of us took them on that walking route and they went straight to the pub
RIP the Mucky Pup
Such a good pub! And a good pub dog :(
I *used to* go in the mucky pup a fair bit, always say hello to dogs. There's a fair chance I've met your dad's dog. Edit: miss spoke. **Used to** frequent the Mucky Pup.
Talking a good 20 years back on this tale, and sadly both the dog and my dad are long gone. A nice memory though, and it was a great pub.
Ah, shame. And yes it was.
The Mucky Pup closed and became the Bill Murray comedy club in 2016ā¦
Has it been that long? I miss spoke, I **used** to go in the mucky pup a lot, but moved away around 2015. I remember suggesting going back to meet up with some old friends just before covid and they told me it closed. I didn't know it had reopened as something else though
This made me smile ;-)
We took our little lad everywhere wth us when we lived in Hong Kong. We lived in a lovely neighboured with loads of cafes, resturantes and pubs/bars. Everyone loved meeting our son, it was great. I now live out in the middle of nowhere and don't have a local. Wish I did. Enjoy it!
If I were down the pub and got to watch a new born grow up, have a little walk with them, pull some smiley faces etc then I'd never leave the pub again. The joy some of the regulars would get from seeing the little one will literally make their year
Once a week, we meet my FIL in a pub for a couple of drinks. Our five year old always comes with us. He walks out that pub full (regulars bring in choccies etc for him), with coins jingling in his pockets and happy as Larry having laughed most of the time we are there. He is a substitute grandchild for a lot of the regulars who either have none, or dont see theirs a lot.
Some of our regulars wonāt let me leave without getting a cuddle from the baby. Ā Itās a real joy to see her so well received in her neighborhood.
This is so bloody refreshing to hear. Itās like that where I live too but if you go solely on what you normally hear online itās just folk moaning.Ā
Those people moaning have a very specific title. And they don't tend to be well liked by the locals, so rarely have much to say for themselves in person.
Aye. And I live in a really small community so the kids tend to be viewed as āour kidsā collectively belonging to the villages rather than just their parentsĀ
Wetting the head of my firstborn was like something out of The Wicker Man. There was pretty much the entire village unable to function properly the following day.
Haha. I think my eldests was the same. There was a lock in.Ā
I had that when I turned 18, grown up in pubs all my life, 1 next door when I was younger and then that closed and my dad worked in a pub in town. By the time I was 18 I knew all the regulars alongside regulars at half the other pubs in the town centre and naturally all the bouncers. I walked in the pub my dad (and eventually mum) worked in at about 1pm for 1 drink, to then go for food. I left at 4:30 without paying for a drink and about 10 shots deep. Spent about 10 quid all day including food and was out til about 4am š
Can confirm, we watched a few pub friends' kids grow up and it was beautiful, now it's our turn with our kids
I remember every Sunday my dad's football club which half my family were part of would head to the pub and id make friends down there Wonder what happened to some of them
Yeah when we lived in the UK weād frequently go down the pub with our Bub. Sheād be excited to go and chant āpub pub pubā. I love that many pubs are family friendly and everyone is chilled and having a nice time.
Best mates kid, aged 4, walking past a pub with the front door open, stops in his tracks, inhales deeply through his nose and exclaims: "Aaaaah, I LOVE the smell of a pub!" And then walks on.
I like the cut of his jib!
I dont understand the hate youre getting at all. We first took my daughter to our local pub when she was 6 days old. We often stop on our way back from the park to get ice cream or meet family there for a meal. Shes now 11 and her favourite place is the pub (she also loves a good cafe).
If youāve got a nice wholesome one in your neighborhood itās a huge blessing! Ā I have 1-2 half pints with the same people who helped my husband get the guts to propose, who cooked for me when I was pregnant, who bought Wendsleydale for my American parents when they visited, and who have known my daughter her whole life, including entertaining her when I was alone and at the end of my rope and needed someone else to hold her while I ate dinner with both hands. I wish we had anything like this in America! Ā Didnāt know spending regular time out in your community would be so controversial.
I think that's it, you have a nice, wholesome one where a lot of people will be imagining some dive full of hardened drinkers.
Thatās why I made the edit. Ā I must be missing something. Ā Weāre spoiled for choice of pubs in our neighborhood but we get people of all ages and walks of life, including other families. Ā Are people picturing pubs from the 80s?
I think it's a combination. Specifically your situation, we don't know your pub, your regulars, what kind of pub it is, when you didn't say in your original post. So it is open to interpretation (and projection). Secondly, you say you go there a lot, multiple times per week. So it sounds like you go out drinking and your kid plays in a pub - not in a crĆØche or anything, but with beermats at the bar! It made it sound like your baby was ignored while people around him/her are just drinking. 3 times per week. Third, you seem to have a big blind spot around traditional pub culture so there are chances you are naive about pubs in general. Furthermore, pubs are primarily drinking places. That's just the reality, that is what they are for and what the license allows them to do. However, of course a lot of pubs are now a lot more family friendly and focus on food etc, but without these details it's hard to know. These places usually have specific kids activities and support, but what you said sounded like you just propped the kid on the bar for a few hours. Like you took it every other day to the bar on Cheers for a session. Finally, yes a lot of people will be projecting their own view on the pub here. If you're in your 30s/40s, pubs were likely far less child friendly when you went often, and when you started having kids, you went even less. The pandemic changed going to the pub too, so a lot of people simply don't go or go much anymore. I just got to this thread now and read down this far so thought this point of view might help how it comes across. Hopefully, you have a lovely place that is really positive and is going to be a good environment for your kid. But it didn't sound like it from your first post, frankly it came across as a naive American who left their kid behind the bar at the Nags Head all weekend. But that's just from how it was written I'm sure you're good parents :)
Great point. Not so long ago most pubs were full of smoke , so no place for a baby, and then they just stank after the smoke ban. By now theyāve mostly been refurbished.
I think people are forgetting the origins of the term "public house"
And just like any house, it depends who lives there. Ā Sometimes people are assholes, sometimes theyāre wonderful, usually theyāre somewhere in between. Ā Iām very lucky with our pub.
I've lived in America for 15 years now and the thing I miss the most is my local pub. The community that is built in them is like nothing else. My local stopped me from living on the streets, by letting me stay upstairs. Let me stay for free until I could afford to pay some rent, fed me and protected me from a couple predatory men. I'm so happy that you're getting to experience something special and unique to british culture!!
My daughter has been a regular at a local brewery in the US since she was maybe 2 weeks old. The bartender, brewer, and quite a few regulars are always excited to see her. Sheās 2 now and they love hearing all her new sentences and interests. The bartender was overjoyed the first time she said his name! It was so cute.
Ignore the detractors. You're doing good.
Not pubs exactly, but where I live in the States the breweries are very kid friendly! Board games, corn hole, strollers all around. Thereās a great one walking distance from my house, just had my kiddos there this weekend. Yours sounds lovely though!
Do you live on the set of Paddington 2?! Not sniping, just jealous.
HAH, it does feel that way sometimes! Ā Iām very very lucky.
Until I was 4 and we moved down south I grew up in my grandparents pub. Still think of it as *my* pub.
We have an amazing local pub. As a couple, it's our ritual every Friday to go for a couple of pints straight after work. When our baby was born, we had a traumatic birth and ended up in hospital for a few days. Discharge finally rolled around with little one thankfully doing well. We packed up to head home then realised it was 4.30pm on a Friday. We looked at each other with a knowing glance with the same thought on our minds: wouldn't it be perfect to celebrate our baby's birth as well as recommence our Friday evening pub ritual tonight? So that's what we did! Our little one comes with us most Fridays, from about 6-9pm at which point it's 'baby kick out' time. It's always been friendly at the pub and we've had no issues.
Hah! We took ours at 5 days old to our local. Was in the hospital for the first 4 days so it couldnāt be any earlier! Our local friends all came to meet the baby and it was nice to see everyone without having to host them in our house. Heās now 5 and he loves our local pub, all the local kids do as it has a cracking garden.
The hate is probably from foreigners. Pub culture is nothing like it is in, say, America. They seem to think pub=bar. Many of them are family friendly and even have beer gardens with equipment for kids. Besides, lots of families go for meals in pubs too
I think its viewed as a negative because alot of neglected kids have alcoholics as parents. As soon as someone says pub they're back goes up. Wetherspoons has a mixture of the alkies at the bar and families at tables. Fine for babies but for toddlers...not for an extended time period I'd say
Man fond childhood memories of being 7 years old walking my old man back from the pub because he would get so drunk he would forget where we lived so I would have to show him ā¤ļø
Bingo. OP seems naive and left out a ton of information, so everyone jumped at the stereotypes we know (and honestly you can't fault that). There are still a ton of bad parents who focus on the pub, go out and get pissed and neglect their kids. We all see them. And some of us went through that with our own parents. A supporting, genuinely wholesome pub environment with lovely regulars, no violence and nobody ever getting drunk around babies, when you are there several nights per week, is a rare combination. OP seemed too naive so the more stereotypical situation seemed more likely.
We used to take our kids to the social club one night a week. We could socialise with friends and family especially in the winter when it was cold and dark outside. If the pub you go to has a good sense of community it's probably quite a good environment to be in. My dad did suggest once that it was a bit late to have the kids out. I decided not to remind him that we never saw him at night as he was always down the pub and our Saturday afternoon activity was sat in the skittle alley with a bottle of coke and a packet of crisps while he sat in the pub, we weren't the only ones though and it seemed quite common in the 80s.
100% all the people moaning spend far too much time drinking in sh*thole pubs
This is Reddit man ,half of these lot don't leave their houses
I feel like a lot of people in this thread havenāt been to a pub since the 80s?
I was in pubs in the 80 as a child. Ā Still here, productive member of society, married with the usual kids, house mortgage etc. even in the 80s it was fine.Ā
More likely they don't have a local, and all they know about pubs is from chain bars and US TV programmes and films... a lot of people on Reddit are completely disconnected from real life/their community.
People who moan about babies children in pubs also moan about freshly drunk 18 year olds in pubs who have no idea how pub culture and etiquette work.Ā
A few people on this thread seem to struggle with the concept of going to a pub and not getting shitfaced, or being surrounded by alcoholics. The fact that you can drink in a pub doesn't mean that you must, or thatvis the only thing you can do. Get a grip
You've completely captured the best of pub culture in your post. I'm happy for all of you.
There used to always be kids in pubs in the 90s. Youād go for a nice lunch, kids get a coke as a treat. Then the kids play out in the garden which usually had some sort of play equipment. Parents can have a couple pints or glasses of wine, then because youād gone to your local youād all walk home as it was less than 15 minutes. Gets you all out the house and gives the parents a couple hours respite lol. Then by 5pm kids were all gone and the evening trade starts. Pubs are still around, but we have lost them as a third space in a way.Ā Anyway I donāt think youāre doing anything wrong OP.Ā
I was just thinking about this. You can still go to Marstons or other chain pubs and they'll have a bit of play stuff outside but in the 90s I'd go with my Dad to the local independent and they'd all have slides and swings in the beer garden and there would always been a few other kids there and you'd make friends for an hour whilst your parents got a bit of peace. In general most pubs are a bit more friendly but not quite so family friendly. Those sorts of places just dont have that now. No one wants the liability, and they want more tables. However, for me, I'd always have a blue panda pop. It wasn't fluorescent, I wasn't drinking it.
I have twins and would take them to my local from about 6 months. And by that I mean it was a Hungry Horse that I rarely went to pre-kids unless there was match I wanted to watch with more atmosphere than being home but walking distance. My kids learnt how to behave out and about by being taken out and about and shown how to behave. We went with a friend and her kid the same age and all three would be cooed over and as they got older would talk to random people (under our watchful eyes). A nice pub is a nice pub, nice kids learn well in nice pubs. There are equally awful adults who donāt know how to behave in public as there are kids. Nothing wrong with kids in an appropriate pub, as long as kid isnāt drinking alcohol itās all good! Glad your baby has an active social life even though she can barely sit or talk!!
I love this. It's so easy as a mum with a young baby to become isolated, and even if you have a baby group nearby it's often the same 3 people every week. I would have loved to have done something like this when mine were little - a sense of community, friends of all ages/walks of life, a change of scenary, headspace when the same four walls and never-ending breastfeeds were wearing me down. They say "it takes a village" for a reason. Fair play for finding your village, OP.
Thereās some evidence to show that babies are evolved to demand more than their parents can actually give. Ā Theyāre designed for us to fail. Ā It is neither possible nor desirable for mother to be everything her child could possibly want all day, and through the night, every day, no holidays, no weekends, year in, year out. Especially in the first year, momās mental health is a huge factor. Ā If Iām at the end of my rope, staring down the barrel of 20 hours of mothering, itās not going to go well for either of us. That hour or two of adult conversation in the evening with people I trust who are happy to bounce the baby around makes a HUGE difference. Everything I do is for her. Ā But some things are for me, for her.
I grew up in a pub. I wish I hadnāt.
Do you mind saying a bit more about that? Ā Always good to check my parenting against other peoples experiences.
I dont see any issue many pubs are like community centres! The baby seems well cared for and not abandoned!!
Do I win? We were in a pub when my partner went into labour.
What a nice story. I wish we could find community like this in the US.
When you think back to the Covid years none of this wouldāve been possible. Enjoy every moment
I wish my village had something as wholesome, all we have is a really grotty pub with what looks to be some bizarre plywood bar and the same 3 regulars every day. Then there's a social club frequented by the scummiest of the village residents A young couple who were both members of the social club have been taking their two kids there since they they were born but that's because grandma is a functioning alcoholic and does the majority of the childcare whilst mum and dad do fuck all with their lives as they are both as inbred to hell and back.
I am in Los Angeles right now vibrating with jealousy. Not only are you living where I wish I was living right now, but I wouldāve killed to have had a third place like that when I had my babies. I craved community and the tiny breaks you get from someone else holding your kid. Plus, it just sounds so FUN.
Our daughter is now 4 weeks old, and has been with us to the pub about 5 times. Sheās very well looked after, and generally reserves her crying for 12am to 4am when weāre in bed trying to sleep, so is no bother to others around us. People love talking to us about her (or the dog, if heās with us). Weāve not settled on a regular pub yet as weāve plenty of choice, but sheās been welcomed everywhere weāve been! Nice isnāt it!
I havenāt seen what has been said for the edit to be needed but pubs have always been family friendly unless stated otherwise. Some people just enjoy hating children. Continue what youāre doing if youāre happy with it. Itās good socialisation for you and your little one!
I'll be honest, my first response to a baby being in a pub so much was wtf? But then I remembered people aren't allowed to smoke in pubs anymore so it's just any other building.
In other words youāve not been to a pub in 17 years
A bit hyperbolic but yes, it's fair to say I generally avoid them.
I grew up in the 80s, spent a lot of time in Devon and a lot of that time spent in various rural pubs. ONe thing that was common, that you sadly dont see much these days were the ubiquitous 'playgrounds' they had in the garden for kids: Plastic slides shaped like elephants and the classic 1970's lethal metal climbing frames. Us kids would be sent outside with a bottle of coke and some salt & shake, told to entertain ourselves. Live rurally again now, my little town has 5 or 6 pubs, one fantastic, two fine (nothing spectacular bbut perfectly decent) and three/four shitholes. All of the pubs allow kids in. Personally I only take my son in one or two of them (the fantastic one broadly) - and have done many times. Hes 6 now. He knows the staff, a number of the regulars, and will chat to the ones hes comfortable with. He wIll happily sit at the bar with me; il have a pint, hel have a lime 'n soda (free might i add) and a packet of scampi fries. We chill and do his reading/writing homework. If i fancy a quick cigarette il nip out the front (i can still see him through the window) and leave him sitting at the bar without fear or compunction. Im very lucky to have such a nice local, and from the sounds of it you are too!
In a little town called Bittaford near Ivybridge in Devon, there's still one of those plastic trees with a slide outside. If you ever fancy a bit of nostalgia pop along. Pub is okay and safe for kids, but nothing to write home about.
I think people aiming criticism here might be projecting their own experiences and attitudes onto yours eg years ago I had a work colleague who would take his wedding ring off any time he went to a pub, so he could try to meet women. He was also the most paranoid person about the fact his wife might cheat (she didn't), because he thought his experience and attitude was everyone's. When our kids were small we went to our local with them probably weekly, and it was really nice and relaxed.
I used to work in a pub that was dog and kid friendly. There was a local who would come in with his dog Charley, and she would decide how much he got to drink. Sometimes I would have to sneak him a secret half pint into his glass, or sneaky swap his empty for a full, but the dog COULD NOT see, as she would try to knock the pint out of his hand. She'd eventually lose patience and stand by the door, he'd down his pint and they'd carry on. I used to bring dog biscuits to give him more time. She would only ever have two. They were my favourite pair and so wholesome. She didn't put up with her owner for a second.
āYa canāt give a baby boozeā
That's how pubs used to be, real community hubs. Sadly, they are VERY far and inbetween in London mow. Turned into gastro pubs and apartments. Glad you have a good one near you.
Sounds lovely š. I don't have kids but my local pub has a community feel as well which is nice when you live in London but don't have any roots / family here. Most of the people I know I do because of my local. I don't spend hours every day there but might pop in a couple of times a week for a few hours with my book. I think it's a nice way to meet people and makes you feel a bit more part of your community.
I read this and thought āmy kind of familyā superb! I also thought there would be a negative response but apparently OP, I and the Reddit world are on the same wavelength! My faith in humanity is partially restored.
This is great. Sounds like youāve got a great community and support network. Crack on.
'CAN'T GIVE BOOZE T'BABY'
Don't worry, I'm in Rhodes at current and ended up in the Greek version of my local lol!!
Itās been a day, but I wanted to say that my parents used to take me to the pub as a baby. My mum said one time a guy somehow didnāt notice until halfway through the conversation that she was nursing me (she had a cover up, but I guess he didnāt question it). They werenāt alcoholics, my mum was obviously not drinking. It was just a way for them to socialize, especially since they werenāt from England (we were only there for my dad to get his masters). I was colic at night and slept all day, so my mum got to have some peace while meeting new people and practicing her English.
Our 2 year old is a pub regular. Has been since before she was born. The few times we've gone into the pub without her because we have a babysitter for the night everyone asks where she is and jokes we aren't allowed in without her. The pub now even has a growing collection of toddler toys with the board games to keep her entertained. I hate to think what our nursery staff think when I pick her up and she says she doesn't want to go home, she wants to go to the pub!!
I am not British. I have absolutely no idea why this post ended up in my feed. But I have a great similar story to relate. When I was 2, my mom was hospitalized while pregnant with my brother. One day the smoke detectors go off and everyone is evacuated outside of the hospital. Some woman comes up to my mom and is like āoh I know your daughter.ā My mom is like āuh no sorry I think youāre mistaken, my daughter is 2.ā And sheās like āyeah no, your daughter is Brooke with curly blonde hair right? Yeah she sells snacks at the ballpark with her babysitter. I know her.ā
Americans (in America) will not ever understand British pub culture. This is wholesome af. You should be handed a passport just for this! If you were taking your child to the local spoons Iād be a bit concerned but the local pub is completely fine.
Does she get her round in?
Never once! Ā Sheās always broke š.
We loved taking our eldest to the pub when she was a baby! It was always quiet āfamilyā pubs and during the day and sheād be asleep most of the time. So much easier taking a baby than a toddler! We got to eat food we didnāt have to cook and chill for a while and it was great. By the time she was old enough to eat in the pub she absolutely loved it. Sheās always been really outgoing and friendly so loved all the attention and trying new food. It also taught her from a young age how to behave appropriately when eating out. When I was a child and we visited Ireland, there was a big pub culture in rural communities. I loved going with my family and meeting the locals. Random family friends would buy me orange juice and treats like crisps and sweets, give me coins for the video game machines (not gambling ones!), and sometimes even pocket money. I once came back from holiday with the equivalent of around Ā£300 today! I was always had a parent by my side and never had any sinister or scary interactions - everyone was just really kind and friendly and it wasnāt unusual for there to be kids in the bar, whereas I donāt think it was allowed in my country at the time. Of course, there are pubs that arenāt suitable for any kids to be in (and I wouldnāt want to hangout in those anyway!). My kids are too young to be out late so they were never exposed to any drunk/rowdy/noisy behaviour. Years ago I remember being in a club on holiday abroad at 3am and there was a young couple with a toddler asleep in a pushchair. Thatās a little bit different.
This sounds like a wonderful community, youāre so lucky! Ignore the fuckin weirdos
Good for you! I worked in a pub/brewery prior to having my baby. The owners had small children, the regulars had christenings/birthdays there. No kids allowed after 7pm and there are 3 other bars within eyesight that people can drink in if they don't want to be around families. I rarely go in without the baby because the look of disappointment I get when it's just me is pretty devastating š
Sounds like a lovely community of people. What a pub used to be and should return to being about.
I go a board games night at a pub quite often, me and my wife take our 3 month old son, one of the guys who goes often always liked holding him. Last week someone who didn't come very often asked to hold him, he puked all over her, he's not a pukey baby, I felt really bad even though it was no one's fault...
This is so wholesome š©· sounds like something straight out the 90s - a typical middle class working family, kids at the pub with their parents š©· I remember it well with so many happy memories of all my family together in one place
My little lad (4 years) loves the pub after taking him when it was warm and sunny, local has massive beer garden and play set which he loved playing on. So every time we walk past or the sun is out now, he just says, "Mucky pub?" Last bank holiday weekend, I got an argument with him as he wanted to go the pub, but I was skint cause it was the end of the month and day before pay day
This is wholesome!
My parents used to take me into pubs when I was a baby 30 odd years ago. They said the pram was always surrounded by people coming over to make a fuss and pop some money in. Even had me up at the fruit machines pressing the buttons. Pubs are social places!
C'mon! C'mon! Hurry up Harry, c'mon! Weeeeee'reee going down the pub! We're going down the pub! Kudos if ya kid's name is Harry!
Really hate children at the pub
Good thing there's more than one pub in the country then aye
You wouldn't like my local pub, with it's children's menu and ice cream sundaes and a garden that often has a bouncy castle
Youāre right! I really wouldnāt
As long as its not screaming the place down I'd prefer kids to miserable old dudes trying to talk to me about the good old days
Nah, Iād rather have miserable old dudes than the same fucking episode of coco melon on repeat
Tbf that's more the parents being lazy af than the kids but fair enough. I got put in the car if I was acting up in a restaurant as a kid,learned after the second time
What the fuck is 'grok'?
Itās a 60s thing, it means āunderstand.ā Ā Sort of the equivalent of āgettingā it. Ā Pretty sure itās from a sci-fi novel.
Which pub? I'm moving to your hood
Sounds like this could have happened in WI too.
At 3 years old sheāll be getting a mini Guinness and sucking on a Sterling Dual
We registered the birth of our wee boy when he was 9 days old, then took him for his first Spoonies lunch to celebrate. Its a right of passage.
Similar in our French village where we've been watching the various little-uns grow up over the years.
My cousin Mike would take his toddler son into the local bar. (40 years ago) Bar patrons bought Mike a shirt that said "Frank's Dad".
Absolutely love this! Wish we could've done this too, but our local had a strict "no babies or children" policy so instead our eldest has the claim to fame of being kicked out of a pub at six weeks old! Enjoy your lovely community with your little one š.
Sounds like you have an amazing community!
We took our daughter to the pub within her first two weeks. She also knows more neighbours than me so introduces me to people. She loves going to the pub, although we don't do it very often. But if we are out for the day and want to relax for a bit we'll pop into a pub. She is nearly 9 now. It's great that many pubs are kid friendly. We are lucky that one near us has a very large beer garden. We never had more than two pints as she gets bored about then.
Weāve done the same with our son, he has a staff polo shirt with ācadetā on the back. He knows the route to walk out to the kitchen and will stand at the door until they give him food! I wish I could get free food. Weāve been able to sit and have a meal as a couple because the land lady would take our son and walk him round, let him see the dogs that come in etc.
i would like to hope that I dont meet someone who has been to my funeral
This is so wholesome I almost want to know where you live so I can move there.
This is adorable.
so cute
We've taken ours to the pub since a week old, mostly for dinner so that my wife didn't have to cook. It's nice - most people there like to see a young family out and about. There's nothing unusual about this at all.
This story has made me so happy. What a lovely lovely thing. Thanks for sharing, OP!
This is really quite heartwarming
I used to take my children to the pub. Most pubs are fine with well behaved children, and most people like children. Pubs which aren't can die a slow death of five lager on tap and nothing else.
I took mine all the time (30s now), they're still friends with lots of my old friends. When they got a bit older, they'd collect a few glasses (fully supervised of course!) to 'earn' a drink and some crisps, or a lunch. They all knew them, and looked out for them when they were older and going out on their own. We had birthday parties there, and jobs when they were in college. I'd also get a phone call if they skipped school and went to town, so there were a couple of times it bit them on the arse lol
Your pub sounds lovely. Just how a local pub should be and was before they turned into restaurants.
Seems like this child is spending a hell of a lot of time at a pub. Is there perhaps something else going on?
I donāt have a job, my husband works late, I live in a tiny flat 25 meters from said pub? Ā If you want to come keep me company in the evenings, let me know!
Think theyāre implying your child in an alcoholic
Sheās always got a bottle nearby, Iāve heard.
I heard OP's baby had a lot to drink one day and wet herself.
You should hear the nonsense she chats after we get home š.
She prefers a pale ale.
Half pint for the half-pint
You can't give a baby booze.
Start them early lol. Now wait for the naysayers condemning you for doing it.
They're welcome to come and babysit anytime!
No thanks lol
That's so funny & wholesome š I don't really go to my local pubs that much, sometimes with friends but we usually go to each others houses & play boardgames or outside stuff. I'd love to start going to my local & get to know people but no idea how to start š (I'm a bit socially awkward).
Quiz nights are a good place to start! Sounds like your board games friends might be up for it.
This is awesome!
It sounds lovely
I spent lots of my childhood in a country pub, still go back there as often as I can. They can be lovely places to grow up! Plus there was a couple of us kids so we kept ourselves busy
This is the most wholesome post Iāve seen today. Thank you!
My ex-gf managed a few london around Hampstead and Highgate, every single one of them was very family friendly and I wouldn't mind taking my kids to any. People don't realise there are parts of London that have that village feel.
I live in upstate New York, and thereās a little pub down the street from my apartment. Fenway and I walked past this pub 3 to 4 times a day and he would sit his chubby butt down whenever he would see the owner of the pub at his car ( and the guy would get up, open his trunk and give Fenway dog cookies). When the pub was open, he would shoulder his way in if the bar was open and every one would greet Fenway and heād work his way through the room to get scratches and pets and Iād occasionally get a āHI Fenwayās momā. Dogs are great.
Quite normal to pub train your kids in the UK š„š
I'd far rather meet a baby than a dog in a pub, but glad for you that you can do both. My US niece and her husband were utterly delighted that they could take their baby to my local, demanded to go to the pub every day of their visit, and didn't believe me that many pubs would welcome babies, until I took them to others.
This is so wholesome ā¤ļø Iām glad theyāve taken you under their wing! ignore all the miserable gits commenting, you do you! I imagine the early days of being a parent can be quite lonely so itās great that youāre getting out and about! Tell me, what is your pint of choice? š
I like the beers that donāt really taste like beer so I like a sour or a Hefeweizen or a tropical IPA or some such nonsense. Ā My husband is strictly a cask bitter drinker so heās always horrified š
Well you certainly sound American
Keep your eyes out for clwb tropicana it's an ale that tastes like lilt.
Shh, not allowed to call it that any more or Pepsi will sue you. It's Clwb Tropica (with Clwb Tropica NA for the alcohol-free version)
Screw pepsi and all companies that pull that copyright naming bull
I quite like the āfuck youā Tiny Rebel pulled with Clwb Tropica NA though.
Sounds like you might enjoy some English ciders if you havenāt tried them already.
Love a cider! Ā Medium dry please. Ā A Perry always goes down well too.
I wanna know which pub it is!
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I live in a tiny 1 bed flat, my husband often works late so I'm alone with the baby for most of my life, I've known everyone in my neighborhood for over a decade, and I usually have 1-2 half pints. I don't know how many months you've spent in one small room alone with a baby but it's not great for either of us. Thanks for your judgement though, let me know if you're up for babysitting!
Reddit parenting commentary was the eye opener I needed to recognise that the majority of people on this site are not people IRL I'd even spare two minutes with if they started spouting their nonsense.Ā
Every now and then, I'm reminded that this website selects for antisocial shut ins. Didn't know spending time with my community would incite so much pearl clutching.
This comment is more pathetic
When I worked in pubs, I (and everyone else) hated people who raise their kids in the pub. It's just so scummy.
Where I live there's a small craft beer bar where the owner regularly has their children in and where all their friends bring their children and it's an incredible welcoming and social atmosphere enjoyed by everyone. Shame you worked in such a horrible place.
Mate I feel you have a certain image in your head here, probably coloured by where you grew up. Nothing she had said suggests she's doing anything wrong. Babies gonna baby wherever they are, who gives a shit if it's down her local while some folks give her a hand so she can enjoy her meal? Jesus Christ...
I presume you don't work in pubs anymore because you're a miserable so and so?