Since we have had Olivia, I realise how difficult life with a buggy can be. Some shops have become totally off-limits because the hassle of steps, heavy doors or narrow aisles. I am amazed that now that they have those cool double-decker buggies for two children that people still have traditional side-by-side double buggies; I find it difficult to get my single buggy in some shops.
You become persona-non-grata in many restaurants and cafes. My friend S_ and I recently went out for lunch to a local restaurant with Olivia and her youngest child, baby G_. When we got there the place was empty but unfortunately we walked in at the same time as another pair of mothers with prams and I think they thought they were going to be inundated with babies. Pretty much as soon as we sat down we got the hard sell about the prams - did they fold down - yes - but the babies were in them and I generally use both hands to eat!!! This was 11.30am on a Monday lunchtime and the place remained empty throughout our visit - by the time we left at 1pm there was us, the other two mums and one other table of four. They were by no means expecting a rush of people but still felt obliged to point out to us that we would have to do something with the prams if it got busy. I think they did realise that they had over done it a bit as they then started fussing around asking us if it was warm enough for the babies and offering to put the heating up. I don't think we will be going there again in a hurry.
Some places go so far as to put signs up. It is phrased as 'sorry, no buggies or prams allowed' but you have to wonder if they aren't just trying to make it hard to bring a buggy because they don't want babies. When we were all pregnant, the NCT girls used to visit a certain local coffee shop but that is now a no-go area as they do not allow prams. Even places which don't mind babies are logistically impossible to access as there is nowhere to put a buggy. Last week we went somewhere that is baby friendly , with changing facilities with free nappies etc. but there is just no space to put more than about 2 buggies. We started off outside on the patio and when it turned out to be too cold for the babies, they pushed together some tables inside and the six of us were all in a line facing a wall and didn't end up eating lunch as we had to leave the buggies outside and hold the babies on our laps!!! We end up going somewhere that sells really mediocre food and drinks just because it has a baby room with plenty of space for the prams and also allows breastfeeding (don't even get me started on that).
The other option is to leave the buggy outside. Now, maybe I am uptight, but I don't feel comfortable leaving my buggy out in the street while I take my baby inside. There isn't anything else I own worth several hundreds of pounds which I would leave out in the rain to get stolen. Baby-oriented places such as clinics will lend buggy locks but most places do not.
When you don't have kids, you notice people pushing buggies but you never really think about the logistics of the whole thing. You also realise how inaccessible a lot of the world must be to people who use wheelchairs who have even more lmited options of where to go and how to get there.
You become persona-non-grata in many restaurants and cafes. My friend S_ and I recently went out for lunch to a local restaurant with Olivia and her youngest child, baby G_. When we got there the place was empty but unfortunately we walked in at the same time as another pair of mothers with prams and I think they thought they were going to be inundated with babies. Pretty much as soon as we sat down we got the hard sell about the prams - did they fold down - yes - but the babies were in them and I generally use both hands to eat!!! This was 11.30am on a Monday lunchtime and the place remained empty throughout our visit - by the time we left at 1pm there was us, the other two mums and one other table of four. They were by no means expecting a rush of people but still felt obliged to point out to us that we would have to do something with the prams if it got busy. I think they did realise that they had over done it a bit as they then started fussing around asking us if it was warm enough for the babies and offering to put the heating up. I don't think we will be going there again in a hurry.
Some places go so far as to put signs up. It is phrased as 'sorry, no buggies or prams allowed' but you have to wonder if they aren't just trying to make it hard to bring a buggy because they don't want babies. When we were all pregnant, the NCT girls used to visit a certain local coffee shop but that is now a no-go area as they do not allow prams. Even places which don't mind babies are logistically impossible to access as there is nowhere to put a buggy. Last week we went somewhere that is baby friendly , with changing facilities with free nappies etc. but there is just no space to put more than about 2 buggies. We started off outside on the patio and when it turned out to be too cold for the babies, they pushed together some tables inside and the six of us were all in a line facing a wall and didn't end up eating lunch as we had to leave the buggies outside and hold the babies on our laps!!! We end up going somewhere that sells really mediocre food and drinks just because it has a baby room with plenty of space for the prams and also allows breastfeeding (don't even get me started on that).
The other option is to leave the buggy outside. Now, maybe I am uptight, but I don't feel comfortable leaving my buggy out in the street while I take my baby inside. There isn't anything else I own worth several hundreds of pounds which I would leave out in the rain to get stolen. Baby-oriented places such as clinics will lend buggy locks but most places do not.
When you don't have kids, you notice people pushing buggies but you never really think about the logistics of the whole thing. You also realise how inaccessible a lot of the world must be to people who use wheelchairs who have even more lmited options of where to go and how to get there.
Makes you want to open up your own place, and call it:
ReplyDelete"Buggies Welcome...Oh, and we serve Coffee too."
I'd be soooooo annoyed.
Around me, I only know of 1 place that doesn't allow strollers on Saturdays. That's because it's a super busy store on Saturdays...it gets crazy in there! As a result, I don't go there on Saturdays. I hardly go there at all.