That's not BLW, that's just plain rude.

[angelstardust]

Fell a need to rant.

My parents own a coffee shop and while DS2 is at nursery I go there for a cuppa and feed Amber. Today while I was in a couple came in with a baby the same age as Amber, put baby in the highchair, ordered a tea and a coffee and gave the baby a fromage frais. But they held the pot and let the baby use his hands, so fromage frais went everywhere, and I mean everywhere. All over the high chair (Ikea one), all over the throw blanket that I use to pad the chair (the blow up thing is a load of rubbish), all over the table (how that happened I have no idea).

Laughing my Mum said 'oh, someone likes to make a mess' and they replied 'oh yeah, he's doing baby led weaning so he's got to feed himself'.

So then baby is all done, they bring out the wipes and my Mum asks if they would like a cloth, no they are all right with wipes. They clean baby up, one pays for the tea and coffee and then they leave.

Fair enough, but they left the high chair covered in yogurt and everything else!

Is it just me or would most people clean the highchair up? I do no matter where I am (home, coffee shop, elsewhere), especially when they have made such a mess?

Or does baby led weaning now mean make as much mess as possible and just leave it for someone else to clean up?

Sits way up there with leaving the nappy sitting on the changing mat, open, and its a poo!

 

[Mum2b_Claire]

I do BLW and I would not offer very messy / runny foods when out. You have to be considerate whatever type of weaning you do. I've probably left bits of food on the floor at a cafe but I wouldn't leave a highchair covered in food.

 

[angelstardust]

Glad you agree! I don't think holding a pot of yogurt is BLW either. Made me mad, both on a business level (all that cleaning for a lousy tea and coffee) and a personal level (my daughter has to sit in that as well as other children).

Everyone leaves food on the floor, that is expected, and the chair gets antibac'd anyway, but I really can't describe the level of mess. I'm on a right rant about it!

 

[kirsten1985]

I would never offer something like a yoghurt if we were out, and I have always picked up every bit of food that Freya has dropped, as well as feeling really bad about it!

I agree that that is rude and unnecessary. Also surely a cloth is better than wipes anyway.

 

[Mum2b_Claire]

Holding a pot or bowl of yoghurt then letting the baby eat it with their hands is something that quite a few BLW parents do - otherwise the pot/bowl would just be thrown!

But as you say, not in a cafe unless you were prepared to clean it all up yourself.

 

[faille]

We do BLW and I would always clean up as much as physically possible and if it meant "leaving" some for the staff to clean then I'd at least apologise!

But like the other girls, I wouldn't give such messy food in a public place anyway.

 

[purple_socks]

i agree that is very rude!
holding a pot of yogart 4 LO to eat with his hands is indeed something that happens in BLW...i offer Kian things like yogart and let him eat it with his hands (sometimes i hold a loaded spoon 4 him to take off me but usually the spoon is more interesting so eating with hands works better) but i wouldn't do that while we were out or round someones house! because i know how messy that would b! and if i did choose to offer food like that when we were out i would def clean up after!

I think food+children generally means some amount of mess whether ur BLW or not but i think everyone should make every effort to clean up as much as pos (and like others say if i do end up leaving something that i can't clean up then it doesn't hurt to say sorry abt it!)

tsk tsk tsk

 

[Tsia]

some people.. BLW is finger foods as far as I can tell.. and fromage frais isnt a finger food!!! unless its been dipped in by a rusk!!
How ludicrous.. can you imagine the state of their house? omg!

 

[JayleighAnn]

some people.. BLW is finger foods as far as I can tell.. and fromage frais isnt a finger food!!! unless its been dipped in by a rusk!!
How ludicrous.. can you imagine the state of their house? omg!

You can, but most of us offer it on a rice cake or a pre loaded spoon. The bible says to let them do it with their hands, I tried it once (at home, and cleaned up afterwards lol) and Halen just moisturised the highchair tray lol

I always clean up after my LO's mess, and never offer runny food like yogurt when I'm out. I offered him peas once when we where out...that was a mistake! I spent most of the evening chasing peas round the floor lol

 

[Aidan's Mummy]

They could have cleaned it up. But I'm sure they didnt mean to be so rude. Sometimes if I ask for a cloth in a cafe I get a right look of some people
xx

 

[kirsten1985]

BLW is finger foods as far as I can tell.. and fromage frais isnt a finger food!!!

BLW isn't finger foods, it's just normal food. Can be anything like soup, mashed potato, yoghurt, anything runny as well as stuff they can hold. BLW is just about letting them eat it themselves, whatever it is.

 

[Kitten]

Theakston 'eats' (plays with) yoghurt for breakfast but when out I just offer Organix snacks and stuff like that. He made a right mess in a cafe on Friday but I cleaned it all up with wipes & put it all on my plate and the guy just came and took it away & tipped it in the bin. Leave things as you'd want to find them.

 

[AP]

I was raging today, I put Alex in a high chair in a posh bar for lunch today an it was actually mucky as hell, bits of toast down it and all!

 

[purple_socks]

i keep finding highchairs when i'm out and about r really dirty! theres always loads of caked on food all over the straps. I always wipe the straps of a chair Kians been in!

i've just got a travel highchair to avoid these kind of problems...it folds up and turns into a little bag so i can take my mess home with me

 

[Mum2b_Claire]

Purple socks which one did you get? I'm going to buy one of these

 

[lisac25]

Leave things as you'd want to find them.

couldnt have said it any better

 

[indy and lara]

I put a plastic sheet on the floor when wew are out to collect all Emma's dropped bits and clean up the mess. It is not someone else's job to clean up after my daughter.

I don't do yoghurt outside the house either!!!

 

[saraendepity]

yeah i'm with everyone else....i wouldnt offer yog when out.....and i ALWAYS clear up as much as i possibly can before i leave....or i'll ask for something to use to clean up...usualy they tell me not to bother and its ok...i HATE leaving messes .....

 

[tasha41]

Oh my goodness, one of my greatest pet peeves.

I worked at McDonald's a LOOONG time and people are always leaving half eaten cheeseburgers and bits of nasty in the high chairs... I always tidy up after my daughter!! And I try to offer "neat" foods while out because it's unfair on the staff to have to clean up the extra mess IMO... even if it does end up being "their job" to clean up messes like that when they are left.. it's bloody disgusting, I don't want to clean up the food your kid smeared around and chewed up and then spat out and sat in and played around with!!

 

[Pyrrhic]

Its got nothing to do with BLW IMO. People who wean traditionally can leave mess too. It's about inconsiderate people who don't think. I can't count the number of times I've gone somewhere and high chairs are dirty. I always clean a highchair after LO has eaten, even if it doesn't look messy.