Babies in the dining room

[TnTnFlorida]

[quote name='Almost Packed']

I do not believe at the first sound a child makes should the child be removed and the parent left in exile

my biggest complaint about the op's original comment was stating that the dining room should be for adults only and i completely disagree with that! that's where my beef lies on this thread. [/quote]

[SIZE=4]You continue to put words in my mouth. I never said the dining room should be for adults only. On my cruise in May my 9 year old nephew and 2 year old niece were with us every night in the dining room and I loved having them there. But since the dining room is "an adult place", (as opposed to a park, a McDonalds, a preschool, the Lido deck, etc...) when the 2 year old was crying, my brother or SIL took her out for some quiet time. A baby learning to self sooth is a good thing... at the park or McDonalds, or the Lido deck. Not in a formal dining room on a cruise ship. It is just not considerate of fellow passengers. And for the record, again, the crying really didn't bother me, but several at our table made comments every night because they were bothered. Out of courtesy to them, or anyone else who does not want to listen to a crying baby while having a nice meal, it would be the courteous thing to remove the baby. It is also the kindest thing to do for the baby, who is obviously not happy. But it sounds like poor mommy would feel she is in exile if she has to leave with her baby, so who is being selfish here? [/SIZE]
[SIZE=4] [/SIZE]

[awhcruiser]

[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][B][COLOR=Purple]Well said...And as for exile shouldn't that have been thought out before the cruise?? [/COLOR][/B][/SIZE][/FONT]

[quote name='TnTnFlorida'][SIZE=4]You continue to put words in my mouth. I never said the dining room should be for adults only. On my cruise in May my 9 year old nephew and 2 year old niece were with us every night in the dining room and I loved having them there. But since the dining room is "an adult place", (as opposed to a park, a McDonalds, a preschool, the Lido deck, etc...) when the 2 year old was crying, my brother or SIL took her out for some quiet time. A baby learning to self sooth is a good thing... at the park or McDonalds, or the Lido deck. Not in a formal dining room on a cruise ship. It is just not considerate of fellow passengers. And for the record, again, the crying really didn't bother me, but several at our table made comments every night because they were bothered. Out of courtesy to them, or anyone else who does not want to listen to a crying baby while having a nice meal, it would be the courteous thing to remove the baby. It is also the kindest thing to do for the baby, who is obviously not happy. But it sounds like poor mommy would feel she is in exile if she has to leave with her baby, so who is being selfish here? [/SIZE]
[/quote]

[LemurCat]

[quote name='awhcruiser'][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][B][COLOR=purple]Well said...And as for exile shouldn't that have been thought out before the cruise?? [/COLOR][/B][/SIZE][/FONT][/quote]

Or before you had the kid?

(I love my friends that rushed into getting married and starting families just to complain that they can't go out to the bars or hang out the way they used to. Naahhh, ya think? What, did you think the baby was just going to go to sleep like a computer when you wanted to go out for the night? Sheesh.)

[halos]

[quote name='TnTnFlorida'] We just got off the Fascination this morning, and every night in the Imagination diningroom there was a baby who would start [COLOR="Red"]crying[/COLOR] about 15-20 minutes into the meal. ... I know things may be different now, but if they are fussing, be considerate to your fellow diners...please... and remove the [COLOR="red"]crying[/COLOR] baby![/QUOTE]

[quote name='Almost Packed']please let me make myself clear.


I do not believe at the first sound a child makes should the child be removed and the parent left in [COLOR="Red"][B]exile[/B][/COLOR]. lol...a child can self soothe...hopefully and recover quickly. it's a great learning experience for them. of course any prolonged crying/tantrum etc. should be taken care of.

.[/QUOTE]

Still the Drama ....the baby was not 'fussing' the baby was crying. Did you read the post?
It wasn't a one time incident either.


EXILE??
Please...c'mon. Any considerate parent out there knows what it's like to remove themself when their little one is out of sorts and disrupting someone else's peace.....
(and to the one or two posters who compare adults laughing loudly and having a good time to a screaching baby...don't even try it :rolleyes:)
...and yes it sucks but it isn't [B][I]exile[/I][/B] for goodness sake. good grief!
It's OUR JOB
It's our responsibility...not just to other people..yes, everyone should be considerate of other people, but it would seem that removing a baby from a situation would also be the surest and best way to figure out what the heck they are crying about, and soothing your baby should be first and foremost in a parent's mind. Finishing their dinner will just have to come second.
Tough poop. That's what parenting is...no longer being first.
It also means never getting a good night's sleep because you always are on alert, giving up 90% of your adult fun (sitting on the floor playing Chutes and Ladders replaces nights out with your spouse), as well as a good portion of your social life, sometimes a career..and for sure [B]and[/B] 20+ years (depending on how many children you choose to have)
of massive responsibility.
Leaving your dinner to sit for 10 minutes is NOTHING in the grand scheme of things. If a parent can't handle that, I can't imagine how they deal with all the rest.

[quote name='LemurCat']Or before you had the kid?

(I love my friends that rushed into getting married and starting families just to complain that they can't go out to the bars or hang out the way they used to. Naahhh, ya think? What, did you think the baby was just going to go to sleep like a computer when you wanted to go out for the night? Sheesh.)[/QUOTE]

LOL!! I have the complete opposite...friends with young kids and mine are grown so I am free to do 'whatever' (I am a virtual NCL commercial!!)
If you have kids, it doesn't matter when you have them...you have to pay the dues. Personally, I am thrillld that I had mine before I was smart enough to know any better.

[awhcruiser]

:D Too funny but so true...

[quote name='LemurCat']Or before you had the kid?

(I love my friends that rushed into getting married and starting families just to complain that they can't go out to the bars or hang out the way they used to. Naahhh, ya think? What, did you think the baby was just going to go to sleep like a computer when you wanted to go out for the night? Sheesh.)[/quote]

[Lady_Jag]

[quote name='LemurCat'](I love my friends that rushed into getting married and starting families just to complain that they can't go out to the bars or hang out the way they used to. Naahhh, ya think? What, did you think the baby was just going to go to sleep like a computer when you wanted to go out for the night? Sheesh.)[/quote]

You mean you can't just leave them at home with a big pile of dry food and big bowl of water?!? :eek:

[cruisincory]

My wife and I are cruising at this time in our life because we do not have any kids yet. I dont mind kids being on the ship. But I dont have any kids and I dang sure dont want to here one while I am trying to enjoy my meal. If they are crying, take them out, calm them down, then come back. If they wont calm down, then take them to the room.

On our cruise in August, there was a 1-2 y/o in the MDR that was totally disrupting service. He was so dang cute that all the waitresses would stop and play or talk to him. His parents dressed him up in a little suit and tie. Just plain adorable. This kind of disruption I dont mind because it doesnt give me a headache :)

[pjhootch]

Boy I would have liked to leave mine in a room with some food and a water bowl. We had twins who were completely uncivilized from birth until about six, no matter what we did. As a result, we didn't see movies or eat in sit down restaurants for several years. My eldest was a really easy baby that stopped fussing if you picked her up- and it lulled us into foolishly thinking it might be a good idea to have another one- or two.

I agree that places like the main dining room are adult oriented and children shouldn't be allowed to run wild or fuss for long. A fussing baby should be soothed, and if it is like my two little monsters were, it needs to be removed so other folks can eat in peace. A baby in a situation where it can't be calmed generally works itself into quite a state and probably is miserable as a result.

I just wouldn't have tried to cruise when the twins were small because I couldn't have relaxed and enjoyed myself. I couldn't even handle a trip to the grocery store with both of them because someone was always having a meltdown or shooting off in opposite directions, regardless of discipline on our parts. When they started to behave they got to go into grown up places and now they have wonderful manners (in college at this point). We didn't even attempt Disney until they were about six years old, because I couldn't see how it would be fun for them with someone always crying and my husband and I getting frustrated and short tempered. Not to mention, it made my eldest really unhappy to have the little ones carrying on and wrecking her fun.

I'm not suggesting parents with small children shouldn't cruise, so don't jump all over me. I'm just stating (as a former parent of constantly wailing babies) that parents need to be considerate of others and also figure out what they themselves can give up to avoid stressing their children.

[BIG_Steve]

[quote name='pjhootch']
I'm not suggesting parents with small children shouldn't cruise, so don't jump all over me. I'm just stating (as a former parent of constantly wailing babies) that parents need to be considerate of others and also figure out what they themselves can give up to avoid stressing their children.[/QUOTE]

There are a lot of folks in the world who can't wait to be offended. We all know the type. One subgroup would be the folks who bristle when they even see kids in a restaurant. I don't know the OP or anything about them. But I do know that most folks who can't stand kids tend to start out with "we love children...BUT" Not speaking for anyone else here. But I assume some of the folks assumed (perhaps incorrectly) that the OP may be one of those folks.

[GWoman8920]

[quote name='GayleR']I totally agree with Halos. I had 3 kiddos in 15 months. When they were babies, we would go to dinner at 4:30. If one of them cried, either DH or I would take them outside. There was even a time when we were traveling, we stopped at a hotel for the night and all 3 babies were screaming. I couldn't get them to calm down for anything. Long story short we packed up and left the hotel at 3am so we didn't disturb the other guests. I expect the same courtesy in public. If you baby/toddler is crying uncontrolably, you need to remove them from the public area. BTW, my babies are now 18, 16, and 16.[/quote]


I work in a hotel, and may I just say God bless you for that! There is nothing worse than being a hotel manager and having to knock on someone's door and tell them that their children are being too loud!

[luddite]

[quote name='Lady_Jag']You mean you can't just leave them at home with a big pile of dry food and big bowl of water?!? :eek:[/quote]

Apparently you also cannot take them back to the shelter and say "this isn't working out, here's a $50 donation and I'd like to try that brindle over there.":D

[trock]

As most of you guys stated..please if the child is not settling down and crying please take them out for a little attention...
Last cruise a table over from us had a family and the baby cried and cried.. actually he was a toddler because they put him on the floor and let him crawl around... YES they did and one of the waiters almost tripped over him!

Crawling and crying... i guess enough people gave them the eye because they decided to leave..
We applauded.. we couldn't help ourselves..


lol

[Nunu]

So what have we learned? :confused:

[Sherman Oaks]

[quote name='TnTnFlorida']I love babies as much as the next person, but if they are fussing, please remove them from the dining room. My brother brought his baby on our cruise in May, and if she was fussy, either her mom or dad took her back to the cabin for some quiet time or a nap. We just got off the Fascination this morning, and every night in the Imagination diningroom there was a baby who would start crying about 15-20 minutes into the meal. I was so grateful that we were two tables away, and not any closer. I found these parents to be rude and inconsiderate. When I had babies I didn't take them to adult places... I know things may be different now, but if they are fussing, be considerate to your fellow diners...please... and remove the crying baby![/quote]
I think they owe you a free cruise.

[cruzin momma]

I love kids, but on our last cruise we were seated with a family with a 12 month old & a 3 year old. Each night, the mother breast-fed the 12 month old without even trying to cover herself. This child ate regular food & didn't act like she was hungry - I'm not sure why this was necessary or why it couldn't have been done a little more discretely. You should have seen the old men from the surrounding tables staring!! Oh, and the best part was the night the 3 year old ran out of the dining room shouting "I gotta go POOPY!!" :D

[wizard-of-roz]

[quote name='cathyoo']I don't know how any parent can just ignore crying. A baby crying cuts through me like a knife. If it was my own child I worried about them getting on people's nerves. Someone else's baby I worry about what is wrong with the child.

I do expect people to take their child from a situation if they are intruding on others. I don't have a right to scream and yell in a public place and neither does my child.

When I traveled frequently for work I always prayed that I would not be stuck on a long plane ride with a crying child. However, when it did happen I had nothing but sympathy for the parents. That's one situation where you just can't get up and leave and some babies just don't travel well.[/quote]

[COLOR=indigo][B]Your comments made the most sense and I totally agree with all that you've said![/B][/COLOR]

[cathyoo]

[quote name='cruzin momma']I love kids, but on our last cruise we were seated with a family with a 12 month old & a 3 year old. Each night, the mother breast-fed the 12 month old without even trying to cover herself. This child ate regular food & didn't act like she was hungry - I'm not sure why this was necessary or why it couldn't have been done a little more discretely. You should have seen the old men from the surrounding tables staring!! Oh, and the best part was the night the 3 year old ran out of the dining room shouting "I gotta go POOPY!!" :D[/QUOTE]

The trouble with covering yourself when you are nursing it usually means your child's face is also hidden. I nursed but back in the day where I had to leave the room and go somewhere private. I'm always glad to see women who treat it as naturally as if they were feeding their child with a bottle. I commend that mother even if I was never that comfortable. I remember my stepfather and father in law asking if I was covered up if they thought I might be nursing.

The people that would have drawn my disapproval or the old staring gentlemen. I also don't find it horrible that a three year old announced they had to go "poopy". It would be nice if the child has just said "I need to go to the bathroom" but children often say what they think.

[WhansaMi]

[quote name='USNUZULOOSE']I do not mean to sound disrespectful. Just because we are on a ship and know there are babies, what is the difference if you went out to a resturant and there are babies in there. Are you going to make an announcement? I am a mother and my children are adults, I recently lost my daughter, what I would not give to have her back and hear cry. It would be wonderful to know that maybe there are ladies who hear this and maybe say a kind word to the parent. They can get just as frustrated themselves. I have said my two cents worth so go ahead and flame away. My hearts go out to all you mothers!! Jo:)[/QUOTE]

I don't think anyone would flame you. I certainly wouldn't.

But, I do want to gently remind you that it isn't really reasonable to live ours lives as if our children were going to die tomorrow. I wouldn't go to work. I wouldn't send my kids to school. My kids would get everything they wanted. All well and good for a short period, but in the long run, no. They wouldn't learn to stand on their own feet.

IMO, if a baby is crying in a restaurant, on a ship, or on land, it is up to the parents to remove them from other diners. Having children was my choice, and my responsibility. I can't expect people who didn't make that decision to have to put up with that.

I'm sorry for your loss. I understand what you are saying. But, you are speaking retrospectively. Most of us have to assume our children will be around, and treat them according.

[Yvonne]

Actually I've never really understood why anyone would want to bring an infant (not even walking yet) or a young (age 1-2) toddler on a cruise. I think they should be left at home with grandparents. But that's a whole other thread. :D

[lillian marie]

I've had to sit at dinner with some old, cranky, unhappy and extremely opinionated people at dinner. In fact one of the old guys favorite dinner conversations was how to take the tips off your credit card at the end of the cruise cause old people shouldn't be expected to tip. Hey a crying baby would have been a great improvement over the "elderly cheating the waiter-room steward lectures at dinner". Everyone was a child once and kids aren't programmed to always behave but at least kids don't know any better (and even the child is expected to pay tips.)

[Kurbanfan]

[quote name='Yvonne']Actually I've never really understood why anyone would want to bring an infant (not even walking yet) or a young (age 1-2) toddler on a cruise. I think they should be left at home with grandparents. But that's a whole other thread. :D[/quote]

I totally agree........not me:D

[Tbay-eh]

[quote name='pjhootch']Boy I would have liked to leave mine in a room with some food and a water bowl. We had twins who were completely uncivilized from birth until about six, no matter what we did. As a result, we didn't see movies or eat in sit down restaurants for several years. My eldest was a really easy baby that stopped fussing if you picked her up- and it lulled us into foolishly thinking it might be a good idea to have another one- or two.

I agree that places like the main dining room are adult oriented and children shouldn't be allowed to run wild or fuss for long. A fussing baby should be soothed, and if it is like my two little monsters were, it needs to be removed so other folks can eat in peace. A baby in a situation where it can't be calmed generally works itself into quite a state and probably is miserable as a result.

I just wouldn't have tried to cruise when the twins were small because I couldn't have relaxed and enjoyed myself. I couldn't even handle a trip to the grocery store with both of them because someone was always having a meltdown or shooting off in opposite directions, regardless of discipline on our parts. When they started to behave they got to go into grown up places and now they have wonderful manners (in college at this point). We didn't even attempt Disney until they were about six years old, because I couldn't see how it would be fun for them with someone always crying and my husband and I getting frustrated and short tempered. Not to mention, it made my eldest really unhappy to have the little ones carrying on and wrecking her fun.

I'm not suggesting parents with small children shouldn't cruise, so don't jump all over me. I'm just stating (as a former parent of constantly wailing babies) that parents need to be considerate of others and also figure out what they themselves can give up to avoid stressing their children.[/QUOTE]

Wow - what a refreshing post, someone who actually admits that their kids are not perfect. I enjoyed your post and had a few chuckles. I was fortunate that our children were fairly well behaved but believe me we had our moments. We did not cruise or do Disney until they were at the age that they could behave, listen to reason and remember the trips, up until then we camped, visited family and did land vacations. I am one of those people who has no problem talking to a parent or child when they are being disruptive, in a nice manner of course (ya sure). I was in WalMart one day when a kid, old enough to know better, was just screaming, the mother was ignoring him - I turned to the kid and said "shut up already". He did but if looks could kill I would have been dead on the spot. My kids - 6 and 9 at the time were mortified but later said "way to go - you wouldn't let us away with that" Children are children and should be treated as such and not mini adults who know and follow the etiquette rules, that is a parents job. Congrats on being a great parent - your kids will thank you for it as do many of us.

[Kurbanfan]

[quote name='lillian marie']I've had to sit at dinner with some old, cranky, unhappy and extremely opinionated people at dinner. In fact one of the old guys favorite dinner conversations was how to take the tips off your credit card at the end of the cruise cause old people shouldn't be expected to tip. Hey a crying baby would have been a great improvement over the "elderly cheating the waiter-room steward lectures at dinner". Everyone was a child once and kids aren't programmed to always behave but at least kids don't know any better (and even the child is expected to pay tips.)[/quote]

That's what is great about anytime dining......

[USNUZULOOSE]

[quote name='WhansaMi']I don't think anyone would flame you. I certainly wouldn't.

But, I do want to gently remind you that it isn't really reasonable to live ours lives as if our children were going to die tomorrow. I wouldn't go to work. I wouldn't send my kids to school. My kids would get everything they wanted. All well and good for a short period, but in the long run, no. They wouldn't learn to stand on their own feet.

IMO, if a baby is crying in a restaurant, on a ship, or on land, it is up to the parents to remove them from other diners. Having children was my choice, and my responsibility. I can't expect people who didn't make that decision to have to put up with that.

I'm sorry for your loss. I understand what you are saying. But, you are speaking retrospectively. Most of us have to assume our children will be around, and treat them according.[/quote]


Ok, I never mentioned about a child who was out of control and crying to not take them out and deal with the situation. I am not looking for sympathy. We do not know when our time is up. I never thought I would outlive my daughter. So please do not read into something that I did not comment on. All Im saying is children are a gift, and we need to cherish every moment with them whether they laugh, cry, fuss etc... I am not making any comments to the originial thread. Please just enjoy your time with your children. Life is to short to be upset about so little things in life. Jo

[spaceflower77]

[quote name='Nunu']Can kids even eat at Camp Carnival? I know babies wouldn't be there but what about the other age groups?[/quote]

absolutely. My 3 and 8 year old did it one night, but wanted to be back with us. My 8 year old LOVED the adult menu. My 3 yr old loved the butter, go figure ;) -- everyone enjoyed our kids, including our surrounding tables. The people would talk to our kids, dance with my daughter and everyone was actually disappointed the one night my hub and I had dinner alone! Most people like kids... NO people like obnoxious people -- kids OR parents who don't parent. We would never take our kids to the late seating... they are kids. Late seating is for adults or older pre-teen/teens. We did, however, let them stay up late at CC and then go for ice cream and/or pizza really late.

If my children HAD gotten up and run around we would have done the lido buffet or the pizza bar every single night -- or made them stay with CC. Just because you pay for a cruise doesn't entitle you to steal the experience from others who did, too. We are lucky to have CC for our kids, and the ability to eat in places other than the MDR which is a lot for some kids to sit through. We really lucked out with our kids -- their desire to go to the MDR with us outweighed their need to be antsy. They knew if they disbehaved they wouldn't be coming back.

The staff and passengers nearby helped make this the most memorable trip the kids have ever been on... they ask routinely when we can go back and my son asked for a cruise for his 10th bday... as you can see, we booked the Triumph for 10/10 -- we are SO excited.