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‘Café manager gave me a dustpan and brush to clean up after my baby’: mum is left furious – but who do you think was right?
- Mum was asked to wipe under her baby’s highchair before leaving the cafe
- Woman went to UK parenting forum to ask if cafe staff were reasonable
- She explained that it advertised itself as family-friendly – but clearly didn’t like clutter
- Many mothers did not feel sorry and said that after babies you always have to clean up
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A mother has sparked a furious debate by questioning whether cafe staff were reasonable in asking her to clean up after her baby.
said the woman on the UK parenting forum Mumsnet she had taken her child to a “family-friendly cafe.”
But when she left, a member of staff bought her a dustpan and brush and asked her to sweep under her child’s high chair.
The post divided opinion on the site, with some saying she should of course clean up the mess and others claiming the cafe worker was rude.
Babies routinely make a mess when they eat – but should you clean up when you’re in a cafe? (stock image)
In her post, the woman said that she and a group of friends go to a cafe every week.
She wrote that one of her friends was scolded by the manager last week for not cleaning up her baby’s mess under the high chair.
And she said that — on a more recent occasion — when she was packing to leave, she was handed a dustpan and brush to sweep up food that her child had dropped.
She added that if it had been an unreasonable amount of mess, of course she would have cleaned it up automatically.
Still, she explained it was just a few pieces on the floor.
She then told the story to her mother, who was horrified by the cafe and encouraged her to leave a negative review.
But she was “torn” by the situation and so sought advice from Mumsnet users.
The original post explained how the mother didn’t know if the staff was reasonable or not
However, her post did not garner much sympathy.
Most mothers were very critical of her for not cleaning up the baby mess.
One of them wrote: ‘It amazes me how often I see people walk out and leave a mess on the floor.
“If an adult dropped food, they would pick it up. So you have to do the same for your baby.’
Another wrote, “Unfortunately, many parents don’t clean up after the kids when they’re gone or let them run loose because the place is kid-friendly.”
A third wrote: ‘If I walk into a cafe and there’s food on the floor, I walk out.
“If the staff are busy and I’ve caused the mess, I think it’s only right that I clean it up.”
Others suggested the café was probably trying to discourage the group of mothers from coming.
One wrote that the group probably overstayed, made a mess, and didn’t buy much, while another wrote that the food on the floor was beyond the scope of “normal junk.”
Another user wrote, “Obviously they’re tired of you and your friends leaving a mess.”
Another wrote how bar staff often had very low wages and were there to take orders, serve food, take payments and wipe tables between customers.
They wrote that waiters and waitresses should not do “mega-cleans” that small children inevitably need after dinner.
Many Mumsnet users were unsympathetic, saying she should have cleaned up the mess automatically
But there was a little bit of sympathy for the mother, and some said the cafe was out of line.
One of them wrote: ‘Sounds like they have a bit of an opinion about it and I’d take my business elsewhere. Giving you a dustpan and brush?? wtf!’
A second wrote: ‘It’s super off getting dustpan and dustpan! But how much rubbish was there?’
But others said the cafe was out of order and it was ‘super strange’ to be handed a dustpan and brush after dinner