A MUM is raging after staff at a cafe handed her a dustpan and brush and told her to clean up her baby’s mess.
The woman took to Mumsnet to vent her frustration and sparking a debate about who was right.
1
She wrote: “I go with a group of friends and our babies to a café each week. Apparently, the week before last, the café manager had a go at one of the mums because she said that her baby made a mess under his high chair and she didn’t clean it up before she left.
“This week, as I was packing up to leave – with a screaming overtired baby who is refusing to nap because of teething – she gave me a dustpan and brush and pointed at the few bits of food under her high chair and asked me to clean up after myself. It’s advertised as a very family-friendly cafe.
“Is it unreasonable to ask a parent to clean the floor after their baby? I’m torn because on the one side, I can see how it would be annoying for the staff.
“On the other hand, I don’t bring cleaning materials with me and it’s advertised as family-friendly which I would think would mean they’re aware that babies make mess!”
Not everyone was so sympathetic.
One user posted: “I’d say food on the floor is beyond the realms of normal mess and I’d expect to be asked to clean it up. People are absolute rotters in cafes and restaurants.”
Another said: “When my son was at that stage of dropping things from a high chair, I would ask for a dustpan and brush or use wipes to tidy up. It’s just polite to the staff.”
A third said: “If they offer you the dustpan and brush and your baby made the mess with food, I would clean it up before I left.
“Surely you sweep it up whilst your baby is still in highchair? It would take one minute to do it.”
While a fourth said: “You should have cleared up after your baby. I’m shocked at how often I see people walking out and leaving a mess all over the floor.
“If an adult dropped food they’d pick it up. So you should do that for your baby, too.”
