The Adventures of Baby Arthur

by Lincoln & Liz

I never noticed babies in bars until Liz was pregnant. Once I did start noticing, I was not a fan. First, let me clarify what I mean by a "baby in a bar" by defining the situation I am referring to. In New York City and other dense metropolitan areas like Manhattan, there is a very fine line between a restaurant/bar and a full fledged BAR where adults meet, greet and frolic. Many places are regular restaurants by day and hopping hot spots by night (let's say 10PM). By hopping hot spots, I mean that the music is cranking, the chatter is deafening and people are there to DRINK even if the establishment might still be serving food. This is the situation I am talking about: Past 10PM at a place where adults have gone to drink and socialize.

Here are two situations that I witnessed that made me feel the way I do.

Situation #1: It was past 10pm and I was hanging out with a few friends for a late meal and drinks when a large group with an infant walked in. The infant was asleep (or trying to), with earmuffs on while his parents and their friends were doing their thing. Maybe they were on vacation. Maybe they keep late hours. Whatever the reason, it bothered me. Let the poor baby sleep in his crib or bed!

Situation #2: It was past 10pm, and I was hanging out with a few friends for DRINKS. A party of adults had reserved a part of the bar for a gathering of some sort. Among them was a family of five (5) with three (3) boys ages six through twelve (my guess). While me and my buddies watched the Yankee game, the three boys were lined up at the bar doing shots of water. Well it looked like water anyway. I'm assuming the bartender wouldn't be serving vodka to children! This also bothered me. Right or wrong, I didn't feel comfortable with that scene. Give me some credit for trying not to judge!

So then the other day I came across this article on CitySearch about baby friendly bars around the city. Now I began to wonder, is this baby-in-bar thing a new trend? Is it a Manhattan phenomenon? To help answer this question, Liz did some poking around our favorite baby resource, BabyCenter. Here were some of the main points:

• In an unscientific survey of 53 mothers, 70% shared our discomfort with babies in bars.
• Believe it or not, not only is it common for minors to drink with their parents in Wisconsin, it is legal!
• The most common concern among mothers is second-hand smoke. A legitimate concern, but thankfully NYC has a non-smoking law in place for all restaurants and bars.

Some of those that commented mentioned that they felt it was okay to bring a baby to bar during the daytime. Or that if a restaurant they were eating at happened to have a bar, it was no big deal. Or that the bowling alley that they frequented had a bar and that they didn't think it was a problem.

I couldn't agree more!

Just the other weekend, Liz, Arthur and I went to an impromptu wings eating contest at a BAR where plenty of beer was consumed.

This is not the kind of situation I am talking about. I do not think there's anything wrong with bringing Arthur along to an innocuous situation, like a wings eating contest at 12pm, and having a beer for myself. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I completely understand that parents need to maintain their own sanity by doing things for themselves once in awhile, like having drinks past 10pm! However, sometimes it's just better to leave the kid at home with a babysitter. Spending a little extra time planning a night out can go a long way for everyone!

Whaddya mean you want to check my ID??

Labels: parenting