Post by matildasun on Sept 28, 2014 10:14:42 GMT -5
I was telling an acquaintance that we were taking the kids to the farmers' market. She stated that people had told her that it wasn't kid friendly. I have heard other people say that about the market, and I always wonder what they expect a kid friendly place to look like.
The market can be crowded, but we wear our youngest and my oldest walks. They usually get breakfast and a treat of some kind. The vendors have know them since they were tiny and talk to them. They love picking the fruit we are going to eat for the week. There are people with hula hoops, and today A helped the woman who works there build a hoop fort. There are usually people playing music, and sometimes a tap dancer. M talks about going to the market all week.
I tell everyone that it is kid friendly, but maybe I am missing something? What type of places do you consider kid friendly? As an extension what makes a restaurant kid friendly to you?
People are so weird about this. We took B to a street festival last weekend and some drunk college girl walked by and said "I would never bring my baby here." To a community event in my own neighborhood during the day? Just because you're acting crazy doesn't mean I'm going to stay home all day. I can't imagine the shenanigans that happen at the Farmer's Market. Produce! Jam!
I assume everything is kid friendly mostly. I wouldn't being her to the opera, art galleries, fancy restaurants or funerals...trying to think of others. We go over expectations before we go in and will leave if needed.
The only thing I consider not kid friendly are night clubs, strip clubs and restaurants without high chairs. There are a lot of places I don't WANT to take my kids (furniture store) but it doesn't mean it can't or won't. My kids loooooove the farmers markets.
Post by badtzmaru22 on Sept 28, 2014 10:38:51 GMT -5
We take our kids to wineries here, and sometimes get looks from other visitors, but when they serve grape juice and have changing tables in the bathrooms, to me that says kids are welcome. Plus I guarantee my two year old with videos on my iPhone is better behaved than the bachelorette parties anyway.
Half the Wendy's restaurants between here and our parents' houses (6-7 hours and three states) don't have baby changers in the bathrooms!
Outdoor things, during the day?? Totally kid friendly.
I would assume most farmer's markets are kid friendly. I take my kids there all the time, ours has bouncy castles for the kids.
Although I did go to one in another city that I would say wasn't really kid friendly. The aisles were really narrow and it was crowded so using a stroller would have been a huge pain. Plus they had a few vendors that sold stuff in bottles like olive oils, glass art, etc that could easily be knocked over. I still went (DS1 was a baby so I just wore him).
Post by redpenmama on Sept 28, 2014 10:56:14 GMT -5
Interesting. We go to our farmer's market almost every weekend and while it's crowded, there are lots of kids/families there. I can't imagine a farmer's market not being appropriate for families.
I think the definition of kid-friendly is different for every family. We tote our kids pretty much everywhere. I would avoid fine-dining establishments and bars, but that's about it.
On my playgroup's FB page, there was a big debate about whether an Oktoberfest at our Catholic church (which has about 20 game booths for kids and 10 bounce houses) was child-friendly. A bunch of people said "I would NEVER take my kids to that" because there's beer and crowds. We went and drank beer and hung out in the kids' area, so obviously some people are more rigid about what is child friendly than others.
Post by statlerwaldorf on Sept 28, 2014 10:58:36 GMT -5
Most restaurants we go to are kid friendly, but we don't go to really expensive or fancy ones. I would say a high chair and kids meals are a good indicator. There are a few pubs that are kid friendly, but only at certain times. I avoid them on Friday and Saturday nights and big game days.
I think a lot of it depends on the kid and the age. There was a time when dd was a toddler that she was not fit for public in general. Also when she started potty training, I avoided places without easy access to a bathroom for a little while. There is a big craft show I took dd when she was younger, but she is too whiny to take now.
Sometimes people say places that are not stroller friendly are not kid friendly. It's annoying when you have people at very crowded places trying to get through with a giant double stroller or jogger, but it could be perfectly fine for someone with a baby in an Ergo.
Post by chickadee77 on Sept 28, 2014 11:20:38 GMT -5
Huh. I think farmers' markets are the epitome of kid-friendly - at least the ones I've been to. Not only are most vendors excited to talk to and educate kids, every one I've attended has had kid-specific activities, too. Now, I get if someone doesn't want to wrangle their kids in a busy area, but that doesn't make something *not* kid-friendly in general.
I plan to avoid super fancy restaurants and places with breakables that are grabable, lol (like some of the high-end gift shops and galleries in the area). I guess I would evaluate on a situational basis, and depending on how my kid acts as she gets older. Something that may be okay now as a non-mobile infant might be completely out of the question with a four-year-old, KWIM?
When people say something like a farmers market or street festival is kid friendly I assume the aisles are wide for strollers and there are specific activities planned/meant for kids. We take our kids to lots of things that aren't labeled "kid friendly" but when we do I always wear the baby and leave the stroller at home.
To me, a kid friendly restaurant or establishment is one where a kid can be a kid without disturbing others (or us!) For instance, the food comes relatively quickly, crayons are provided with the menu, high chairs or boosters are available and it's on the noisier side. They might also have some sort of entertainment (like live music or a giant fish tank.)
That said, we sometimes bring our DD to places that aren't expressly "kid friendly" because she's usually a pretty chill 3 year old. So there are venues where we know she'll be fine because they're crawling with families and places we'll only attempt if she's napped and otherwise in a good mood.
That said, we make liberal use of sitters when we can!
If I was overly sensitive the only kid friendly place is Chuck E Cheese, the Zoo & fast food. Places like the Farmers Market we go to here is full off well-off baby boomers & DINKS many of whom are annoyed by kids (based on side eyes/dirty looks)...same with museums, botanic gardens, etc. But I'm not sensitive & really don't give a flying f if people don't think kids should exist outside of school & home...so I'll take mine almost anywhere. My kids are vey well behaved but I know just having 4 is offensive/annoying to people.
We will pretty much take the kids anywhere. Typically we judge family friendliness of restaurants by whether they have a kids menu and/or high chairs, but we have definitely taken DD1 to places without. We just know to remove her if she's an issue.
But we go to the farmer's market, art museums, history museums, etc every week with the girls.
That's silly. Life is kid friendly, it's how they learn.
'Not kid friendly' seems to be becoming a new code word for 'requires some parental effort.'
Eh, I don't know. I think there's an entire spectrum between "made for children" and "children unwelcome."
For instance, I have no problem taking my kid to a brewery when we can sit outside, order food and let her watch the beanbag toss game. I would take her to an art museum or a baseball game. I wouldn't take her to see Book of Mormon on Broadway or to dinner at the French Laundry or to a wine bar at 8pm on a Saturday night (even assuming we're traveling across time zones so it's not bedtime.)
It's not about effort; it's about realizing that some places really are for adults only and there are venues where adults can and should expect a kid-free atmosphere.
I can't really imagine a non-kid friendly farmers market. Pretty much any community centered outdoor event held during the day is kid friendly, IMO.
Right now, if I say a restaurant is kid friendly, I mean that it won't be the end of the world if my kids are kind of loud at times or the baby throws some food on the floor. But there are plenty of nicer places I would consider kid friendly enough for my oldest kid but not for my 1.5 yo.
Post by thatgirl2478 on Sept 28, 2014 12:47:30 GMT -5
I believe that kid friendly is more a function of adults not letting their kids act like little assholes than the actual venue. If you are aware of what your kid is doing and you don't let them touch everything (or have them ASK to touch) and act like little hell beasts, it's probably kid friendly.
Now, that doesn't extend to situations where you know your kid is going to annoy people - FANCY restaurants (ie $$$ / plate places), movie theaters during non matinee hours, libraries if the are being loud/goofy in the adult section, etc. Because even the best behaved kid is going to make SOME noise and move around more than may be appropriate in those situations.
But I think it's important to take your kids to places other than the park (where they can act like animals) or McDonalds because how else are they going to learn how to behave like civilized people?
That's silly. Life is kid friendly, it's how they learn.
'Not kid friendly' seems to be becoming a new code word for 'requires some parental effort.'
I agree with you, but i also agree with @linzercookie that there are absolutely places that are NOT designed for kids and probably on purpose. Like some wine bars, concerts, etc. A market is kid-friendly. The spa I'm going to next weekend is NOT, and I would be pissed if people brought their kids to it when I've ditched mine to go. Luckily, I think it's 21+
That's silly. Life is kid friendly, it's how they learn.
'Not kid friendly' seems to be becoming a new code word for 'requires some parental effort.'
Eh, I don't know. I think there's an entire spectrum between "made for children" and "children unwelcome."
For instance, I have no problem taking my kid to a brewery when we can sit outside, order food and let her watch the beanbag toss game. I would take her to an art museum or a baseball game. I wouldn't take her to see Book of Mormon on Broadway or to dinner at the French Laundry or to a wine bar at 8pm on a Saturday night (even assuming we're traveling across time zones so it's not bedtime.)
It's not about effort; it's about realizing that some places really are for adults only and there are venues where adults can and should expect a kid-free atmosphere.
Oh, there are absolutely places where kids aren't welcome. My response was specific to an open market and the implication that because it would require extra effort for the parents since it doesn't have specific activities for children that it is not 'kid friendly.' This is also not to say that just because I can take my kid somewhere that I always want to.
Post by stealthmom on Sept 28, 2014 13:07:26 GMT -5
For me, a kid friendly restaurant is a loud restaurant. I can bring my own seat, I can bring my own food, but if it's quiet, NO WAY. It stresses me out to have to keep my kids quiet. And I've been to quiet restaurants with high chairs and kids menus. No thanks.
my local farmer's market makes me insane for the many, many people who block walkways with strollers. Kids are fine. Inconsiderate use of strollers is not.
Ours is kid friendly. As are our breweries. And most restaurants. Dd even went on multiple winery tours in Napa and it was all good. Maybe I am too breezy but as long as she can't touch breakables and isn't running like a crazy person bumping I to people I consider it kid friendly. Our farmers market caters to kids and all the vendors chat with them and give them snacks.
I think farmers markets are a very kid-friendly place. Not-kid-friendly to me is what some others have said--lots of breakables within arm's reach and quiet restaurants. Sometimes I don't WANT to bring him places that are fine for him to go just because it's exhausting to me, but that doesn't mean kids aren't welcome there.
All of the farmers markets I have ever been to have been extremely kid-friendly. I can't even imagine what would make one not kid-friendly unless it's too crowded for strollers or something. We bring DD just about everywhere. As long as she is capable of behaving appropriately for that location I would consider it kid-friendly. Obviously we wouldn't bring her to pubs in the late evening, or formal restaurants during peek hours or anything.
Post by carolinagirl831 on Sept 28, 2014 15:51:16 GMT -5
That's weird, my kid loves the farmer market, she usually gets to try bread samples, great people watching so much to see. I chalk it up to people are weird. And it does defender on your kids ages
Children won't learn how to behave in any situation without actually being exposed to that situation. The idea of a farmer's market being a place to avoid because it's not kid-friendly makes no sense to me...outside, community event, on a weekend morning? Seems to scream "kids welcome" to me.