[jyl]

Here is my view on babies and kids in restaurants. BTW, I have two kids, 12 and 9.

In "upscale" restaurants, babies and kids shouldn't be there, if they are there they have to be kept quiet, and if they can't be quiet they have to leave/be taken outside. What's "upscale"? Where people are paying significant money for the atmosphere/ambience, where you might go for a romantic date or a special dinner, certainly if there's candlelight or a sommelier.

Okay - I doubt too many disagree with that.

In "neighborhood" restaurants, which are casual, lively, often noisy - well, babies and kids are a part of the neighborhood, so they can be there. And they can make the usual baby and kid noises, just like the table of guys over there who are laughing and drinking, and the two ladies over here busily gossiping away. What's "usual" - like babbling, gurgling, "talking", laughing, that's "usual baby sounds" to me. Rattling toys are normal too.

But if the baby or kid is making noises well beyond the "usual" then the parent has to quiet things down, or take the baby for a walk. So if the baby is screeching and yodeling at the top of its lungs, like babies sometimes do as they learn what their voices can do. Or banging toys and dishware like a deranged drummer. Or if the kids are hollering at each other, running around, throwing things, etc. That's going beyond what is okay. Just like if the table of fun guys were whooping and doing bronx cheers, or the gossipy ladies were shrieking. At that point, you start going from "neighborhood restaurant"ambience to "noisy bar" ambience.

So, Mikester, to me it sounds like the older guy was out of line. It really depends on what "happy baby sounds" means - I've heard some "happy babies" who make your teeth grind.