Most parents can relate to the struggle of feeding a baby in a highchair without their little one causing an inevitably huge mess by the end of it. However, one mother was not pleased with the situation she found herself in after her baby dropped some food under her high chair in a "family friendly" cafe - only for a waiter to hand her a brush and dustpan to clean it up.
The young mum, who has been left perplexed by the situation, has taken to Mumsnet to explain the situation. However, she has been met with many negative responses from readers who have claimed she is being the unreasonable one, the Mirror reports.
The mum explained: "I go with a group of friends and our babies to a cafe each week. Apparently the week before last, the cafe manager had a go at one of the mums because she said that her baby made 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."
The gobsmacked mum continued: "To make it clear, if my daughter had made an unreasonable mess, I would of course have cleaned it up (or tried, it's a bit difficult when you don't have any cleaning materials). But it was a few bits on the floor.
"I've offered to clean up in other cafes and they've said, 'don't be silly, we'll do it'." The young mum confessed that the awkward experience made her feel hesitant about bringing her baby to cafes in the future in case she made a mess and found herself in the same situation again.
She also admitted that she was contemplating shaming the cafe online in an act of revenge. Torn over whether the situation had been entirely unfair to her or not, she asked: "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!" However, she did not receive much support on Mumsnet with many people declaring that she was in the wrong.
One comment said: "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 queried: "It's super odd to be handed a dustpan and brush!!!! But then how much mess was there?!!!"
A mum shared her experience: "When my son was at that stage of dropping things from a high chair (and note that I always bought all his food from the cafe or whatever) I would ask for a dustpan and brush or use wipes to tidy up. Its just polite to the staff."
Others wondered why the woman was making such a big deal out of the situation with one commenting: "If they offer you the dust pan and brush and your baby made the mess with food I would clean it up before I left. Surely you sweep it up whilst baby still in highchair? It would take a minute to do it."
Finally, someone with another perspective chipped in and suggested the young mum look at the situation through the eyes of the cafe owner.
They wrote: "I look at it a bit differently. If I walked into a cafe and there was food in the floor, there's a good chance I'll walk back out. I don't want to sit surrounded by mess and my mind says, 'if it's like that where the customers sit, what's it like in the kitchen?'
"If the staff are busy and I had caused the mess, I'd think it only right that I should clean it up - to make it look like the sort of place I'd like to eat in. It's only fair."
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