This actually happened to me a few days ago between Kings Cross and Hull and believe me heads will roll over the way myself and my 6 month old daughter were treated. Some people need to realise that the world does NOT revolve around them and life doesn't always go their way. There were no other seats available, we'd reserved two seats and were horrified when we discovered they were on the quiet coach. I wish I'd been braver and advised the complainer to go shove her head back up her bum where it evidently generally resides and then she wouldn't have heard my baby. Who incidentally slept the rest of the journey on me onm the floor just outside the toilets. How on earth do these people cope with the bigger stresses in life?? Train companies need to change their booking procedures so that you can indicate if you are travelling with an under 5. They're only interested in over 5s because they're to be paid for. I feel the train manager should prioritise the mother and baby and find them seats elsewhere by asking others to swap. Not ask them to leave then expect them to stand or sit on the floor.
Kim - 13 years ago
A crying baby is supposed to get to you - and it does. So if there were other seats on the train then she should have been in one of them. Unfortunately some people think that having a baby is an excuse to do what you want - it does not excuse lack of consideration for others.
Zuleika - 13 years ago
There are rules and there are rule enforcers. In asking her to leave the man was taking on a role of authority that did not belong to him. He was not in any legal position to take on the role of rule enforcer. There is a reason there aren't usually guards standing in train carriages strictly enforcing rules - the strict enforcement of such rules is rarely necessary, relatively unimportant, and would be a legal minefield for the train companies. The man was being petty, unsympathetic, authoritarian and overstepping the boundaries of his legal rights.
As a woman with kids, I understand the challenges of traveling with infants. However, if the car is a quiet car, simple consideration on her part would have been nice. If you have a kid who is disturbing the quiet of others, sorry, get up and leave!
Annette M - 13 years ago
Most babies will settle down once the mother has settled down. If he had waited a few moments the baby probably would have stopped crying.
paula - 13 years ago
was there any other place for her to go?
Simple consideration should have cued her not to go to a quiet car with a crying baby, but if there was no place else to sit.....
The convenience of a quiet car should not override the needs of a woman carrying a baby.
Yes a woman or her companion should take a crying baby out of a restaurant, church, assembly hall - unless it is raining or bitter cold or.......
Context is important.
niamh - 13 years ago
Nobody wants to have to listen to a screaming brat. Have some respect for your fellow passengers and get it out of there. A quiet coach is called a quiet coach for a reason.
curie - 13 years ago
Depends on how long babe was crying - if going on for longer than a few mins one would hope she would leave temporarily of her own accord until babe was happier. If going on for much longer & other passengers feeling affected perhaps they could ask her to leave temporarily if this was within the train company's policy for the quiet carriage.
This actually happened to me a few days ago between Kings Cross and Hull and believe me heads will roll over the way myself and my 6 month old daughter were treated. Some people need to realise that the world does NOT revolve around them and life doesn't always go their way. There were no other seats available, we'd reserved two seats and were horrified when we discovered they were on the quiet coach. I wish I'd been braver and advised the complainer to go shove her head back up her bum where it evidently generally resides and then she wouldn't have heard my baby. Who incidentally slept the rest of the journey on me onm the floor just outside the toilets. How on earth do these people cope with the bigger stresses in life?? Train companies need to change their booking procedures so that you can indicate if you are travelling with an under 5. They're only interested in over 5s because they're to be paid for. I feel the train manager should prioritise the mother and baby and find them seats elsewhere by asking others to swap. Not ask them to leave then expect them to stand or sit on the floor.
A crying baby is supposed to get to you - and it does. So if there were other seats on the train then she should have been in one of them. Unfortunately some people think that having a baby is an excuse to do what you want - it does not excuse lack of consideration for others.
There are rules and there are rule enforcers. In asking her to leave the man was taking on a role of authority that did not belong to him. He was not in any legal position to take on the role of rule enforcer. There is a reason there aren't usually guards standing in train carriages strictly enforcing rules - the strict enforcement of such rules is rarely necessary, relatively unimportant, and would be a legal minefield for the train companies. The man was being petty, unsympathetic, authoritarian and overstepping the boundaries of his legal rights.
As a woman with kids, I understand the challenges of traveling with infants. However, if the car is a quiet car, simple consideration on her part would have been nice. If you have a kid who is disturbing the quiet of others, sorry, get up and leave!
Most babies will settle down once the mother has settled down. If he had waited a few moments the baby probably would have stopped crying.
was there any other place for her to go?
Simple consideration should have cued her not to go to a quiet car with a crying baby, but if there was no place else to sit.....
The convenience of a quiet car should not override the needs of a woman carrying a baby.
Yes a woman or her companion should take a crying baby out of a restaurant, church, assembly hall - unless it is raining or bitter cold or.......
Context is important.
Nobody wants to have to listen to a screaming brat. Have some respect for your fellow passengers and get it out of there. A quiet coach is called a quiet coach for a reason.
Depends on how long babe was crying - if going on for longer than a few mins one would hope she would leave temporarily of her own accord until babe was happier. If going on for much longer & other passengers feeling affected perhaps they could ask her to leave temporarily if this was within the train company's policy for the quiet carriage.