Taverns for tots
Babies in the boozer.
Ok, some people don’t like kids in pubs, but opinions become less extreme when you actually have one yourself and fancy a pint. Joanne Mallon on the dos and don’ts of taking your little one for a swift ‘alf’.
When you were a kid and your parents went to the pub, did you get plonked outside in the car with just a packet of crisps and a Fanta for company? Well, times have changed. It’s out with the old backstreet boozer, and in with the family-friendly watering hole.
It’s easy for you and your child to enjoy a visit to the pub, so long as you both play by the rules.
Pub rules for children
Start ‘em young, so they get used to how to behave in public spaces.
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Arrive and leave early. No child is cute at 9pm in a pub. Even 8pm is pushing it, so make sure you have skedaddled by then. Your child is unlikely to want to stay out for as long as you do, so look on any visit over an hour as a bonus.
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If junior kicks off, remove him. Don’t try and deal with it in situ. Noise always carries more than you think.
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No running around.
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Come prepared with toys and other distractions. Some pubs provide colouring books, but don’t rely on it.
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Suitable pub games include: sketching the bar staff; reading; Lego; any electronic gizmo.
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Unsuitable pub games include: hide and seek; tag; football.
Best boozers for babies
Babies are pretty portable, and if you time your pub visit with the littl’un’s nap time, you should be able to have a decent break while they snooze.
Check out the Tin Drum, which has branches at Hove, Kemptown and Seven Dials. www.tindrum.co.uk)
These family-friendly bars/restaurants usually have colouring books and plenty of space for you to park a pram. None of the regular patrons will bat an eyelid if you’re breastfeeding, and there are changing tables in the loos.
Top taverns to toddle in
A toddler will present your most challenging pub mission, as once your child can walk, they won’t want to keep still. Any pub with an enclosed garden will give them some toddling space.
Just outside of Brighton, the Half Moon in Plumpton is popular thanks to its great outside area, complete with swings, a playhouse and even a tractor. www.halfmoonplumpton.com
If you’re raising a little gourmet, try the Preston Park Tavern on Havelock Road. www.PrestonParkTavern.co.uk
Over-fives welcome
You’re on the home straight now. Once your child can read fluently, together you can frequent any pub you like. Just take the latest Beano and you’re sorted.
Check out the Prestonville Arms on Hamilton Road, family-friendly and tucked away just up the hill from Brighton Station. It’s a traditional real ale pub, complete with a cosy fireside and Sunday roasts. Well-behaved children are welcome up to 8pm. Ill-behaved ones will be treated to one of the landlord’s fiercest glares. www.theprestonvillearms.co.uk
