AITA for making my baby laugh at a restaurant ?

A father took his wife to a mid-tier restaurant for her birthday and was having a good time making their 10-month-old baby laugh. Although the baby was just being happy and occasionally loud, the table next to them complained and asked him to keep it down, suggesting they should stay home if the baby was going to be loud.

The father refused to stop, feeling that his baby’s laughter shouldn’t be an issue, and overheard them calling him an “asshole.” Eventually, the neighboring table moved away. The father is questioning whether he was in the wrong for trying to make his baby laugh in the restaurant.

‘ AITA for making my baby laugh at a restaurant ?’

It was my wife’s birthday yesterday.  She picked out a mid tier restaurant to go to for her birthday.  This was no chili’s level but not high end either.  We went at 5:30 on a Wednesday, so not that busy.   We have a 10 month old who’s just about the happiest kid ever.  Nearly anything I do makes him laugh.

Well at dinner I was making him laugh.  He’d throw in some happy yelling.  Maybe got a touch loud but he was in a great mood. Well the table next to us had an issue with what I was doing and asked me to stop.  They told us to keep it down.  I’m like he’s laughing thats all.  Him laughing is an issue? 

They just repeat that he is too loud, if he is going to be like this they suggested we stay home.  I tell them to leave us alone and continue making my son laugh.  I overheard them reference me as an a**hole.  They requested to move tables and did.  But was I the a**hole for making my baby laugh?

Take a look at the comments from fellow users:

_mmiggs_ −  I’m assuming that “laugh” here is loud, happy, baby shrieking, and by the sounds of it, it was ongoing happy shrieking, and not an isolated laugh. That’s too loud for a restaurant. You’re dining in a restaurant.

You need to moderate your voices – the people at the next table don’t want to hear your conversation, and they don’t want to be continually disturbed by the happy shrieks of your baby either. You’re not the a**hole for making your baby happy. You’re the a**hole for making too much noise in a restaurant.. YTA

2workigo −  YTA. Because when you were informed you were bothering other people (who were also paying to enjoy a nice dinner) your response was essentially “f**k them.” There’s something to be said for basic manners.

Deep-Manner-4111 −  YTA. Let me preface this by saying that there is nothing wrong with your child’s joy and you sound like a fantastic parent. BUT in your post you mentioned both laughing and happy yelling. Those are not the same thing. A quiet giggle? Sure, no problem. But yelling?

No. Just because it’s happy, doesn’t take away the fact that it’s yelling. Imagine if you were just trying to enjoy a quiet dinner with your family and group of rowdy drunken people kept yelling and laughing at the table next to yours. Happy doesn’t mean it’s not still annoying.

7hr0wn −  YTA. You deliberately provoked your kiddo into making loud noises in a place where people go to relax and enjoy conversation. There’s nothing wrong with your kid laughing, but there’s a time and a place for it.

If you’d been doing this in a public park, that would be fine, but you were in a mid-tier restaurant, and you continued after people told you it was a problem. If you’d toned it down a notch after they asked, you would have been fine.

BogBabe −  YTA.. ​ Well at dinner I was making him laugh. He’d throw in some happy yelling. Maybe got a touch loud. I’m like he’s laughing thats all. But laughing wasn’t “all.” He was *yelling*. Loudly. Loudly enough to be annoying to other diners.

And you kept on with it, instead of trying to quiet him down and keep him quietly happy. There’s a time and a place for loud happy yelling. A restaurant isn’t it.

busyshrew −  YTA.. You love your kid and think he’s adorable but other people were there to enjoy a meal. You were deliberately attention seeking and probably wanted everyone to notice your wonderful baby, and were willing to give a “f**k you” to other paying patrons when asked to tone it down.. How tiresome.

Hope you left a really big tip for the extra inconvenience you placed on the staff too – having to move customers to a new table and deal with the complaints.

derpy-chicken −  YTA. Yelling due to happiness or otherwise is not appropriate for ANY restaurant. And you were doing it on purpose, even after someone asked you to knock it off.

broken-runner-26 −  YTA. Wanna be loud, go to a playground or maccies

[Reddit User] −  YTA.. You’re one of those people lol

ObsecureAccount −  NTA. And I know I’m going to be down voted. I’ve heard adults be louder than happy baby shrieking/ laughing. Way more obnoxious. Way more annoying to a dining experience. Babies exist. They are e**itled to a mid level restaurant and enjoying it with their parents like anyone else.

OP was clear this wasn’t high end or a weekend. It was a midday Wednesday. Has anyone ever heard an adult laugh. Loud AF at times. If they don’t want to be around potentially loud babies or kids, they can stay home or pay for an establishment that isn’t appropriate for them to be there

P.S. restaurants, no matter low, mid, or high end, are loud in general. Everyone is loud

Was the father justified in wanting to share his baby’s joy in public, or should he have been more mindful of the restaurant’s atmosphere? Should the neighboring table have been more tolerant of a happy baby? What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments!