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Brisbane mum told to leave a café after changing her baby’s dirty nappy on a table.

Despite the coffee being good, “near perfection” she said, a mother has given a café just one solitary star in an online review.The Brisbane mother left the scathing review of the Park Bench Espresso Bar in Bulimba after she came to loggerheads with the café owner over her 12-week-old daughter’s nappy.

The mother left the café outraged after being told she had crossed the line when she changed her baby’s nappy twice on the café’s tables.

As these things tend to play out nowadays she got angry, went online and wrote a nasty review. The café owner fired back and the thing went viral.

The cafe owner told the woman she didn't think it was appropriate. Via Facebook. The woman, wrote on Google that she would only give the café “one star”.

She starts: "Their coffee is near perfection. That's where the positive review ends."

“As a mother of a newborn baby (12 weeks old!), I was treated very poorly by the woman who I assume is the manager.”

The mother said that she began to feed her baby while taking some time out to have a coffee.

“She then had a dirty nappy so naturally I go to change it. I put my change mat down to change her so that in this 30 degree heat she doesn't develop a rash sitting in it on our way home. Being that there are no public restrooms in sight albeit with a change table, this was the only solution.”

But she says that a “woman” gave her a “dirty look” and made “some comment as she walks by.”

Unhappy, she says she approached her upon leaving and asked if she had a problem with my baby and I sitting there.

“She said in quite a critical tone, that she didn't think it was appropriate to change my baby there.”

"Their coffee is near perfection. That's where the positive review ends." Via Facebook. The mum writes: “To this woman and the 2 other customers who made comments regarding this. Mothers don't need your judgment or criticism. We have enough pressure and stress we deal with on a daily basis. We rarely get the opportunity to get out and have a coffee amidst the long list of things we are doing for our families every single day. I am sorry (not sorry) you are so terribly offended by a tiny baby's tiny little dirty nappy that you think it necessary to criticise.”

She then pleaded for the “hatred” to stop.

“Shy not trying a smile, a word of encouragement, trying on a new perspective from a mothers point of view and the sacrifices she makes every day. Let her have her coffee in peace please without adding to her stress. It's time women and mothers UNITE and support one another in the continually challenging pressures of doing life as a mother in this modern day society.”

The mother's review. But little did she know her review would do anything but unite.

The owner Jocelyn Ridgeway hit back writing a response to the mum:

"I don't think there is much more to say other than in the same way you don't expect to have to feed your baby in a toilet, I don't expect people to eat while a nappy is being changed.”

Ms Ridgeway wrote:” Whilst you invite me to see this from a 'mothers point of view' (which I already do and still would never subject people around me to baby poo) I invite you to see it from my point of view as a woman in business with customers walking out and upset."

She said that the mother was at the coffee shop for two hours last Friday.

“God knows I'd love to have 2 hours to sit and have a lovely coffee like you did the other day” she wrote saying “she was there that long the baby did two poos."

The owner responds. She told AAP that she doesn’t mind if the mother never returns.

“She won’t be back as a customer, that’s fine. I can’t afford to have customers like her anyway,” she said.

Watch: The times our kids made us cringe. Post continues after video...

And if the mother expected support from social media she was mistaken with hundreds of comments taking the café owner’s’ stance.

One woman writing: “People eat from these tables ... you can’t seriously think that it would be hygienic to change a child on a table that people eat from?”

Others said, “Who thinks that’s ok?” and many said that the mother was “entitled and “should be ashamed of herself.”

But unfortunately the criticism of the mother has reached such a degree that she has been subjected to abuse right across social media.

The café, overwhelmed by all the attention, has now posted on its Facebook page a request that people try and be kinder.

The cafe has asked that people be kinder. Via Facebook. Ms Ridgeway wrote: “I'd like to thank everyone for the support but I ask you all to please be kind to each other in your comments...especially about the reviewer.”

She says:” You may disagree with her review but she does not deserve to cop the abuse and language I have seen here on Facebook and on google review. I ask everyone to please calm down and not harass her or myself.”

“We are both just trying to live our lives happily, her raising a family and me running a small business. To the reviewer, if you are reading this I hope you are ok, please get in touch if you feel you need to.”

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Top Comments

CFandHappy 7 years ago

WOW, how nice is that cafe owner?! The bitch comes and gives her a one star review after changing a shitty nappy twice on the tables and expecting no comeback for it, and still the owner is telling people to be nice about this piece of work! What a lovely lady, please go and spend money at her cafe if you live nearby. As for the indignant mama, sorry but that is what can happen when you go public on social media, don't assume everyone will be on your side! You learned your lesson the hard way!


Guest 7 years ago

So many people have commented on it being disgusting and not wanting to smell pooey nappy. I read the baby was 3 months old. 3 month old babies are not consuming solid food and therefore their poo does not smell and isn't as big as older baby's poo. I've worked with babies and young children for almost two decades and I have never come across smelly poo in an infant so young. Maybe the infant being so young with small poo that hardly smells was what made the mom think it alright and customer complaint seem a bit of an over reaction. I think most of these comments are an over reaction and insulting.

CFandHappy 7 years ago

Oh well, that makes it alright then! I guess it's not unhygienic either because it's a baby's poo. And I suppose people eating nearby wouldn't be grossed out by the sight of it. And for the record, your baby's poo might not smell to you, or might smell of glitter and rainbows, but to everyone else it smells gross!!!

Shill? Any Evidence? 7 years ago

You okay with banishing breastfeeding mums to breastfeed in the bathroom?