General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Diners Deliver Scolding Note to Mom and Screaming Toddler [View all]Hortensis
(58,785 posts)I agree with you but think the character of the noise and of the location are important factors in deciding what is "excessive."
Unhappy noise, of course, becomes "excessive" to most everyone extremely quickly (and the noise from angry parents' excessively irritating immediately). Most people, though, are comfortable with, and many specifically enjoy, happy noise in family restaurants. The manager's reaction in this case suggests it was probably normal level for that particular restaurant.
Once we and people in two other booths begged an embarrassed mother of a tiny baby to stay and eat. The fussy cries of a tired baby before going to sleep were not at all too obnoxious to any of us. A nice memory.
BTW, we also did not allow "excessive noise" of either sort in public from our children and did also immediately take them out if necessary. Once past toddlerhood it was seldom a problem, but I do remember a number of times when one of us got to sit in the car with our own fussy babies while the other ate.