Babies Are Now Roaming Bars, Clubs and Tattoo Parlors

livemint.com:

Toddlers are showing up at places once thought of as only for grown-ups, from raves to tattoo parlors. Instead of changing their lives to fit their children, these parents say they are trying to raise kids who fit their lives. They are also looking to avoid paying sky-high babysitting fees.

The average hourly rate for babysitters on provider matching platform Care.com is up 44% since 2019, jumping from $16.25 to $23.35 an hour. On the way home from the hospital after giving birth, Allison Mayfield stopped for a margarita and ceviche at a Washington, D.C., cocktail bar. Mayfield’s baby, Louis, went with his parents to upscale eatery Le Diplomate for Bastille Day and slept next to an accordionist at 8 days old.

“We’ve had friends completely change their way of life after having kids so we really wanted to start off with a sense of normalcy," says Mayfield, a nurse practitioner. The shift hasn’t been seamless with patrons of previously child-free establishments arguing that if a parent can afford a Michelin-star dinner, they can also afford a babysitter. Businesses have been more amenable to their new, younger patrons thanks to the rising demand.

Yelp searches using the “Good for Kids" filter are up 8% in July 2023 compared with the same month last year. In New York and Los Angeles, searches are up 29% and 17%, respectively. Reservation platform SevenRooms reports a 14% increase in reservations with infants between January through July 2023 versus the same period in 2022.