This is an interesting one. Its not usually what you'd expect and I would probably also want a child free environment when I go out, (otherwise whats the point!) however from personal experience I could imagine various reasons why an otherwise responsible parent would be in a pub even a reputable gastro pub at 10.15 at night. Babies are a bit of a moveable feast compared to toddlers- as long as they are safe and comfortable they can usually sleep (and unfortunately scream) anywhere.

I did do this myself when on holiday two years ago in Dorset when our child was 3 months old. We were staying in a B+B and could not get in anywhere to eat in Swanage and despite having booked at one had actually been refused access to two 'family' restaurants on the basis that our pram would take up too much room and cause a health a safety issue. Our last resort was a pub who said it was no problem as we had explained our situation. By that time it was 10am, two hours after having set out on a search for dinner. Heaven knows what people thought of us sitting having a pint at that time of night with a small baby on our laps, but we couldn't care less really- the child was in no danger and slept straight through. Next time its self catering for us.

A few weeks before we had a lengthy power cut one Saturday night so did ourselves venture also into the Dartmouth at 9.00pm for refuge as there was otherwise no heat and light and no way of warming bottles. The alternative was to sit in the chippy which we felt was a less desirable option. We did call and check before hand and they were altogether very helpful in what was a difficult situation for us. No one batted an eyelid. We have also taken our child when a baby into beer gardens on warm evenings and stayed there until 10pm ourselves whilst the child slept peacefully.

In this case the mother may just have been desperate to get out of the house and needed some company. It can be very isolating being a parent especially in the early days. From the babys' point of view, with irregular sleep patterns, being in the Dartmouth in the evening is probably no more traumatic being there whilst the mother has an afternoon coffee. In respect of the impact on other users, it really is a question of a balance of rights of young persons v adults ; NCT meets and baby events often take place in pubs these days, ie Honor Oak, so parents are also good customers and their needs also warrant consideration from a commercial point of view. Go to most mediterranean countries and you'll see kids of all ages out eating with their parents late into the evening.