“Come Back Home”: SA Dad Vents About a German Restaurant Not Being Child-Friendly

• A South African father living in Germany vented his frustration after a restaurant employee asked him to keep his infant son quiet
• The dad said his 11-month-old was babbling and playing happily, not screaming, when staff approached his table
• His TikTok clip struck a nerve with South Africans who shared their own experiences with strict public behaviour rules abroad

A South African father living in Germany has gone viral after sharing a candid clip from his car about an uncomfortable experience at a local restaurant with his two children. TikTok user @thedlaminis_ posted the video on 10 November 2026, visibly frustrated after leaving an eatery mid-meal. He explained that the restaurant was quiet, with only three other patrons inside, when a staff member approached his table and asked him to keep his 11-month-old son quiet.

Germany's strict public etiquette

The father was baffled. His baby was babbling and playing, not throwing a tantrum or screaming. He tried explaining to the employee that an infant simply cannot be told to pipe down, but feeling unwilling to let the situation escalate, he chose to pay the bill, pack up their food, and take his son and daughter home. His caption summed up his feelings plainly: Germany is not kid-friendly.

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The video resonated with many South Africans who have lived in or visited parts of Europe and encountered similarly rigid expectations around noise in public spaces. For parents especially, the idea of managing a baby's natural sounds to meet adult-imposed standards of quiet is a source of real tension.

Watch the dad share what happened at the restaurant in the TikTok video here.

Mzansi weighs in on the baby ban

The clip tapped into a conversation many South African expats know well as they navigate cultural expectations abroad that can feel far removed from the warmth of home. Viewers in the comments had a lot to say:

@Logan's_daughter asked:

"Are you supposed to put a baby in time-out 🤨?"

@Eule_Mbatha wrote:

"Yho, buya ekhaya 😮 [Come back home]."

@suthu shared:

"I have even experienced this in a church 😩. My baby was just babbling; he told me my child was making noise. I had to go with him to hear the rest of the service on speaker."

@Nella_Dindles added:

"Too loud? Hayi ngumhlola 😤 [That is unbelievable]."

@Bright_Mbambo agreed:

"True, brother, I see; with me here in Berlin, it's bad with kids."

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@Mbatenhle responded:

"Eish, askies fa [Sorry, fam]."

Other articles about babies

• Briefly News reported that a 21-year-old mom showed her toddler disturbing her while she tried to do her schoolwork, and social media users advised her to give him an activity to keep him busy.
• A young South African mom showed how she carries both her twins on her back at the same time, and social media users are calling her a superwoman.
• A high school learner shared a video of herself studying while carrying her older sister's baby on her back, explaining that she looked after the baby while her sister was at varsity.

Source: Briefly News