Q:

Bringing babies to bar?

Full disclosure: I'm not a parent.
I was at a bar last weekend, and I saw something that was pretty startling to me. There was a woman with a baby in a baby bjorn, standing in the bar drinking and talking to her friends. I don't mean a small toddler, I mean a infant. He looked like he was at most three or four months old.
Since I'm not a parent, I'd like to know if this is frowned on by the parenting community. It's certainly not anything I would do, but her friends, the bartender and everyone else seemed just fine with it.
I happen to know that in our area, minors are allowed in bars only if it is a non-smoking establishment, which this bar is.
The place was not particularly loud; a room full of people talking with light music. Also, this was not a dive bar by any means, it's a pretty nice brewpub with probably not so much as a mild argument happening inside.
What I'm trying to ask is: Is this something people do? and What are the potential effects of being in a bar-style environment on a baby's health?

A:

There's a level of disagreement about whether children should be allowed in "adult settings," and you can get all sorts of opinions on what's appropriate (both for the sake of the child, and for the sake of other patrons). 
Is this something people do? Yes. It's pretty unusual, but clearly not unknown or impossible. I did take an infant to a microbrewery once, but it was also a restaurant.
I'd personally feel that that taking Baby to a brewpup is not a great idea, but more because I have a hard time picturing a relaxing outing with my friends while I'm taking care of Baby. When I went out with other new parents with young infants, we were grateful to leave the kid at home for a while. But not all parents approach situations the same way.
What are the potential effects on the baby's health? You've mentioned that the noise level was moderate but not loud, and there was no smoking. In that case, the health risk is the same as if the woman and child went to any public business: a restaurant where no drinks are being served, or a movie theater, or the grocery store.

A:

I see no reason to think this inappropriate behavior.
Did you see any harm being done to the infant? There was no smoking in its presence. The baby was safely tucked into its bjorn carrier (already a positive parent sign), not being passed among the crowd, or mouthing everything in sight. She was having some drinks which she may have sorely missed while pregnant (maybe she wasn't nursing, or if she was, had surplus frozen so that she could feed the baby untainted milk for a day or two.) She was out having fun, and didn't leave the infant in anyone else's care, for which reason no one here knows.
There seems a desire to question this woman's behavior because she doesn't fit a stereotypical ideal of motherhood. The truth is, none of us know what kind of mother she is. And few of us would stand up to scrutiny 24 hours a day. I certainly did not.
The main question for me is (and you, as you stated): was she harming the baby? Can it be said how?
Based on the information presented, I'd say no.
Maybe she is a single mom who chose to have the baby. Had she been there without it, you'd never know that. Maybe it was a special evening for her to celebrate with her friends. Maybe she only did it once. Maybe the sitter no-showed.

Is this something people do?

I don't go to pubs, so I can't really say. If it's not a rowdy place (and it actually sounds lovely), it wouldn't surprise me. One thing you might consider (which seems obvious but really isn't) is that infants of only a few weeks are relatively uncommon, because they grow so fast. When you see one, it stands out. So, one infant in a pub might actually be an uncommon sight.
I myself don't care if she did it only once, or she does it once a month, as long as they are both safe and happy.
None of us can know her situation, and in events like these, it's best to judge as you would really, honestly want to be judged: being given the benefit of the doubt.

A:

Baby wearing is great for a baby! And at such a young age they tend to sleep for a couple hours, eat and then just hang out interacting with their world.  Change their diaper and repeat.  It gets pretty mundane so introducing a new environment can be a nice change for both mom and baby.  It's not a place the baby can lay around and explore their surroundings so it's not something you would do often but nice this mom had the option.
I think it takes a bold parent to do this because many would be afraid of judgement or stares from others (parents and non-parents).  While not a bar I brought my 6 week old to a wine social once (put on by my moms club to give moms a night out) and worship in a wrap.  It was my first evening out doing something fun for me in months and was food for my soul.  It worked for me because my baby was young enough he didn't sleep on a schedule yet (or rather did ok when the schedule changed a bit).  I also once took my baby and a 5 yr old to a wine and oyster tasting.  My older son had a great time slurping down raw oysters but ultimately had too much energy to be in a small space with glass bottles he shouldn't to touch.  We left after 30 min and I haven't done that again but don't regret trying it.  
I don't know that it's frowned on so much as it's just probably not practical for many with kids.  If you have one baby you can do things like this easily buy more than one you cannot.
The point: as a parent worry less about what's normal and right and more about meeting your needs and your children's needs.  

