Finally I am of the age where I feel that I can use some female authority in the situation. I have spoken to restaurant managers and demanded a solution to the problem on the spot. Usually they comply unless the child is the offspring of someone very famous, very wealthy or both.

Often I walk over to the offending parents and say (as sweetly as I can manage) 'you will certainly enjoy this child when it is a teenager'. Sometimes the parents get it. Sometimes they thank me!