REGARDING the article ‘Screaming baby’s mother turfed out of restaurant (Guardian August 7 ).

Your article relating to my wife’s treatment in Tuscany’s portrays my wife in a light more akin to a chav – someone who laughs at their screaming child and would resort to physical violence to secure peace. Neither suggestion is well founded. Your article also portrays Mr Cohen as some sort of ‘super nanny’ figure who is qualified to express his opinions about ‘young parents who seem unable to control their kids.’ Mr Cohen is quoted as saying my wife covered my son’s mouth and agitated the situation instead of picking ‘it’ up and interacting with ‘it’.

This is untrue. My wife was constantly interacting with my son for the full 50 minutes they were made to wait for their food and her approach to raising our child has been praised by health visitors who claim he is advanced for his age.

I would like to know if Mr Cohen is aware it has been scientifically proven that babies between the age of 15 and 24 months go through a developmental stage to find their vocal range. The fact my wife and her friend had to wait 50 minutes for two children’s meals up to the point when they were forced to leave contrived to agitate my son and our friend’s daughter not that they are unruly or uncontrollable.

Mr Cohen implies you can negotiate or reason with a toddler. He states he runs a restaurant that caters for children by providing board games and crayons for colouring in. My son, at 16 months, is unable to string two words together so what chance did my wife have of explaining to him that due to the long delay in service that he had to sit quietly and not make a noise otherwise he would be kicked out of the restaurant and get nothing? Mr Cohen must expect young babies in his restaurant otherwise he would not provide high chairs. Hand-in-hand with providing high chairs, you will get babies that are vocal or cry. We are referring to a restaurant in Loughton on a Tuesday afternoon, not a packed, prime destination restaurant where you might expect a long wait for your food.

The photograph of Mr Cohen with his sign about children not being allowed to play ‘in and around the toilet area’ is very admirable. I would suggest that if Mr Cohen is as anti-baby as my wife’s experience illustrates, that he consider installing other signs that state ‘only babies who are a genius or children over the age of three are allowed’ – three being the age I anticipate being able to reason with a child. Mr Cohen’s negative attitude towards babies was highlighted when my wife’s friend’s husband called him to discuss the incident.

Your article claims my wife and her friend left without paying for their drinks. They were asked to leave immediately so were not given the opportunity to pay. After attempting to take our children out for a nice lunch, Mr Cohen’s staff, attitude and service has caused great upset and led me to write this letter.

I only hope it serves as a warning to parents with babies that they may be subjected to an embarrassing ticking off from Mr Cohen if their babies dare make a noise in his establishment. I suggest he rename Tuscany Loughton Library.

S Isaacs (by email)