Have I just discovered the secret to enjoying a dinner out!

I put UABU for another boring kids on iPads thread. I very rarely spot kids on iPads, although it’s sad when it happens. I regularly hear and see insufferable adults with zero self awareness in pubs and restaurants.

I had ND kids before phones and things were even an option. We talked to them or let them draw, played things like noughts and crosses between courses. I now allow my older daughter to play games between but only with sound off. Though she did the whole meal sitting yesterday with just conversation, so I guess she's maturing. Not that you'd see kids at that restaurant.

I allow my daughter to watch a Disney films on my phone when we are eating in restaurants, she is autistic and it’s all that settles her, she won’t wear headphones. I do however make sure the volume is minimum and I don’t believe it can be heard at the next table. Honestly, ideally, I don’t want her to be watching a film during dinner but it’s the only way to keep her settled and we rarely eat out these days, after a few bad experiences of our daughter having meltdowns midway through a meal and not being able to settle her, so leaving. That is my honest reason

Sure we do. We can see their screens. The Mums are almost always doom scrolling FB feeds. Read your kids a book! (Not aimed at you)

haha, love it. Good for you.

I had to comment to say...
I FEEL YOUR PAIN!!!

I have young kids and there is nothing worse than hearing someone else's tinny shitty YouTube garbage or something from Roblox....and this is from someone who has young kids!!!

I have said something previously and Ive had

• "Shes got hearing problems"....Well earphone will be even better then!!

• "How dare you ask me to turn it down" and then proceeded to turn it up louder because I dared say something.

The best one was when I was so sick of hearing fecking Peppa Pig, I just said, ok kids, here is my phone. Listen to your hearts content! ...they thought their Christmases had come at once because I never allow it!! The old granny letting her little cherub listen to that crap had the audacity to give ME evils!!

While mum might have just been scrolling on her phone I do think it’s important to remember that every single thing is on our phones now and she could have been doing something essential. I get so tired of hearing people moaning about all the terrible mums on their phones because for he most part we literally have no idea what they’re up to. For example my friend was at the bus stop one day with her baby in a pram and the bus wasn’t arriving so she checked the live bus tracker app and as she did so someone drive past, rolled down their window and shouted “Get off your phone and talk to your baby” 😂😂😂

But yes I am also massively pro headphones.

Surely we all just leave them with the nanny ? 😉

I have tried this and the answer is no - I don’t want to use them! Restaurants need to police this not customers.

My kids like burgers and milkshakes just fine but that wasn't my point. As I said, yesterday we went to a restaurant that doesn't have those items on the menu. It doesn't have a kids menu at all. It has very adult food that kids would probably look at and cry because they don't know what it is. I was saying this is one way to avoid the problem of noisy kids in restaurants.

i’ve never seen a dc on an ipad at a restaurant with the volume up.

Do your kids only eat burgers and milkshakes?

I cant stand places that have great food but then the "kids menu" is burgers and frozen pizza rather than just smaller portions of the adult menu.

They're lazy? I see them sometimes in doctor's offices. Kid on device obnoxiously playing out loud while the mother ignores them and scrolls on their phone themselves. I had to interact with my kids or read them actual books.

I have an older ND child I allow to be on a phone playing games these days because it's hard for them to wait, but no volume.

I would never go for dinner before 8pm! Had years and years of meals in restaurants (mostly through work or after work) before I had children, and agree, not even worth bothering at 6:30.

Choose restaurants kids aren't likely to be at in the first place, either because of the food or cost. We went to one yesterday, no kids present and devices playing at tables would never be allowed by staff. The food is just not stuff young kids would appreciate or like, and it's just not the sort of place you'd bring young kids. No burgers or milkshakes on the menu.

They're all going to have their work cut out for them when their kids get older.

Yeah, that doesn't work.

Train - conductor told me the mum was just trying to keep her child quiet (by playing incessant youtube nursery rhymes at full volume).

Coach - the child was using some sort of singing pen thing with a book. I asked the parents to please turn it down. I was told it was as quiet as it went but the Dad went over to to turn it down anyway. The kid had a tantrum. The pen quickly went back to as loud as it was. The mum started passively aggressively going on about how people should appreciate children "reading" so I didnt want to ask again. No one else asked but you could see them rolling their eyes. 3 hours of it.

Today in a restaurant - bloody terrifying family. No way was I going to ask them.

All of them ruined the experiences for everyone else bit hey, as long as they font have to interact and entertain their kids eh.