AIBU to ask our neighbour not to put baby in front of TV while she babysits?

He’s more likely to get brain rot from your political views than from 2 hours of TV imo!

This

Screens aren't evil, it's excessive use or inappropriate content that is an issue.

Wildly unreasonable. Isn't it easier if she comes to your house as everything is there? And also she's less likely to put your TV on? But she's giving you free childcare, you can't stipulate. And don't make her give food to your baby, not fair she has to deal with the mess.

You should join some screen free parenting groups on Facebook. People are extremely strict because the kids start asking for it once they have it once. I would not be ok with screens with my baby at all, even for 2 hours.

Yeah the problem with attitudes such as yours it doesn't teach moderation. Usually this approach seriously backfires once the children get older. Moderation is the key to absolutely everything in life and demonising anything usually never ends well to all concerned. It is a form of control, which no one enjoys not even children.

Jesus Christ helicopter parent much?! It’s two hours and she is babysitting for you for goodness sake. Go and enjoy lunch or it you’re that uptight then take the baby with you 🤦‍♀️

Your baby will be absolutely fine with a screen for two hours - if she does even do that, which I doubt as the novelty of having an adorable baby to play with will likely mean she'll go for toys, books etc. first! She's doing you a favour, and you're getting some very important quality time with your partner.

I'd really recommend that you properly research screen use with children, though. It's such a buzzy headline at the moment as they (rightly) want to discourage parents from sticking their child in front of Blippi, but it's much more about not using devices like iPads (where they're encouraged to swipe etc. for dopamine hits), and what they watch - long-form, low energy and story-driven shows with morals and problem solving are absolutely fine in small doses.

Being a first time mum does not excuse thinking tv will cause adhd, Jesus wept.

I have fond memories sitting with my eldest as a baby watching Jeremy Kyle she loved it

I have 4 kids the tv is always on i limit Internet but never tv and they've all grown up relatively normal. My eldest is challenging but I think thats genetics rather then tv. Everyone around me also let their kids watch tv no issues its only on mumsnet I hear this

Firstly, no 7 month old is going to sit and watch TV for two hours straight under any circumstances without loads of other entertainment. Even when my oldest watched TV the youngest would spend a minute or two glancing at it before moving on to something else until he was well over two. Secondly, I doubt your neighbour will just plonk him in front of the TV expecting to leave him there for any period of time. If it’s on as background noise he’ll just ignore it after a few minutes. Thirdly, yes it would be rude and entitled to request ‘no screen time’ for a 7 month old, I would massively roll my eyes at this and not offer to babysit again. Not because I would ever put a 7 month old in front of a screen but because it’s over dramatic and I’d be worried about what else you were going to complain about or insist on.

??? Obviously you wouldn't abuse or neglect a kid? If it's a baby.. how are you going to ask it what it wants to do.. your reply is mental.

Yeah, fair enough.

OP: just don't accept help from anyone who cba actually looking after your child. That's not someone you want responsible for your child's wellbeing. Also: you don't need people in your life who think it's such a huge ask to just once not put the TV on 😂

Imagine bitching about entertaining a baby for a couple of hours, in the way a parent requests. Also: if a kid can be left to stare at a screen, they can be left to play with toys.

And why should parents dictate how their children are treated? Parents don't own their children - children are people in their own right.

If I offered to babysit a child and the parents told me to do something that I believed was harmful, unkind or unfair, I wouldn't do it.

Honestly, please don't panic.

My daughter watched quite a lot of TV, and she is a very high academic achiever with an outstanding vocabulary, and also a lovely person.

I watched quite a lot too, and I have been pretty academically successful myself.

2 hours really won't be a problem in any way. And you risk pissing off your lovely friend if you raise it.

So please don't.

You don't need to tell us you're a first time mum - we would have worked it out from the rest of your post!

As others have said, he'll be fine.

Nothing will happen if they watch the tv. People are a bit weird with it, I don’t exactly advocate loads of screen time but what on earth do you think would happen if your baby did watch it for a few hours one day (even if they sat still for the full couple of hours?!)
It’s madness to think that would affect them at all.
I have tv on in the background sometimes with my two 9 month olds and they aren’t that interested. They’ll watch it for maybe a minute or two and then carry on doing whatever they are interested in. My older child did get more screen time than I would have liked (unexpected events meant more grandparent babysitting than I would have liked) and they are completely normal, good speech and not actually all that bothered by the tv. They’ll watch it for a few minutes and then want to do something else.
Environmental developmental delays are caused by much more than occasional tv viewing.

Yabu

Maybe it's a generational thing but I absolutely would mention it, we're not doing screen time until ours is over 2. Lots of research to back that up.

I don't think it's rude at all, you could just say just so you know we're keeping DS away from the TV until he's a bit older but we're packing lots of his toys and books to keep him occupied

Edit: having read some more replies, I do agree yes I wouldn't leave my toddler anywhere I didn't think would be sticking to the things that are really important to us. So I've only left mine with MIL or nursery. I still don't think it's rude to mention though, it's a preference not a criticism and so easy not to have the TV on in only a 2h window. I find it so odd the idea of me offering to babysit for a neighbour for a couple of hours, they mention something like oh btw we keep them away from the TV at home or don't give them sugar yet - can't imagine getting snitty and refusing to babysit then 😂

Yes, she is.

it's not string attached, it's an unreasonable request. When you have a free babysitter doing you a favour, you give them your preferences about times etc, and you leave them to get on with it.
If they can't be trusted to be safe, you don't leave the child.

By definition tv means you don't have to entertain the child, while I agree it's bad parenting, it's completely fine for a one-off babysitting?

it also makes zero difference to the person looking after a child
of course it does, do you have kids? You switch the tv on, you have a cup of tea in peace. Why do you think so many parents use screens at home?

You can suggest it. If somebody suggested this to me I would just decline to babysit. I think a bit of screen time in a two hour block won’t harm anybody.

As you are describing your self as not quite a republican and certainly not liberal you must be in the USA and it is harder to get unbiased advice over here but you are stressing more than you need to.

So you missed this in the OP -

"Our good neighbour (...) has very kindly offered to look after him..."

Parents definitely do dictate (/decide) how people treat their children.

Also, just while I'm here - offers / agreement to help someone, shouldn't come with strings attached. And it also makes zero difference to the person looking after a child, if they're asked to provide activity A instead of activity B, so no clue why some people are effectively responding that beggars can't be choosers. Sounds like some people just hate being 'told what to do'.