To ask parents to turn down volume.

[Borntobeamum]

Sat in a nice restaurant in a hotel.
DH and I are celebrating and sat at the next table is a Mum and dad and their son- aged about 4. He’s watching you tube videos. With the sound on full.
Restaurant is full so can’t move tables.
The parents are both on their phones too.
There’s no interaction. Just tinny noises as they click on various pages.
WIBU to ask them to start up a conversation with their little boy. I could give them some ideas if they’re stuck!

I can only guess that they won't say because the noise is ,I've conversation
To me it is totally different though!

*like

I suggest you google something like "heavy metal youtube" on your own phone, and let rip with the volume right up

Oh yes, do this

Very, very inconsiderate of them. Imagine if every single table had a phone or iPad, playing different music/game/film.

It would be absolute hell!

Your title is WIBU to ask parents to turn down the volume? You would not be unreasonable.
The restaurant staff should (maybe a senior).

If the staff won't, that's rude, and poor service which spoils your experience.

You WBBU, to ask the parents to have a conversation with their child. That could come across as pushy and patronising. The volume is affecting your meal, so that's fair game, IMHO.

There is a child in a cafe where we go to every week (while our DC does an activity, his sibling does too) on an IPAD with the sound RIGHT UP. The Dad says nothing UNTIL he is sat with the child, then he tells him to turn it down. It never seems to occur to him from week to week that if it's too loud when he is sitting with him, then it has been too loud for everyone else while the child is sat there alone while he orders food.

The other week, the child got so annoyed with being told to turn the volume down he moved away from the parent. To another table. Next to other people. Parent seemed totally OK with this. As long as he didn't have to listen to it, eh?

OP, I'd ask for the manager and say if this noise nuisance was not sorted you will be leaving, and will not expect to receive a bill.

WIBU to ask them to start up a conversation with their little boy. I could give them some ideas if they’re stuck!

Patronising and judgmental much? By all means ask them to turn it down, but condescending shit like this is out of order.

We're currently in a hotel and 4 year old DS is allowed to watch youtube videos while he's in he restaurant, although he has headphones so as not to bother others. I'm sick of the sneery, judgmental glances. DS is autistic. Believe me, you'd be a lot more bothered by the pandemonium that'd ensue if he didn't have it.

I would be walking out if the restaurant refused to deal with the situation.

I'd definitely be adding a review on TripAdvisor to the effect that the restaurant was not willing to deal with the noise. I'd also be tempted to say that I was going to eat elsewhere and wouldn't expect the bill for that same reason.

If your food hasn't yet arrived, I would walk out

Probably SN child as it always apparently is, who cant wear headphones. The problem is now so vast that places are scared to ask patrons to be mindful of other diners.

I hate seeing this too, especially somewhere like a restaurant. That said, you are also on your phone (albeit with the sound off hopefully), so in their eyes you're probably no different.

If the restaurant didn’t want to request the parents act with some manners and turn the sound off, I’d leave and go somewhere else.

Yep. I would be out of there. Pathetic management by the restaurant.

I too would leave of the staff refused to do anything. You don't go for a meal, expecting to have to listen to something booming from an iPad.

I'm a little late to this but, you are sat there on your phone writing to netmums and reading and replying to comments.

If it was that much of an issue you could have spoke to the waiters BEFORE you posted this not during the thread.

These threads are so comment about adults/kids on phones or ipads, and usually are step by step replies on updates whilst still out eating a meal / cinema / family occasions.

These threads are common* not comment.

"I'm a little late to this but, you are sat there on your phone writing to netmums and reading and replying to comments."

MUMSNET.

and posting a thread, reading it and responding takes a couple of minutes. You're missing the point.

Posting on mumsnet doesn't annoy other diners. A tablet/phone with the sound up does.

YABVU to ask them to start up a conversation with their child. What on earth has it got to do with you how they choose to spend their lunch?!

YANBU to ask them to turn the volume down. That's rude of them.

DD is 2 1/2. Since she could walk she has run everywhere. This included when we tried to go out for meals. She's too big for child seats now but even when she wasn't she would scream when put in one. Trust me that there are few things more likely to p*ss off fellow diners than a child screeching or running around everywhere. Then we discovered Kindle Fire for Kids. Now she will sit and watch videos or play with the apps. She loves it. We love that we can sit and eat together again. The volume is always on very low (she won't wear earphones yet). Even if that wasn't the case and we just fancied a quiet half hour, WHAT ON EARTH HAS IT GOT TO DO WITH ANYONE ELSE? Mind your own business, go back to your food and swallow your judgey judgeyness. Crikey.

Step away

Well it has to do w everyone else that they're trying to have a nice meal without peppa fucking pig

"Even if that wasn't the case and we just fancied a quiet half hour, WHAT ON EARTH HAS IT GOT TO DO WITH ANYONE ELSE? Mind your own business, go back to your food and swallow your judgey judgeyness. Crikey."

If it's audible to other diners, it's rude. If you can't do a meal out with your toddler without a tablet playing so others can hear it, then don't go out... Or go to Frankie & Benny's. Nobody cares there.

It makes me so sad to see this. Posters will be on to say the child may have sn or it may be the only screen time they have had this month etc etc but it’s actually rare to be in a restaurant/waiting room/on a bus etc these days and for 99% of the people present not to be absorbed in a device. How parents expect their children to learn social skills when they are frequently ignored is anyone’s guess.

So sneery and judgemental, yes my son has sen, he looks completely “normal” and I’m sick of people looking down on us like I’m an awful parent for letting him have his iPad at the table, little do they know , it’s the only way we can go out and enjoy a meal as a family, he does have headphones, but next time I get the look, I’m going to let them have the full power of my son without his iPad, not sure their meal would be too peaceful and enjoyable then!!!!

Mrsbird311 - how did families with children who have sen manage before noisy ipads at the table I wonder. Actually, I don't care if the child has sen, or if the parents are just terrible, anybody playing music, videos or games with noise effects on their ipad/mobile/whatever device such that it is audible to those around is out of order.

There are very few children incapable of sitting without an iPad and for some of those it will be because they have never learned to. I was sat in a chain restaurant not long ago that was packed with children and there wasn't one that didn't have an iPad or phone in front of them. I very much doubt they all had severe sn.