Parents playing videos to children loudly in public places

[Tootytata]

I have a 4 year old and a 10 month old so I am constantly surrounded by nursery rhymes and cartoons at home!

I am waiting for a doctor's appointment in the waiting room by myself (mobile phone usage is allowed). There is a lady playing nursery rhyme videos loudly and holding the screen up for her baby. The whole waiting room is currently listening to B-I-N-G-O. Now it's "if you're happy and you know it".

I'm probably unreasonable but I have no kids with me so I was hoping to escape nursery rhymes for 30 minutes!

Is it reasonable for parents to play devices loudly in public? Wish I brought my ear phones.

Urgh! This is my pet peeve. What did people do before screens to keep kids quiet?!?!

Irritating as fuck, but seems to be the way now

I tend to think it’s better for people to hear a fairly quiet cartoon than to hear a baby screaming. Until about 2-3yo they’re too young to wear earphones.

I imagine if she hadnt of had a screen her kids would have got restless and then you be complaining about the noisy kids in the waiting room.

Keeping young kids occupied in a waiting room is a nightmare and no parent (usually the mother) can do right whichever way she tries:

"unruly kids"
"performance parenting"
"ghastly screens"

I hate this while keeping kids quiet with screens thing, it’s absolutely wrecking the attention span of kids! YANBU.

Kids crying is normal though. Playing videos loudly in public feels like an invasion of your personal space! It's inconsiderate to people around you.

if she hadnt of had a screen her kids would have got restless and then you be complaining

It's called parenting skills. Just like before screens were invented.

Op yanbu. This is what leads surly teens thinking they're ok to play music on buses and later, adult neighbours being antisocial with noise.

This idea that nowadays it's ok to cause technology noise to entertain yourself, Damm to everyone else, isn't right.

We were in a restaurant recently and on the table next to us, 2 children approx 3 or 4 years old had mobile
Phones and were watching videos. One of them was baby shark 🤦🏻‍♀️ completely ruined our lunch!!

Yes. Reasonable. I think that there's probably no-one in the room as fucking sick of that song as the mother so, if she's playing it - it's because the alternative is worse.

I'd rather have a kid immobilised on tech than tearing up the doctor's surgery while the parent follows round begging them to colour something in or sit down and have interesting discussions.

It's called parenting skills
with all the best parenting skills in the world, 2 year olds do not understand a quiet waiting room.
So judgemental, for all you know this mother may have a screen ban at home, and just be resorting to a screen by way of trying to be considerate to the general public at the drs.

Headphones or silent. I'm not opposed to using screens but I don't expect anyone else to have to listen to it.

That said, people making antisocial noise isn't at all new. There was a joke scene featuring a punk with a noisy boombox in Star Trek 4 made in 1986.

YANBU. I love the way the option is either screens or screaming.

I had mine before screens and they were perfectly capable of waiting in the doctors without screaming either.

@CallMeCarolDanvers Ha Another Trekkie! I remember that! Wouldn't it be useful to be skilled in the Vulcan neck pinch for these occasions

No excuse for that.

And only really shit parents think the choice is between playing a video out loud and leaving their kid to cry.

Maybe write to the Practice Manager and ask them to put a notice up about 'Screens in Silence' policy in the waiting room?

Receptionists should be allowed to enforce it.

I think a lot of parents underestimate their kids abilities. A 2 year old is perfectly capable of being in a waiting room and playing fairly quietly with a doll or similar.

Well, I'm just saying, as a patient in a gp surgery, I'd rather listen to nursery rhymes than a miserable kid carrying on.

My children are easy going and aren't bothersome. I've just credited this mother to know her own kid better than I do and that listening to nursery rhymes was as good as it was going to get.

Lol. Sign me up for a perfectly capable three month old

Irritating as fuck, but seems to be the way now

^this

Literally on every flight I have been on recently I have had fuckwitted parents giving their children tablets or phones with no headphones and blasting pepper pig out.

I;m going to start paying hardcore rap out of my phone next time parents refuse to turn the sound off or put headphones on. Or porn.

Nothing makes me go from calm to nuclear rage faster. It's beyond rude to inflict noise on others like that in public. You might as well sit in a restaurant and sing loudly. There's no difference.

@gpatz if the child was 3 months old, then a cuddle or playing peeka boo would be more appropriate.

with all the best parenting skills in the world, 2 year olds do not understand a quiet waiting room

It is called headphones.... google them and buy some for your kid yeah?

This drives me up the wall too. Give them a book or talk to them

Kids crying is normal though
It’s not nice for the child who’s crying and it’s not nice for the parent who feels distressed and is trying to calm them down. I’d much rather have a calm baby watching a screen than a hysterical baby disturbing everyone including me. Older children are capable of waiting and being entertained with colouring or books but tiny children don’t have that option.

In a restaurant I entertain my toddler for as long as possible with toys before I resort to a screen as a last resort to be able to eat our meal. Ditto if we’re on a car journey, I give him toys and books until he cries then I give him my phone as a last resort to keep him calm.

I'm not opposed to using screens but I don't expect anyone else to have to listen to it
Tell me where I can get earphones for a one year old and I’ll buy them!

Headphones for babies?