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.

@AriadneesWeb MPOW CH1 headphones are suitable from 2 months. Pretty sure amazon have them.

Hate it when people do this! If the kids are old enough for headphones, they should have them but it staggers me that parents can't fill a 10-15minute wait with something other than a bloody screen! Books? Cards? Little games? Colouring? A good old game of Eye Spy? (Or how about just talking to your child for once?!) etc etc. I always had a bag full of entertainment stuff when my son was small - never had to use a screen.

10-15minute wait which drs do u go to? 40 min wait at mine is decent!

This drives me nuts. And it's not just adults doing it for the benefit of children either. Practically every day I witness someone on the bus or in a cafe or coffee shop,playing videos out loud. And if anyone dares to complain,they get shot down with a mouthful of abuse. A couple of months ago I witnessed one particularly nasty incident on a bus,when a woman asked a young guy,politely,to turn down the volume on the video he was watching. He told her to 'shut the fuck up,I'll do what I want'. Sadly this attitude is all too common.

When it happens in a restaurant (not counting MaccieDs or anywhere aimed at families), I complain to the manager. Restaurants are only tolerating this to keep the custom of the selfish twat parents who do it. If they get enough pushback from other customers, they will stop audio being used without headphones.

This happened the last time I got to go out for a proper grown-up dinner with DH just before the last baby was born. Was a treat for the last child-free evening we'd have for many many months, and there was someone else's 4-year-old at the next table with Baby Shark on iPad on repeat.

I don't remotely care about children watching screens in public but FFS, headphones or mute, don't inflict Baby Shark on everyone else in the restaurant.

@AriadneesWeb MPOW CH1 headphones are suitable from 2 months. Pretty sure amazon have them.

And if there's some excuse not to use those, devices come with a mute button.

I had loads of GP and hospital appointments with my twins 24 years ago. No screens available but somehow I managed to keep the two of them amused, despite both having additional needs. Received many a compliment on how well behaved they were and how quiet I kept them if they were cranky.

I talked to them and took stories to read quietly to them. If it was going to be a really long day at the hospital, I'd take fruit, cheese and crackers. It was not difficult, even with mine.

I'd rather they have the screen playing than listen to a whiny kid anytime

If I wanted to listen to nursery rhymes, C Beebies or Peppa Pig, I'd put them on myself and listen with my headphones.

There are plenty of ways to occupy small children without inflicting irritating jingly noises on everyone else in the area.

It’s not just parents who do this. I regularly come across people on my commute to work who play films and videos without ear phones. It’s really strange and I cannot work out if they just don’t care or are just unaware that it is irritating and anti social.

Disney hotel listening to carols until loud tinny crappie u tube video penetrates and ruins the Xmas atmosphere.