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Original poster

Horrified at 7month old in pizza express with screen

999 replies

MadeinSW3 · 22/01/2022 15:00

I went for lunch today at pizza express, there was a couple giving their ?7month old a bottle with a screen propped up with something Disney to watch. They then plopped baby into high chair and put something else on during whole time at the stable. How can people be so stupid! The baby was looking around elsewhere for something more interesting.

OP posts:
Hospedia · 22/01/2022 17:31

People managed to keep their children occupied before screens were invented you know.

I can guarantee that if iPads were around in the 80s then Debbie and Barry would have stuck their kids in front of one and wouldn't have given it a second thought never mind hand-wringing about catching a glimpse of someone else's kids playing on one.

I remember when the GameBoy came out, it was 1989 or 1990, my parents went out and bought three of them so that they could keep us quiet in the car.

Yumperwumpee · 22/01/2022 17:32

Not the point if the thread I know, but those who do give their small ones screens like that, do you not worry about them getting broken??

No, when mine was little I used to duct tape his hands to the table whilst he watched his screen inside a windowless box, to ensure I wouldn't have to interact with him at all.

Momicrone · 22/01/2022 17:32

Well books are great

allbartwo · 22/01/2022 17:33

When my daughter was that sort of age she liked lying / sitting around, grabbing random objects, sleeping, occasionally soiling herself and eating. She probably watched a bit of TV as well.

I just can't get worked up about this. The baby was apparently happy watching something brightly coloured, and looking around. Is that really much different than those things that you hang from a pram or a playmat? One of the other things my child liked to do was bang things together, that could get pretty irritating in a restaurant I think.

I'm not sure an in depth conversation about the taste and texture of the food will have much impact at 7 months old...

As someone else said, it's just a tool to keep a small baby entertained for a few minutes while they ate a meal.

Yumperwumpee · 22/01/2022 17:33

People managed to keep their children occupied before screens were invented you know.

Also, kids were parented so well in the 60s, 70s and 80s, weren't they. Absolutely no corporal punishment in sight, well supervised, parental awareness of trauma? Right?!

Hospedia · 22/01/2022 17:33

Well books are great

Also available in electronic format nowadays.

BABAHOTEL · 22/01/2022 17:34

@Momicrone

Well books are great
But not as good as screens! And also what happened with small children pre books? I mean they were entertained without them, so why use books? Lazy parenting I think!
Mumof3girlygirls · 22/01/2022 17:34

Sorry but it's really none of your business!!! How do you know the reasoning behind this? What if they had gone our the weekend before and the little one screamed to be picked up the whole time they were eating so they decided on the easiest way to keep little one entertained?? Perhaps this is the one and only time they entertain little one with a phone is when our so they can eat in peace and not disturb others,,,, I bet your one of the people to give dirty looks to parents with screaming babies telling them they should stay home. I can speak from experience with a very active baby/toddler that if it wasn't for one of our phones entertaining her for the 1 hour we went out we wouldn't have ever left the house.

PropertyFlipper · 22/01/2022 17:35

Utterly grim. You'll get the usual posse who'll bleat that this is only a snapshot of the family's life. Why give a baby a screen? My DC went out for dinner regularly from babyhood and loved looking around them. We never had to resort a screen. Useless parenting if you ask me.

Yumperwumpee · 22/01/2022 17:36

Also a 7 month old is hardly going to sit there and look at a book, are they.

BABAHOTEL · 22/01/2022 17:36

@PropertyFlipper

Utterly grim. You'll get the usual posse who'll bleat that this is only a snapshot of the family's life. Why give a baby a screen? My DC went out for dinner regularly from babyhood and loved looking around them. We never had to resort a screen. Useless parenting if you ask me.
That's your child, have you ever thought not all are the same?
UnUdderOne · 22/01/2022 17:37

You don't know what was going on. They could have just received a cancer diagnosis for all you know. At least the child probably hasn't got judgey, unkind parents.Wink

WindyState · 22/01/2022 17:37

@PropertyFlipper

Utterly grim. You'll get the usual posse who'll bleat that this is only a snapshot of the family's life. Why give a baby a screen? My DC went out for dinner regularly from babyhood and loved looking around them. We never had to resort a screen. Useless parenting if you ask me.
Judgemental fuckwittery if you ask me.
BABAHOTEL · 22/01/2022 17:38

@Hospedia

Well books are great

Also available in electronic format nowadays.

Absolutely!!

Imagine that, like loads of books of one item, it would be genius! If only id thought of that!

bonfireheart · 22/01/2022 17:40

I'd prefer that than the annoying middle class performative parenting where they have to narrative everything in a loud voice so everyone can hear and then spoil everyone else's meal out like they're in some bloody history lesson "yes Edward, pizza is from Italy, did you know in the 17th century..." whilst little Edward runs around screaming.

JigglyPiggly · 22/01/2022 17:40

@UnUdderOne

You don't know what was going on. They could have just received a cancer diagnosis for all you know. At least the child probably hasn't got judgey, unkind parents.Wink
So the response to getting a cancer diagnosis is to be a shit parent?
Jobsharenightmare · 22/01/2022 17:41

PropertyFlipper I think this too. I also highly doubt this was a one off but it's what most posters here want to assume for some reason.

Cancer diagnosis pizza express lunch? Come off it. How about accepting some parents choose lazy methods of entertaining their child for a quiet life. That's their perogative, but still not great for the child.

Yumperwumpee · 22/01/2022 17:42

So the response to getting a cancer diagnosis is to be a shit parent?

Well, at least your kids have a lovely empathetic parent.

Jeschara · 22/01/2022 17:42

YABU, and a nosy bugger to boot. If you are concentrating on your own kids properly you would not have time to pass judgement.

BABAHOTEL · 22/01/2022 17:43

@JigglyPiggly that's an awful comment, shame on you.

SexPeopleLynn · 22/01/2022 17:43

OP, as many others have said, you should not judge based on a small snapshot. You have no idea what's going on in their lives

An AS shows that you've had a difficult year and also struggled with 'out of control' toddlers-I'm sure there may have been moments outside the house where your parenting may have been called into question by a stranger based on a small interaction. You'd be forgiven if anyone knew the struggles you were having.

Try and show a bit of kindness as I know you would hope others would do for you.

MorganKitten · 22/01/2022 17:43

So you were with them the whole day? Know that all the do is use an iPad? Maybe think about it possibly being the only hour they’ve had as a couple and it not all being baby time…

WindyState · 22/01/2022 17:44

@Jobsharenightmare

PropertyFlipper I think this too. I also highly doubt this was a one off but it's what most posters here want to assume for some reason.

Cancer diagnosis pizza express lunch? Come off it. How about accepting some parents choose lazy methods of entertaining their child for a quiet life. That's their perogative, but still not great for the child.

How about minding your own business?
Yumperwumpee · 22/01/2022 17:45

How about accepting some parents choose lazy methods of entertaining their child for a quiet life

Pretty much every parent does that. Every parent makes choices that are easy but not necessarily the "right" way.

Plenty of parents work when they could afford to stay home, despite research showing children benefit from being cared for by a primary caregiver in the early years.

Plenty of women formula feed when they could breastfeed, despite breastfeeding being better for the baby.

Plenty of parents (I'm willing to bet pretty much everyone on this thread in fact) use rewards, punishments and bribery as parenting choices, despite research showing these are the easy way, not the effective way.

I mean you could think of a million examples of this. The simple truth is you just want to judge and feel superior. Why not just come out and say that?

Lastofthecelebrations · 22/01/2022 17:46

Perhaps baby isn't always calm and happy when dining out and parents were using it as a preventive measure...maybe baby likes to kick up a stink and the parents were considering other diners and came prepared. You don't know the reasons to justify being horrified!