Horrified at 7month old in pizza express with screen

[MadeinSW3]

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.

Just shake a toy 😂
Sometimes it’s a screen or the baby screams the whole time you’re eating.
Not saying it’s great to give them a screen every time but sometimes it is the only thing that works. The pressure you feel in a public place trying to get your baby to stop crying/shouting etc can be so horrible, even if no ones judging you it feels like everyone is.

@Wineisoverrated

I once sat in a Starbucks cafe with my eldest in a high chair watching my phone when we were going through a family crisis.

I had slept about an hour in three days and was at breaking point. I needed ten minutes of just not being mummy before I simply broke down crying.

You never know what someone else is going through. You see a baby watching a phone with a bottle as mum and dad eat a lovely meal. Mum and dad may have just decided to end their relationship and have met to discuss it, mum and dad could have just received awful news, have buried a loved one, have lost their jobs or received a diagnosis and just for the length of a single course of a meal needed not to be completely attentive parents.

Life happens and you do the best with what you have. Be less judgemental.

Well said 💐

What the fuck has it got to do with you? Bloody self righteousness at it's absolute best. You're judging the parents on a tiny snapshot of their day. For all you know, they might have been engaging with the LO all day, and, God forbid, just wanted half an hour to focus a little more on each other for a change. Bloody judgemental or what?!

Strong word is horrified about this baby situation,, only to be used when people actually go into a pizza place to eat such things !!

Life happens and you do the best with what you have. Be less judgemental.

I kind of agree, because it's true that you don't know that individual person's situation or whether their behaviour is a one-off. But actually, I certainly don't agree that everyone does the best with what they have. Not at all. Some people do things really badly with very little excuse.

How can you tell the baby was 7 months old?

In what way did this impact your lunch?

For the mother of said baby, I’m sure the impact was that it allowed her to eat her hot meal undisturbed whilst baby was occupied and, as you pointed out, happy and calm.

Your turn.

@EyesAsGreenAsAFreshPickledToad

Keep your beak out. Maybe the mum finally got a few minutes peace to enjoy a meal and adult conversation after a relentless 7 months of a baby crying.

Yep.

It is pretty mean and smug to observe and judge people like that, and then create a whole internet discussion about what bad parents they are!

Even if it's not what you'd do, you don't want to be that mean person bitching about those less 'fortunate'.

If there was a 7 month old screaming whilst your were trying to eat a meal you would probably be writing a thread about that too? People are always moaning about crying babies and noisy children whilst they are trying to enjoy a meal, it’s no wonder parents will try anything to keep their baby quiet so no one complains whilst eating. If it works for them then I don’t see a issue. Me personally….I wouldn’t take a 7 month old baby to eat out, and I wouldn’t use a screen to amuse a baby but I don’t judge what others do.

I don't understand why you felt the need to come on here and report it

I’d also judge them OP. I wouldn’t be horrified but I generally (privately) judge people who bring screens to restaurants.

@Giraffesandbottoms

Absolutely hate people using screens in restaurants, barring children having special needs. So lazy and sad - talk to your fucking children.

Oh piss off. A 7 month old can't understand. A bit of screen time in a restaurant while the grown ups have a meal is no big deal. They might not have any babysitters and want to actually do something non baby related for once.

Wow you sound awful. Do parents not deserve a hot meal or even just a break and an adult conversation?? You cannot pour from an empty cup so get off your high horse.

I think screens can be quite handy to use as a last resort to entertain a bored child out in public, but why would a baby need to stare at a screen while drinking their milk? Why would the parents engage with their child and also give them the chance to engage in what’s going on around them before resorting to sticking a screen in their face. It is lazy and ignorant parenting and actually quite sad.

@MrPoppysParka

What an oddly specific age to ascribe to a child you don’t know.

Almost as if goady fuckering & fictionalising were a Thing round these parts huh @MrPoppysParka?

It's not quite PizzaGate OP, but nice try. As PP suggested, a baby in the oven may have garnered more actual horror ...

This isn't going to go well for you.
Maybe it's not ideal but it's not horrifying either.
Life's much better when you just concentrate on yourself more & don't worry about people that you don't know who's lives have absolutely no impact on yours.

I think it's people like the OP why so many new mums suffer in silence. They don't want to be judged so sit at home alone with a crying baby because god forbid a busy body might start a thread about them being outside of the home with A SCREEN!

@stmw321

You should come and work with me for a day in my children's safeguarding job, THEN you'll be horrified.

In the kindest way, get a grip.

^ This.

Absolutely hate people using screens in restaurants, barring children having special needs. So lazy and sad - talk to your fucking children

The judginess works a bit letter if you don't use foul language...

or even better

I had one baby who would happily gargle away in a high chair, sit nicely, eat nicely, loved being at restaurants.

I also had one that gobbled their food in two seconds flat and then threw the rest, threw any toys you gave them, threw any crockery or cutlery within reach and just generally shouted and screamed, and if we took them out the high chair and put them on our lap they would pull hair and poke eyes or wriggle to get down and crawl.

If a screen had distracted the second one I'd have definitely taken one out to eat.

I dont see why you think it matters. Every meal at home would be shit but how often do most families eat out, once every few weeks? If that's what the parents need to do to enjoy it then good for them

Mind your own business, at least the baby wasn't munching on a Greggs and chugging a Fruit Shoot.

They then plopped baby into high chair and put something else on during whole time at the stable.

Was he the Baby Jesus, OP?

@Giraffesandbottoms

Absolutely hate people using screens in restaurants, barring children having special needs. So lazy and sad - talk to your fucking children.

Why do you take such pleasure in judging strangers over a tiny, 30 second snapshot of their lives?

I'm always surprised at people saying "don't judge" at situations like this. I definitely judge, and I think it's really sad to put such a small baby in front of a screen.

Though I actually don't think screens belong in restaurants at all. Kids can't learn how to behave if you don't talk to them and teach them how.