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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:
joydivisionovengloves71 · 22/01/2022 15:51

@doorornottodoor

That is bad!

I bet all the people that disagree on here so irately use screens themselves to keep their kids quiet in restaurants Grin I mean “the you do you” etc…

They won't be in pizza express though, it'll be a naice restaurant
DoctorSnortles · 22/01/2022 15:51

I agree with you OP. MN is very entertaining in this regard - lots of shouting about how it's perfectly fine for a baby to be on an iPad then lots of handwringing and despair over older kids having too much screen time instead of playing the violin.

EarringsandLipstick · 22/01/2022 15:51

@doorornottodoor

That is bad!

I bet all the people that disagree on here so irately use screens themselves to keep their kids quiet in restaurants Grin I mean “the you do you” etc…

Yeah. That's it. We all use screens non-stop.

Don't be ridiculous. Instead we all have our own thresholds that suits our families. I have never allowed my DC on a screen in public. I still don't - my phone is mine!

Still doesn't give me the slightest right to comment on someone else's choices.

shinynewapple22 · 22/01/2022 15:51

@MadeinSW3

I’ve never seen a child so young with a screen, just shake a toy! The baby looked calm and was smiling when looking away from screen !

Yeah. If your DC sat happily watching other diners or shaking a toy at 7 months old you were / are lucky . Mine didn't - and no portable screen entertainment at that time either so we always ended up eating in tandem .

TheWelshposter · 22/01/2022 15:51

Maybe the parents had already spent the day pushing the baby through a lovely park, or at a baby sensory class, or through the children's museum. Maybe it was their anniversary and they don't have babysitters to enjoy a meal together so brought the baby with them. Maybe the baby would have got bored and screamed the restaurant down without the screen.

rainrainraincamedowndowndown · 22/01/2022 15:52

What's wrong with keeping the child entertained so the parents can have a meal?
Why are they stupid? Screen is just a tool. Same as toy or books or whatever.

VitaminA · 22/01/2022 15:52

I agree, screens seem to be the default entertainment for some parents. In my experience, babies aren't even interested in screens during the first year but some parents just can't think of anything else to keep a baby entertained. I think the reason is that people expect a baby to sit happily in a high chair at a restaurant. That's not going to happen, is it? So either you leave the baby at home or you embrace the chaos. But shoving a screen in front of them is just lazy.

Opalfeet · 22/01/2022 15:53

Think what you like, but why the need to make a post on Mumsnet.. why did it bother you that much? 🙄

Dreamstate · 22/01/2022 15:54

Wow how pathetic and sad are you OP, mind your own business.to even come and start a thread about it...don't you have better things to do

BABAHOTEL · 22/01/2022 15:54

@VitaminA

I agree, screens seem to be the default entertainment for some parents. In my experience, babies aren't even interested in screens during the first year but some parents just can't think of anything else to keep a baby entertained. I think the reason is that people expect a baby to sit happily in a high chair at a restaurant. That's not going to happen, is it? So either you leave the baby at home or you embrace the chaos. But shoving a screen in front of them is just lazy.
How can it be lazy, if it doesn't work? Hopeful maybe!
Ricksteinsfishwife · 22/01/2022 15:55

I’m sure they interact with their kid at other times, it’s not if your kid ever has a screen it means you never interact. If the kid was quiet and happy then good for the parents they got it nailed. And it sounds like the kid was quiet and happy. And no way can you decide they were bored as they looked around. They were tiny.

I don’t think anyone should judge like this.

ChateauxNeufDePoop · 22/01/2022 15:55

@ufucoffee

I think it's pathetic. Epic lazy parenting.
But that's the point - how can you judge someone's parenting on a 30 minute snapshot? They could be the most engaging parents for the rest of the day but just wanted to eat a bit of pizza as a date. Quick judgements reflect more on people like you than the parents in this case.
Ricksteinsfishwife · 22/01/2022 15:56

@VitaminA

I agree, screens seem to be the default entertainment for some parents. In my experience, babies aren't even interested in screens during the first year but some parents just can't think of anything else to keep a baby entertained. I think the reason is that people expect a baby to sit happily in a high chair at a restaurant. That's not going to happen, is it? So either you leave the baby at home or you embrace the chaos. But shoving a screen in front of them is just lazy.
You can be lazy for a couple of hours. It’s ok you know. And the baby did sit happily.
duvetdayforeveryone · 22/01/2022 15:56

@MadeinSW3 You need to get a hobby if you have so much free headspace time.

Grida · 22/01/2022 15:56

I hate to break it to you but this isn’t very horrifying in the scheme of things. You must have lived an incredibly sheltered life for this to interest you enough to start a post about it.

Oldtiredfedup · 22/01/2022 15:56

I’m impressed a 7 month old was said to sit in a high chair

itwasntaparty · 22/01/2022 15:57

Hyperbole? Get over yourself. I wouldn't do it but each to their own.

Echobelly · 22/01/2022 15:57

Horrified is a bit strong - I feel sad when I see stuff like that with under 2s because it seems to be people just assuming their child has to be amused by a screen. And then if you start it that young there's a high chance they will get dependent on them to fill every moment.

My kids were tiny a few years before I got first smartphone, so they never had one put in front of them. I was forever forgetting to bring a toy or something with if I went to a cafe and I can honestly say they were always happy in those cases to push the salt pot across the table, wave around those little paper tubes with sugar in them, watch people - the whole world is totally mind-boggling when you're tiny, it really doesn't take much to fascinate babies and people do sometimes forget that and panic that their baby will make a scene unless they are constantly entertained.

Luredbyapomegranate · 22/01/2022 15:57

Horrified - totally OTT
It’s a bit sad, but perhaps they really needed some time to talk,

BritWifeInUSA · 22/01/2022 15:58

Horrified? Good grief. I hope something really tragic never happens to you if you can’t cope with someone else choosing to parent their child differently.

Pizza Express for lunch, though? Now I’m horrified… chain restaurants are awful.

EIIa · 22/01/2022 15:58

At 7 months - yes totally agree. Ridiculous.

Don’t care if that’s judgemental.

XelaM · 22/01/2022 15:58

@bigbeachedwales "I'd have been horrified too. I always used to prop a Shakespeare play up in front of my DCs when they were little."

😂😂😂😂 Made my laugh out loud.

OP - get a grip

Paperyfish · 22/01/2022 15:59

@ancientgran
My granny swore by a drop of Jameson whiskey. It might be why I'm teetotal.

How dreadful! It’s glenfiddich 18 yo single
Malt round here! Sleeps like a dream ( joking 🙃….we could never afford that! 😂)

BennysBingoBonanza · 22/01/2022 15:59

Can’t comment on the specific case- sometimes we all need to do whatever it takes to get through- but generally I find the willingness of parents to give very young children a screen for hours a day pretty worrying.

Emanchego · 22/01/2022 16:00

Lazy parenting