Page 9 | Horrified at 7month old in pizza express with screen

justlonelystars · 22/01/2022 16:18

@Giraffesandbottoms good for you. You’ll be horrified to hear we took him to a 2 Michelin star restaurant when he was 4 months old and didn’t make a peep for the whole meal. At this meal, he cried for 3 minutes, watched some YouTube and after that had a lovely bath, story and cuddle in our room before staying awake for another 30 minutes “chatting” to me and then sleeping through the night. The meal was timed for before his normal bed time and he wasn’t tired, hungry or bored. He had toys to play with quietly. He had me and his dad talking to him and interacting with him. He was fed. Sometimes babies cry for no reason, he cried for a very short time and has hardly been traumatised by the whole thing. No one else had their meal spoilt by a crying baby and I have a happy, well loved baby who has about 5 minutes of screen time a week under usual circumstances. Taking him out for Sunday lunch tomorrow, hope that’s okay :)

ChrissyPlummer · 22/01/2022 16:19

I agree, although the thing that would have annoyed me the most is the bloody noise from the iPad. I hate people who use them without headphones.

Isaw3ships · 22/01/2022 16:19

You’ll have people coming on here banging on about how that baby may have special needs blah blah blah, but I’m with you. Once of my pet hates is people being incapable of sitting through a meal with their children without sticking them on a screen of some kind.

TeenyQueen · 22/01/2022 16:19

We have a very lively and smart toddler, and we have never used an iPad or phone to entertain her in a restaurant. She's had toys and books, colouring pencils etc and she's been happy enough to eat little bits of food and drink from a sippy cup, or I've breastfed her. Agreed, a baby shouldn't need screentime during a quick family outing.

Chuechebache · 22/01/2022 16:20

I sometimes wonder,why people decide to have a child.why bother,if you cant be bothered to give a little time to a small human being.

GirlOfTudor · 22/01/2022 16:20

How do you know the age of a stranger's baby? How do you know that the parents weren't flipping exhausted and just wanted a meal in peace for once? Maybe the baby had a terrible night, or this is the only thing that distracts them from teething pain?
Maybe take your plentiful free time and utilise it with something more worthwhile than worrying about someone else's baby and posting about it on the internet.

Giraffesandbottoms · 22/01/2022 16:20

@EarringsandLipstick

I used swearing for emphasis. It’s quite a usual thing to do. It’s irrelevant to the meaning of the post where “fucking”
site but if it makes you feel better please move it in your mind to sit in front of another word, since it gets you that it’s in front of “children”. I don’t think it’s ranty but that’s subjective and I don’t see the point in arguing about this specific thing anymore as we have both made our points.

Opalfeet · 22/01/2022 16:20

@Sarah13xx so anyone who lets their kid goes in a pad is letting them on it all day?

Trinxsy · 22/01/2022 16:20

DS is almost 3 now. He has a form of dwarfism and looks very very young. People making comments like this are what make me hate going out to eat sometimes.

BringBackCoffeeCreams · 22/01/2022 16:20

In my mum's day kids were left in the car with a packet of crisps so parents could drink in the pub. That's how they "managed".

Yep. I remember being sat on the steps of the pub with a packet of crisps and a bottle of pop. The occasional adult going in would give us a penny and we'd go to the shop over the road to get 2 half penny sweets.

cushioncovers · 22/01/2022 16:21

Do you have kids op?

Waxonwaxoff0 · 22/01/2022 16:21

@Chuechebache

I sometimes wonder,why people decide to have a child.why bother,if you cant be bothered to give a little time to a small human being.

More stupid comments. They probably give the child time ALL DAY, it's not a crime to want a break occasionally.

EarringsandLipstick · 22/01/2022 16:22

I do think it’s now almost expected that you’ll give your child a phone or tablet rather than expected that you won’t which is bizarre

It's bizarre you think this.

Maybe in some places - but nowhere I'm familiar with is it 'expected'. Different families make different choices about the level of screen time they are happy with.

I’m an infant teacher and I’ve noticed a HUGE change in children’s behaviour/attention span in the last few years

That's a pity and it's obviously an issue in your school / area. It's not the same everywhere. I certainly haven't experienced it in my interactions with my own DC or their peers or heard that feedback

I do hear an exhortation to read more - general TV viewing, xBox etc does seem to pose a challenge for reading time. I have it with two of my DC.

But that's a different issue to the 'give a baby a phone in every public situation' which is the discussion here.

Viviennemary · 22/01/2022 16:22

Can't see the harm for a short while.

OhCrumbsWhereNow · 22/01/2022 16:25

I honestly don't get why some people are so obsessed about the "horror" of children using screens.

I've let DD have access to tech since she was a baby - yes, quite often so I could just have a bit of peace & quiet. She also watched loads and loads of TV and films - and had a very extensive vocabulary as a rest. But possibly because there were no limits, she self-limited and would do lots of other things too.

She's now 12 and turns out her tech skills are pretty useful - her school just gave her a graphics scholarship and she seems to make a decent amount of pocket money having taught herself to design and sell clothes and accessories for avatars on some computer game.

As an only child, lockdown would have been utter misery without her online friends and computer games.

I think the children who have parents who are determined there will be no tech, very limited screen time (only pre-approved naice TV shows for 20 minutes a day), no junk food, no sugar etc are the ones who will find the modern world a much harder place to navigate. I feel really sorry for them.

ritalinda · 22/01/2022 16:25

@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.

Judgemental 🍩 leave other people to their own lives my love

EarringsandLipstick · 22/01/2022 16:26

Obviously one of those parents who use screens in public. Look, it's your life, but it's a thread where we share opinions, deal with it.

No. I don't. Never have. Ever.

My DC have no access to my phone even when at home. They have limited screen time & don't get their own phone till they are 13.

They play sports, read, do music, are articulate & academic, as it happens.

So you are completely wrong - as well as judgemental & rude.

My point is (as you seem to have missed it) - these are my choices, for my DC. I'm sure many would disagree with choices I make. But it's not my role to judge other parents' decisions, especially based on a tiny snapshot.

Blossomtoes · 22/01/2022 16:26

@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 !

So what was the problem? The baby’s happy looking at the screen, it’s happy looking around and it can choose which it does. Win/win.

mastertomsmum · 22/01/2022 16:26

The original post is click bait. Saying you are horrified by good parenting lol 😂 Parents had a plan to get themselves a few moments to peacefully enjoy pizza. As for screens, when my DS was little Baby Einstein was all the rage and there was also that weird thing narrated by Derek Jacobi - the former definitely aimed at babies the latter probably of no interest to much older.

Incidentally, judging a baby by size can be a problem. We used to get very funny looks when my 3 yr old was reading because he was both and early reader and very prem. He was in age to clothes at 5, for example.

MouseholeCat · 22/01/2022 16:27

Horrified is definintely an overreaction. But I personally wouldn't ever do this with my baby either.

EarringsandLipstick · 22/01/2022 16:27

@TeenyQueen

We have a very lively and smart toddler, and we have never used an iPad or phone to entertain her in a restaurant. She's had toys and books, colouring pencils etc and she's been happy enough to eat little bits of food and drink from a sippy cup, or I've breastfed her. Agreed, a baby shouldn't need screentime during a quick family outing.

I agree, as it happens

The point is, who is OP to judge, and be horrified? She should leave others to their choices, ill-advised or not.

TempsPerdu · 22/01/2022 16:27

@sarah13xx Also a former primary teacher with Early Years experience and I’ve seen similar. DSIS is an Early Years specialist (now assistant head) and believes passionately that screens are having a dramatic impact on the way children’s neural pathways develop - she’s noticed the same changes that you have. I also have a Master’s in a subject allied to child psychology and so much of the research on brain development in early childhood suggests that screens are very problematic.

I’m actually thinking of retraining into speech and language therapy as I think (especially post-pandemic) communication skills are going to be a huge issue going forward.

HonestwithHope1 · 22/01/2022 16:27

Oooh you are going to be slated but people need to realise

It is not normal for OTs, PTs, Speech and Language, and others, to have to work with neurotypical kids on basic skills (cutting, jumping, talking, tying laces and more) ...

Except it's becoming the new normal, and that is just sad. Argue til your blue in the face but it is sad that children are being so deprived, and it starts as babies with phones/tablets. Babies do not need these things! Babies do not care

I was a teaching assistant and many 8-10 year olds also started having a lot of emotional issues, lots of boredom, temper tantrums revolving around screens and more, lots of insecure attachment cause parents replace parenting with 10 hour days screen time...

Justgettingbye · 22/01/2022 16:27

Screens are around now and will be a part of our lives.

My first child I used screens, my second child is fine without. Honestly chill the fuck out

EarringsandLipstick · 22/01/2022 16:29

[quote Giraffesandbottoms]@EarringsandLipstick

I used swearing for emphasis. It’s quite a usual thing to do. It’s irrelevant to the meaning of the post where “fucking”
site but if it makes you feel better please move it in your mind to sit in front of another word, since it gets you that it’s in front of “children”. I don’t think it’s ranty but that’s subjective and I don’t see the point in arguing about this specific thing anymore as we have both made our points.[/quote]
Yeah I got it from your last explanations. Whatever.

It adds nothing to your point & is part of that vociferous disapproval of other's choices - which is what I don't like on the thread.

Parents look after their children in different ways.