Children on Ipads in restaurants

[Somersetlady]

Away in a resort. I am shocked by the number of children on ipads for the entire sitting of a meal. Breakfast lunch and dinner.

Buffet to fine dining.

From todlers upwards.

No social interaction with parents or staff and mindless eating whilst inhaling cartoons.

i understand that parents want a bit of a break but surely this is shockingly bad for the children?

Parents get moaned at if their children are noisy in restaurants and then judged if they’re occupied with iPads / phones . Are they expected to just sit quietly the whole time ?

@periodiclabel so "some exceptions apply"? Jolly good. How are you going to detect, when you see us in a restaurant, knowing nothing about us whatsoever, whether we fall into the "exceptions" category, or whether we deserve your adverse judgement?

My autistic 4 year old gets bored silly sitting still for half an hour while she's tube fed through her gastrostomy so yes, I'm putting Frozen on silent so I get a chance to eat something at a table instead of having a shitty supermarket sandwich on a bench in the rain so I don't get judged by you lot. She can't focus on a book for that long, she can't use colouring pencils and all her toys involve her banging stuff which is really bloody loud.

And for everyone saying 'oH wElL iT's oK iF tHeY'rE dIsAbLeD' - you cannot tell by looking and even when it's obvious from the plastic tube coming out of her stomach and the syringes all over table we still get comments. So wind your neck in and worry about yourselves, we're doing the best we can.

🖕

This.

She's got magical powers of judgement .... 😆😆

Reading in poor light can damage eyes sight. I was an obsessive reader as a child and this combined with boarding school ( and the rules on lights) really damaged mine.

For us, depends on what they’ve been doing before and what mood they are in. DS has ADHD and ASD, screen time is his down time and he eats better if he’s watching something. If they’ve been running around the zoo/soft play/trampoline park then they may just have the tablets, kids with ADHD and ASD have zero patience for ‘sit nicely and wait’. We usually take them to run off energy before we go out for food to help with the sitting. I usually have uno/dobble cards in their bag and we often play a few games with those until the food comes. I also have a few small toys/action figures so they have a choice of what they want to do. They always have headphones though so they aren’t disturbing other people.

However, everywhere we go most of the adults are on their phones whether they have kids with them or not so it’s hardly just the kids who are on screens.

Many people disagree but I absolutely hate it. People have all sorts of reasons and excuses but I absolutely can’t stand kids being given phones or iPads when at the table, at home or out!

@FosterMommy13 as long as he is using headphones and not disturbing anyone, what is it to you to either stand it or not stand it? Why do you care?

@FosterMommy13 you absolutely hate it..... get a grip!

Aw that sounds like me and my DS. Mine is 19 now and we’re still the same🙂.

To be honest, I feel a bit guilty about all the screen time he’s had but maybe I shouldn’t.

@doilooklikeicare Exactly! Personally I wouldn't waste energy "absolutely hating" something that has literally zero impact on me, and which might just be something pleasant or helpful for someone else.

Sone real crazy's on this thread! Know so much but actually know nothing...

I've not noticed it on a holiday or when out for a meal, I'm too busy enjoying interacting with my own family to be watching and judging others. I certainly wouldn't be able to tell you what other people's children were doing from the minute they sat down until they left the table. That would leave no time at all for me to talk to my own family

Takes one to know one😀

not sure why this subject upsets you so much. Are you not aware that parents judge each other for all sorts of things they do this is just one. It’s called life. Have the confidence in your decisions, accept others may be unimpressed. Night night

@periodiclabel

Takes one to know one.....

How childish!

What makes you think I was referring to you sweetie?

🤔

@periodiclabel night night, must be way past your bedtime.... remember no screens at nighttime or you'll have your tech confiscated ....

Same for my niece. She’s autistic and the only way she can cope with meals out is with her iPad and noise cancelling headphones.

@theDudesmummy & @doilooklikeicare
It’s only my opinion and that’s what the OP had made this post about. I just agree with OP that’s all. I don’t have anything against people who do allow it, each to their own :-)
I don’t appreciate being told to ‘get a grip’ just because my opinion on a subject is different to yours. I do hate it, but I also hate mushrooms and I hate wine…..it’s just an opinion.

Hear, Hear. A young woman was pushing her child in the pushchair, chaild saying, Mummy, Mummy, Mummyy over and over but Mummy didn't take any notice of the child, just kept walking and looking at the phone.

Of course its shockingly bad if it's all day every day.... but its not! A bit like Mcdonalds really I suppose

@FosterMommy13 Don't eat mushrooms then, don't drink wine, and don't let your child have their phone at the table. It's no skin off my nose, I couldn't give a hoot!

I love mushrooms, I love wine and I love having a nice lunch with my contented chuckling child! So i will have all of them please, preferably all at the same time...and it's no skin off your nose either!

DS2 is 14 and has adhd. He rarely eats full meals as it is as he gets distracted, on holiday the excitement and novelty of a new place means he will barely eat at all.if he has his phone he will at least sit for 20 minutes max and I can eat a bit. Being on holiday with his is very full on; a few minutes of peace is fine by me, even if people do think it’s terribly sad 🙄

Sometimes when we eat it out its because I want to spend quality time with my son and teach him how to function in society. We might colour together or read a book together as well as talk about what we can see/what's going on around us but it's all about sharing each others company.

Sometimes when we out it's because we have been out all day and are both tired and just want the easy option. If the tablet helps, then he can have it. I expect on holiday that would happen more!