Electronic devices and babies

[notedbiscuits]

I do hate parents shoving their phone or tablet at their babies and make them watch stuff. It’s lazy parenting. We don’t want to hear ‘whee let’s go’, the alphabet song etc full volume.

Well don’t do it to your kids then. What other people do doesn’t actually affect you, you know? Just let people live their lives how they want. It’ll make your life better not having to hoik up your judgy pants every 3 seconds

Ok.

“You don’t have to judge the whole world by your own standards. Not everyone is like you.”

You don’t know what is going on for that parent who has ‘shoved’ their phone or tablet at their child when they are on public transport and they are desperately trying to avoid a tantrum or stop the pain of teething momentarily. Or at the coffee shop table where god forbid, the parent needs just two minutes of their own thoughts as they have worked the night shift the evening previously and are now straight into parenting.
Or like my own experience where I was told that my mother had been put into an induced coma just 5 minutes previously and I gave my phone to my 3 year old so I could just THINK. Think about how I was going to care for everybody, work full time and go and see my mum who was in hospital 2.5 hours away.

Unless you think a child is in danger - focus on yourself and your own wellbeing and how you can be a better person.

Meh. Never did it, minimise screens for mine.

But I remember silently judging a friend from a baby class who used a phone to keep her 11 month old still in a highchair while the rest of them were happy with snacks in a cafe. Then she said he hated the highchair, and I remembered he'd already been running for a couple of months, and she was getting no sleep, and a few months later it turned out she'd been pregnant and feeling like shit.

If you know someone is using screens all the time then judge away, but if you're judging a stranger on a snapshot then you're worse than them.

Although, anyone playing any device out loud in public rather than using headphones can burn. That's more likely with pensioners than babies though IME!

@CelesteCunningham
Pensioners. Of course. Source of all evil.

Yes, that's what I said, you have fully understood my point and not missed anything at all.

I’d worry more about a toddler or baby throwing the device and breaking it.

This week I met a little 3 year old who was exceptionally dexterous at using her mum’s phone. She expertly swiped through TikTok and showed me her favourite videos. I asked her if she wanted to do some colouring and she said yeas. She had absolutely no motor control over a chunky marker pen. None.

Why doesn't that surprise me, though it should be alot more shocking. I'm not judging anyone who gives a toddler a phone to just quickly avoid a public tantrum or the like but when a 3 year old is better on a phone that alot of adults you've seriously gotta start questioning some people's parenting decisions 🤷

She was a really articulate little girl. Super chatty. Delightful. Great eye contact, poor speech as had a dummy but when I took it out she was able to form words in a more intelligible way. Totally capable of making herself understood.

What stood out was that she was a true digital native. She pulled out the pop socket on the phone and was able to navigate to the app, and find the videos she liked. Swiping past a lot of adult content in the processs.

I'm still thinking about her 2 days later. It would have been nice if we had been able to scribble on paper together.

I hate seeing babies on phones. I could say I understand that sometimes it’s necessary, but honestly I really don’t. I’ve had and got young kids and there are other things that can entertain/distract them. Maybe not once the phone has been used as they will want it again. I know I’ll get ripped to shreds, but honestly I don’t think it’s ever necessary and believe there can always be something to be used as an alternative. Just my opinion.

well, it does effect everybody, because these babies will grow up to be children in our society, and if they have concentration and behavioural problems from so much screen time, we are all living with the consequences, aren't we.

And yet we’ll be reading threads as to why people don’t want their DC or young teens to have smartphones and the dangers of them, but we’re offering them to our babies. Really not starting them off on a good path. And we wonder why kids are addicted to technology. SMH.

Where I live, some parents give their babies and toddlers phones or tablets for the short walk to nursery/pre-school in the stroller. I don’t k ow what they’re watching, but it’s engrossing. Some parents have a speaker attachment for their strollers which plays nursery rhymes on the walk, like a tiny boombox. These children are always, without exception, in forward facing strollers (as my babies were, but no gadgets). I judge, absolutely.

We have a number of teachers-also-parents in our circle. Not one with a child under 15 has allowed their offspring to have a phone. Not one. They all say they’ve seen too much amongst their students.

I sort of agree, but then remember that my primary aged GC are doing their homework online only. Everything we book is on-line, even the forms for medical appointments etc. My adult children all do 'paperwork', for work, on tablets etc.
It reminds me of how the previous generations used to feel smug because they could do mental arithmetic. It doesn't matter if you can or can't, because if a till doesn't work, the shop has to shut.
I can't comment because my children/GC have additional needs, so screens were used when needed. As long as they are balanced out, I think they are fine.

They'll be forced onto screens and the Internet by the schools. Even my GC choir are only communicating via email and sending YouTube links to songs.

We live in a digital world, this isn't going to change. Kids need to understand how to use technology as early as nursery school. Those who know their way around a smart phone or tablet, apps etc. are going to be at an advantage. The use of technology will be a necessity for most, if not all jobs in future. It could be argued that fluency in tech is as important as writing going forward. Playing videos loudly in public isn't ok obviously, nor is constant plonking them in front of a screen; but rushing to judge early usage and knowledge of technology is short sighted.

Better than occupying them with snacks, which seems to be a popular babysitter too.

I never used electronic devices to distract, mollify or appease my baby. Their use affects everything from concentration and attention span to gross and fine motor skills. They’re majorly addictive. But if that’s how others want to parent their babies, I say all the more power to them. It’s a free country; they should be allowed to parent how they want.