To think this mother is selfish and a bit of a knobhead?

[CarrotCrusader]

A woman got on the bus this morning with a few kids. The youngest in a buggy had a toy with buttons that made sound effects. It was loud. This child did not stop pressing these buttons. I looked at the mother as if to say wtf but it didn't work. Aibu to think what is wrong with people? I wouldn't dream of letting my kid in an inside public space with such a toy.

I think I’d cut any mother of several children some slack first thing in the morning!

Buses are pretty loud anyway

As ever, the only behaviour you can control here is your own. There’s zero point in fuming wordlessly and then arriving on the internet in high dudgeon. Use your words.

Would you prefer that the child was screaming? That was probably the alternative.

We don't do screens so my DS always has a toy in the pram. You're getting on public transport so YABU to expect no noise. My friends disabled daughter would have delighted you, she not only vocal stims constantly, but she also always plays with a very specific and annoying baby toy.
What noise is acceptable to you and what isn't?

I’d be irritated too but realistically it was probably a choice between the loud toys or the baby/toddler screaming or crying for the whole journey so, put your headphones on and pick your battles!

I hate these selfish people who have zero self awareness. See also : people who talk on speaker phone / listen to music / watch iPads without headphones.

massive dickheads.

Im with you OP.

Yes. People are dick heads/ think the world revolves around their children.

Argh. If I ruled the world you could pop her in the bin with the woman who let her child listen to Baby Shark loudly and on repeat in a hotel breakfast queue. Grr. Non-noisy toys do exist, and screaming was definitely preferable to that.

Difficult one this.

without the toy I’m sure the child would have been not distracted and possibly shouting/crying so to be fair at least it’s abit of damage limitation there.

id rather hear a loud child’s toy and zone it out than people talking on loud speaker to their nearest and dearest all about their private life

Several kids? She would have my sympathy tbh, there are worse things than a bit of noise.

I think I would just stick my headphones on and not judge a poor mam of several young kids first thing on a morning.

Everyone commenting the mother had no choice 🤣🤣🤣

You're right OP, but basic consideration for others seems to have been lost now

She’s an idiot with no manners, raising her children to be the same. I despair.

I agree it’s annoying. No one is expecting silence on the bus, and yes it’s tricky managing several kids at once, but that doesn’t make it acceptable to use super loud toys. You should be afforded as much consideration as some of the posters on here wish you to offer the mother.

Incidentally, I bet it was a V tech toy. That whole range can get in the bin. Whenever my child was given one, it quickly got “lost!”

Wouldn’t bother me but I can see squeaky buttons can be irritating to others.

It’s a small child playing with a toy for god sake. Give your head a shake.

You can’t be serious 🤣

What I find annoying is people who think they can contact other people telepathically and that giving them a look will convey their displeasure at hearing the electronic sounds of a toy their child is playing with.

Why not actually speak to the woman about it?

This is why I walked so much in my twenties - people always used to ask why I didnt use buses more but (disclaimer, possible autism) i couldn't cope with deliberate noise like this. Bus/traffic noise, sirens going past, people talking or laughing, absolutely fine. But someone repeatedly tapping or banging, having their phone on loud or playing a game such as this would (depending on how disregulated I was already from other things that day/week) be so painful to me that I was always desperately worried that I'd start shouting SHUT UP at people, especially a child or someone with disabilities who couldnt help themselves. It never happened because I avoided buses - now earphone technology has come on a bit its made public transport a lot less stressful for me!

id rather hear a loud child’s toy and zone it out than people talking on loud speaker to their nearest and dearest all about their private life

Why do people do this? Do they not realise that the entire world can hear them? The amount of times I've been sitting in a car park having to hear someone's private conversation as their sitting there with the speaker phone blaring away. Recently myself and everyone else who was in the vicinity of a small carpark heard about someone's daughter having an abortion. I really doubt they'd want that broadcast but because the first class knobhead person they were talking to had to have their phone on speaker, even though they were parked up that's exactly what happened.

YABU, public transport is noisy, half the people will be shouting on loudspeaker on their phones and I bet you wouldn't complain about that. Better than a child screaming when the mum is trying to get somewhere in the morning. Walk or drive if you don't like it!

...and deserves applause imo if she managed to get 'a few children' out of the house on time in the morning!

@CarrotCrusader oh get a life!! would you rather hear a screaming kid for the but journey???

Oh come on, what a nasty post. At best it was mildly irritating to you.