Baby at Burger King- do I live in a bubble?

[Howshat]

We live in the countryside. Took DC to the city today and had lunch at Burger King. There was a couple there with their baby, about 8 or 9 months old. Not walking. She was sitting in a high chair and had a phone in front of her. She was mainly ignoring it and looking around at the people in the restaurant.

Their food came and the parents fed her a burger, chips and apple juice, with the phone still in front of her.

I‘m happy to accept that I live in a bubble. But I‘ve never seen anything like this before and was very shocked. This was a baby, not a toddler.

Is this a normal thing nowadays?

I wouldn't worry about the burger, as long as the child doesn't live on processed food it won't hurt and is at least getting used to eating out.

They probably put the phone on the baby's tray so they could see/hear it easily if someone was trying to get in touch, easier than rummaging in bags to find if it rings. The baby was hardly going to be using it.

I'd have thought nothing of it.

Where would we be without people like this to give us something to be judgemental about!

When I read posts like these full of judgement, I'm reminded why I choose not to have many mum friends

you are not special, nor are you in a bubble, just get off the internet for a while and learn to accept and respect the variances of life.

our gen created this tech, this current reality, we cant change it, we just have to go with the flow.

Very normal to see small children with a phone plonked in front of them. You only have to go to the supermarket to see children and their "nanny" phone.

Really lazy parenting but who are we to judge 🤷🏻‍♀️ times have changed. Not always for the better.

Omg the judgement.

I took mine to a pub that one of my sons runs yesterday afternoon. They were plonked in front of iPads with a plate of nuggets and chips so my DH and I could catch up with our son who we haven’t seen in over a year.

You saw a moment in their lives. I imagine they’ve had a manic week like most other parents this week. No need for the labels or pearl clutching or faux surprise.

Get over it, live your own life, let other people manage theirs as best they can.

Please just let people parent their children the way they choose and just get on with your life. The baby was with its parents, seemingly happy enough and being fed. Whether they choose to give the baby a phone in that instance is none of your business. And I don’t mean that in a harsh way, just honestly. We all see things and can’t help to judge sometimes, or think to ourselves that we’d do it differently- it’s human nature. But equally just keep it to yourself unless you see any immediate harm or danger to a minor. You have no idea what people are going through at any point in their lives. I have sat in a cafe with my then very active 3.5 year old and let him eat whilst watching a phone. The reality - I’d just had my 3rd consecutive silent miscarriage and was absolutely devastated. I was just trying to get through the day. Other occasions later down the line I would’ve looked like the perfect parent engaging with him and having fun eating together whilst we are in happier times. Life is full of challenges, some just small day to day things and some much bigger. Just be kind, or if you can’t do that just mind your own business.

Interesting that the poll is in favour of YANBU but the comments are predominantly YABU. I find it amazing how MNers always jump to scenarios like ‘only place open and baby was starving’ or ‘en route to a funeral and needed something quick’ or ‘you’ve no idea what’s going on in their lives’ when the most likely scenario is that it’s lazy parenting and we all see it often in various forms but people like to defend.

In Morrisons the other day. I saw a baby/toddler around 18m in a pram and the parent had put their phone in a holder and attached it to the bar on the pram so it was in front of the child.
I thought fair play to you, parent. If it helps, it helps. Maybe it helps keep him calm while they go and grab some stuff for tea.

It was probably given a Greggs sausage roll to teethe on.

😅love it

It's not ideal and not something I'd have done, but I can't get worked up about it.

I call bullshit on an 8 month old eating a burger and chips though. Most babies might chew on a few bits and fling the rest on the floor at that age. I definitely didn't buy mine their own meals at that age, I would have shared some of mine and they'dhave barely eaten anything.

I agree with you OP. It’s lazy parenting and the excuses on here are just as bad!

I'm in a European city that has a street festival for NY. Saw a baby, less than a year, in a pushchair in incredibly crowded streets with lots to see, just staring at a phone. Parents ignoring her completely while they oohed and aahed at the lights etc. It's really crap.

If you think that a BK has the same nutrition as a baby specific pouch/jar, I worry fir your children.

lol @billiongulls

I was going to say this. I live in a city and actually see it less now than when DC were toddlers 8-10 years ago when every little one was sat in front of a tablet. I don't see it much now. Maybe the novelty has worn off or perhaps people are more aware and concerned about adverse effects and screen addiction.

What if the phone was also a one off? Maybe the baby had been crying or fussing all morning and the parents found a way to soothe them (and now they were chilled and watching the world) and take a few moments sanity?

DD is 4 now, and 99% of the time she's very good when we're out and about. Doesn't eat with a phone/tablet, she engaged with the people she's with. But there's been times where we've battled to do what we needed to all morning and just had to sit down and breathe for a few moments, and an episode or two of Hey Duggee on iPlayer on the phone helped us get that.

Can't judge a family on a ten minute snapshot of their lives.

I agree with you. It is shit parenting.

No excuses, there’s no regard for health anymore.

You could set up an art gallery with all the "snapshots" in this thread

Ridiculous. I used to go shopping with my baby twins and they’d be in a twin trolley, facing me, with an apple each. They munched through it most of the trip and we would talk, they would hold items for me and it was a positive experience.

Screens are scientifically proven to be detrimental, it’s not ok to encourage use in a young child, it’s poor parenting/neglect.

Parents also get judged for children screeching or running around in supermarkets. Kids don't behave perfectly 100% of the time, you see a snapshot of their lives.

We get comments on how well behaved DD is in restaurants, shops, etc. But that's only come from taking her to these places and going through what we needed to, to get her to the place she behaves most of the time. And emphasis on the most of the time. I've carried her out of places under my arm kicking and screaming. I've given in and handed her my phone so I can grab the nappies/wipes/veg/milk/insert item here that we've got desperately low on and get out of there quickly. I've also have her helping me get what we need and being delightful and chatty with everyone, and that's her normal state, at age 4.

But if you saw us during one of her, absolutely normal for a small child, worse moments, you'd judge me either way, wouldn't you? For the bad behaviour or for using a tool to "contain" her while I get things we need.

No way I’d have given my baby my phone. Greasy fingers and the risk of dropping or throwing it. I don’t even let my 12 year old touch it as I can’t afford to replace it so it always baffles me when I see dc holding them in buggies/high chairs etc. their choice though and could easily been a one off though, as could the burger. Maybe they are innocent country folks too and don’t know where else to go. Hope you’re back home and not to damaged by this awful sight in the big bad city 😅

If you live in a bubble then so do I! No baby whether 8 months or 18 months should be having Burger King and the phone is completely unecessary.

And how did people do that before screens? Its ridiculous to suggest that every time a child is on a screen it's the one off rarity, snapshot whatever. I saw a family at a pub for lunch, parents, grandparents and baby, highchair age. They came in, baby perfectly happy, not fussing or crying, was plonked in the highchair, given a phone immediately and ignored for the next hour while the adults interacted. I would absolutely get it if they had spent the first half even, including the baby, taking it in turns, whatever and then had some peace, but it was immediate.