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?

This screams of "I didn't have that tool so no one should use it" tbh.

Actually no, I don't judge, because that's what comes with having an autistic child.
When I see kids kicking off, I just think thank God those days have passed for me 😅

"Really lazy parenting".

I'll just leave this here.

Well you'd be wrong then. My kids are only teens. I used to do three hour train journeys with them regularly and screens were a last resort after reading, colouring, card games, conversations and snacks.

So you used them, as a last resort? But can't fathom that some people you see using them may also be at their last resort?

Some may just default to it, but not every time you see a child with a screen is that the case.

You're making things up, I haven't said that at all.

Maybe stop pretending to be utterly flabbergasted at what is really quite normal?

Parenting is fucking hard. We can't all be switched on, engaged parents 24/7. Maybe the family were recovering from illness, were en route to a funeral or maybe their child hasn't slept properly in weeks and theyre all feeling utterly burned out?

Theres nothing wrong with burger king as an occasional treat, for adults or children. Forbidding foods will only make kids more likely to binge on them in the future.

Just stop judging, it's unkind and unnecessary especially when parents receive so little support as it is.

It's literally in the post I originally quoted you from....click "quote history" and check for yourself. Here's the text copied and pasted though, for ease:

*QuirkyHorse · Today 06:00

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.*

I literally just said that the "snapshot" argument can't always be true. I'm sure it sometimes is, but the way it's used on here you'd think it is the answer every time and I think it's disingenuous to pretend that many people dont use it for an easy life and its detrimental. I have no problem having an opinion on that. I don't say anything, or tut or in anyway express that opinion. These threads always go the same way ... Each individual scenario can be picked over and analysed but really what's being considered is if using a screen as a default babysitter is not great...is anyone going to defend doing that? Otherwise it's just pages and pages of individual one off "snapshots" that can be understood and justified.

Parenting is fucking hard Agreed - but if you have children you should at least try to give a shiny shit about their development. Sticking them in front of a screen everywhere you go is shit parenting. Parenting is hard and parents can be useless & lazy - one statement does not cancel the other.

@IpsyUpsyDaisyDoos you obviously feel attacked for the way you parent.
If you were completely comfortable with it, you wouldn't give a shit what internet randoms thought.

It's not too late to change if you don't feel great about sticking your kid in front of a screen.

Is it good parenting? No. Is it normal for that couple to parent that way? You’ve absolutely no idea.

Is It a super common sight? No. Is it a super rare sight. Also no. It a way some people parent their children some times. It’s quite literally nothing more than that.

OP is describing themself as a country bumpkin, a bit wet behind the ears and not aware of what happens in the city

It’s worrying the number of people on here that don’t see anything wrong with the food, the salt content in fast food is not healthy at all for babies and a pouch would be better. The phone, not ideal but I could turn a blind eye. I’m
assuming they were chavs OP?

I work in a busy pub and am thankful when parents sit their child in a highchair with a phone to occupy them, or on a seat and give them a tablet to watch - as it makes my life easier. The children that are running around as im carrying heavy hot plates are a pita, so my yard stick is very low

my grandchildren are very rarely allowed to use a phone and not allowed tablets etc, even tv watching is limited (whereas they were brought up being allowed to watch tv) tablets and phones weren't around in their early years so never a issue

Nope, as I said, I dislike it when people judge based on ten minutes of viewing from a distance, because they do not know what has gone on to get to that point. And I dislike it when people judge and lie about what they've said.

I find it sad when people put their kids in front of a screen constantly, because they and the kids are missing out on a lot. But I don't automatically assume that a child with a phone is the result of lazy parenting. Because I've done it myself when it's been a last resort and I've had to get things done.

In the same way I don't presume someone is a terrible parent when their kid is screaming the place down or they're basically dragging the child out and back to the car because they've gotten over stimulated.

Parent life is hard enough without having your every moment potentially judged by other parents who don't even know you.

As a one off, either can have a blind eye turned. One BK isn't going to significantly harm anyone.

from researching the phone/tablet harm, id think one was just as harmful as the other

but as pp states, its a 10 minute snap shot of someones life and we don't know the complete jigsaw picture that we see just two pieces

But it absolutely is a super common sight. In the supermarket, if kids are there at all, they are in the trolley seat, plugged into Peppa or whatever. I live in a university town and it always amuses me but also, actually is a bit worrying seeing hordes of dozy 18 yo in October wandering around the aisles with little idea of how food shopping works. Screens plus deliveries means loads of young people now have rarely set foot in a supermarket. I teach teens...honestly, so many of them have never used public transport, rung up somewhere to make an appointment, just interacted with outside. It's a slightly different point to the op but worrying.

That is gross.

Most of my children were okay with chatting, colouring, reading to keep them entertained at a table waiting for food. However my developmentally disabled autistic child couldn’t access any of these she had a screen early on. She could eat well though but otherwise had poor hand control, poor attention, poor understanding, couldn’t wait. Still struggles now but it’s easier because we can actually have a conversation now she can speak. (She’s closer to puberty than a toddler right now for context)

Not the norm but I always look at these posts and start from a position of understanding.

Im the opposite- dont see the phone as a big deal but worry about the food. But then it’s cheap and it’ll be all they know.

Mum gives baby lots of attention and a burger as a treat but because of a phone on the table you’ve allowed a thread of people calling her a shit and lazy parent?

My daughter rarely watches telly but absolutely loves nursery rhymes so I put them on YouTube. She doesn’t watch the videos she just dances and sings to the music. Maybe this was what was going on here?

I seen a toddler in a pushchair with a tablet the size of a small tv mounted in the front the other day. Wtf is going on?

It’s not for me. Neither of my children have had phones in restaurants and can converse and sit fine. They didn’t have junk food at that age either.

I’m not surprised by what you saw though. It could be a one off but probably not