Babysat by phones

[ABonHawks]

I'm sorry
I really can't stand parents that babysit there kids with their phones
Out and about in buggy in a park and your child stuck to your phone or their iPad
Or put having dinner, and you got pepper pig playing non your phone as rest of you eat
Why can't you teach your child to speak to you about what's going on around then ?
Why can't you teach your child to sit nicely while adults eat? Or do some colouring ?
Why has a child under age of 10 been giving a phone ?

I'm sorry but phones tablets not happening in my household till my child goes to high school simple

how old are your kids OP? sometimes its 5 mins peace during a stressful day, sometimes people need that.

Op probably doesn't have children ! I said this before dc!! I think it's a god send sometimes and DC have actually learnt stuff off the iPad including singing a song in a different language by the age of 2, she has lots of play time so she's not on the tablet all day either !!

How about you remove your judgy pants and stop pretending you know everything about these peoples lives from a 2 minute snap shot. Technology can actually be very useful and educational in moderation and a lot of schools use tablets with children in the school day.

YABU it’s none of your business frankly. Sitting down for long periods of time while adults want to catch up and talk while eating out can be boring for children. I remember all I did was nag to be on a play area, rush my food or leave it. It meant my parents had to choose places to eat that were child friendly, ie entertaining for me and my brother. The food was usually Abysmal and mostly wasted.

Anyway I haven’t resulted to using a phone or tablet much with my dd whose 17 months. However once lockdown ends ect I’m not avoiding nice places, if she’ll sit quietly and eat with (baby bum) on I’m going out for a beautiful roast.

I’m single parent and if I’m meeting someone I will want to talk to them. It will be my time. My dd will just have to be there as I don’t always have childcare. (Infact I will have none for a long time as parents stuck abroad and dds father is high risk)

Plus lot of my friends do not have children and will want my company out and about.

Does not mean me and my dd don’t get up to all sorts of fun activities when it’s her time.

I bet you’d be the first to complain if the child was kicking off too!

We rarely use screens in public (I can’t think of an example ever tbh) but will resort to YouTube if DS gets bored in the car, or when I need to make dinner/do a quick chore. Whatever makes your life easier.

No need to keep saying you're sorry Parent how you like. I'm sure you do some stuff other people wouldn't do with their children. That's just the nature of parenting.

A lot of people have thrown their principles on screen time to the wind due to lockdown, myself included

Actually hate these people who wear the judgey pants. My neighbor told me she was against screens ect. Truth is she just didn’t have them in her day with her children! She’s admitted the odd time we’ve ate out how useful they are and we got to talk together. My toddler isn’t interested in the latest news or gossip.

How old are your kids op? You are completely entitled to make any decision you want for your child regarding technology. Be careful about judging other parents though, we are all imperfect in different ways.... people will be judging you for something somewhere down the line I guarantee it.

I'll hold my hands up that ds has too much iPad time since the lockdown, but he's happy, healthy working hard and coping well with lockdown. So I can't bring myself to get worked up about it 🤷‍♂️

My son is 4 and will get a tablet in restaurants etc. He has severe autism and becomes sensory overloaded in crowded places without a device to stim on. Why are you so concerned with what other parents choose to do? How does this affect you? It doesn't. Are you expecting everyone to bow to your superior parenting?!

My children do both - they enjoy screen time and also chat to us, read, do arts and crafts, plenty of exercise etc.

I think children benefit if parents are not overly anxious about things like screens - but get the balance right.

When I go out for dinner it is for me and dh or to meet friends, the kids don't enjoy dinner out as much as us (they learn the art of conversation at dinner in the house every day!) They use phone or iPad in restaurants without sound to allow us to enjoy meal.

At park i wouldn't use phone unless child had been unwell/hurt and we were staying for the other sibling.

Must be nice being perfect. Well done

I couldn't give a monkeys about how much screen time somebody else gives their child - but WHY THE FUCK can't they use headphones when they are out in public - on a train/on a plane/in a restaurant. So selfish and inconsiderate to inflict that tinny sound on other people.

Looking forward to hearing how many kids OP has or hasn't got, and how old they are

@novacaneforthepain my guess is pregnant with pfb

Why 10 OP? Is that a random age you’ve just plucked from the air or is there some guidance out there that says no phones before 10, after is fine?

I’ve never given DD a tablet / phone in a restaurant and it’s something I’ve said I won’t do. However, DD loves food, loves chatting and will sit no problem when we eat out. She enjoys drawing so will settle with crayons if she starts getting bored. If I had a different child however I may well have given in and used them, and so don’t judge parents who do.

DD is 3 and is allowed on my tablet. I don’t encourage it, but if she’s in a clingy mood and I need to cook or just have 5 minutes peace then I am not going to make my life difficult. We do lots of crafts, games, outdoor activities and she plays well on her own. Her speech is brilliant and she loves playing with other children (pre-lockdown). It is doing her no harm and I feel no guilt. You do you and let the rest of us do what works for us.

Come on OP, how many children do you have and how old?

Yea good luck 🙄

To be fair I have 3dc and I don’t take tablets out or use phones to keep them entertained while out so it’s possible to do BUT that’s my choice and I don’t really care or judge what other people do with their own dc.

Or you could not judge people and let them parent how they like (as long as their kids are safe of course)
We don't use screens often but I'm not against letting DS play some baby games on a phone. Technology is a huge part of life now, it's ok to use it in small doses. I will never understand why people think it's the devil!

Why post this during lockdown? No ones going out anywhere and screen time is probably saving everyone’s sanity just now. I’ve definitely thrown my restrictions on screen time to the wind. They’ll be time after to rein it back. But I do think that used in short bursts helps kids cope with boredom. Certainly taking my seven year on an 8 hour flight, screens and phones (games and tv shows) meant she was occupied and happy and I could relax. Don’t judge others.

I have one child and only one child and she 10 months old so keen to know how many and hold old

@Sally872 haha not a bad guess.

OP we have all been there with these plans, just wait .. you will be mortified at the fact you posted this in the near future

I have one child and only one child and she 10 months old

I had plans to avoid screens when mine was that age. Come back to this thread in a year or two