1. Avoid super quiet, tiny restaurants. Eat on the patio of places or find places where your noise will just blend in with everyone else's noise. I know I feel a lot less stressed when we are out to eat if I know that Olive is not bothering other tables. It's also great if you can do call ahead seating which often reduces your wait time.
2. Bring a pack of Clorox wipes to clean the high chair and table thoroughly before you put your child in to eat their food. I've witnessed some pretty nasty situations in high chairs so I always super clean them before Olive sits down. If Kevin is with me, he'll hold her until I wipe everything down. If I'm alone, I'll sit her on my lap and clean with one hand. We put her in her seat once things are dry.
3. Bring snacks and a sippy cup for your child so they can start eating pretty quickly. I keep Cheerios, pretzel sticks, veggie straws or crackers on hand at all times. That way Olive can start munching while we're ordering.
4. Ask for crayons and a kids menu for your child to play with at the table. I have to watch her closely because she never fails to bite the tips off the crayons. She's probably a little young for them but we have fun as long as I watch her closely.
5. Order her a kid's cup if they have them. I bring a sippy cup and have the kid's cup because one usually ends up on the floor. Olive is great with a straw now so it also buys us a little more time if we have it to entertain her.
6. Share your food with your toddler. Olive isn't eating enough to order her own meal yet so I typically get something I can share with her. If we eat at a spicy place, I might order her a kids meal and take the rest home for the following day.
7. Take turns keeping the little one happy - I'll eat and my husband feeds and tends to her and then we switch roles. Sometimes we all eat happily together but we are prepared to tag team things if we need to.
8. Hope that you have a sweet waiter/waitress that likes kids. We have had wonderful ones that will talk to Olive, make silly faces and one even made a little rattle for her to play with. We've also had wait staff that completely ignore her. It's kind of a mixed bag so be prepared for everything.
9. Bring things/toys to entertain your little one. I have a pouch of toys in my diaper bag at all times. It's got things like a coin purse, bubbles, tiny cat, little book and other miscellaneous toys.
10. Clean up the best you can before your table and tip accordingly. Try not to leave a big mess or tip generously if you weren't able to clean up.
The moral of the story...
it's possible to eat out with a toddler if you plan ahead
setting everyone up for success :)
Those are good ideas. My niece is a little wild at times and now she's old enough to not need a diaper bag anymore so keeping her attention is tricky at times. She also doesn't like to be tied down and usually has to get up a few times during a meal. I'll have to keep these in mind for maybe one day!
ReplyDeleteThese are great tips! Eating out with my 10 month old can be stressful at times. I've found that keeping snacks around is very helpful. Thanks for sharing at Mama Mondays!
ReplyDeleteThis is one thing I think takes some practice and teaching! I only have a 5 week old but we are going to start good habits sooner then later because it's so nice to see a pleasant child when eating out! Stopped by from the link up!
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Okay I'm so glad you posted about this because I have no idea what to expect when E gets older and he's able to eat actual food at a restaurant. Thanks for all of these excellent tips (and for linking up with us)! :)
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