Subscribe
If you’ve ever been a parent (or grandparent, babysitter, etc…) then you’ve probably tried going to a restaurant with young children. It can be really difficult, depending on the age and number of kids you have with you. When I had my first child, she was very active but it was reasonably easy to handle her. My the time my second baby came along, it was a lot more difficult. It’s hard to keep your eyes on a toddler and a newborn but there are some tips and tricks to making it a lot more manageable (for me, it was all about restaurant choice and planning ahead with snacks in case the food took too long).
On the Today show, they offered eight tips for dining out with young kids and I think they are good suggestions:
- Choose the restaurant wisely – in other words, don’t pick a restaurant where you would go to spend a nice, quiet evening with your spouse. Instead, choose a family-friendly restaurant (and it doesn’t have to be fast food!). A noisier place will drown out the sounds of any outbursts your kids might have.
- Go for the early bird special – the more tired your kids are, the worse they might behave. You can also take your time and take advantage of the restaurant at a less crowded time.
- Order in short order – check out the menu online (I do this every time and I even encourage my kids to pick what they are eating before we leave the house) so that you can order as soon as you sit down.
- Pack it up, pack it in – travel with a “survival pack.” Have books, no-mess coloring pads, quiet toys, sippy cups, forks (in case the restaurant doesn’t have small ones), bibs, pacifiers, baby wipes and a camera ready for the meal.
- BYOBS – Bring your own booster seat! A lot of places don’t have them and the ones that they do have are sometimes broken or gross.
- Bring backup – try not to go to a restaurant “outnumbered” by your children. One parent with three small kids could be a recipe for disaster. Whenever possible, bring along other adults (grandparents, godparents, uncles, aunts, good friends) to help with meal time.
- Tip generously – don’t shortchange a server who has patiently waited on your family. Who knows? If you like them, you could try to visit the restaurant regularly when they are working and a good tip could mean continuously good service.
- Relax – stressing out is only going to make matters worse. Sometimes a parent who is freaking out is more annoying than the child’s outbursts.