Taking our toddler out for meals is one of our favorite family activities. We do it about 1-2x a week to break up the monotony of eating at home, expose her to a new social setting, and explore new foods. Here are my top 5 tips to make eating out with a toddler stress-free and enjoyable.
Bring everything you need
Water bottle — Don’t rely on open cups in the restaurant. You’ll probably just end up with the contents on the floor.
Bib — I love Bapron because they’re lightweight and wearable, so they’re not a distraction when eating. They also come in super cute prints!
Disposable sticky placemat — We’ve been using Suessie, and they work great! Restaurants don’t always have toddler or baby-appropriate plates (especially if you’re still in the throwing stage). The paper placemats always end up on the floor or torn apart. I keep a pack in the diaper bag so I never have to worry about dirty surfaces.
Wipes — I bring 2 types of wipes along: wet wipes to clean our child after eating and a travel size of antibacterial wipes for the high chair and/or table.
2. Plan your order ahead of time
First, explore the menu to make sure it’s safe and enjoyable for everyone. If it’s a bunch of tartare or raw fish, you know it won’t work.
Since my husband and I usually share food, I make sure to order 1-2 dishes that I know our daughter can eat, too. I might pick off parts of my sandwich or salad that I know she’ll enjoy.
I sometimes order something off the kids menu as a safety, in case the food is too spicy. I never actually noticed how often restaurants sneak in spicy ingredients without listing them on the menu until we started taking our daughter out. I love it for myself, but she can’t handle it quite yet, so it’s not a bad idea to have a backup if you’re unsure. You can always package it up and take it home if it’s not eaten.
Order your food as soon as you sit so there’s less wait time. Toddlers get impatient easily, especially if they’re hungry.
3. Don’t sit them in the chair until the food has arrived and is ready to eat (i.e. not too hot)
Some kids sit really well in a chair with an activity. I one time saw an OT friend pull out a jar of colorful erasers for her 14 month old, and he put them in the jar and emptied them out until the food came. I was amazed at the simplicity and how long it kept him occupied!
I tried it on ours, and it lasted a total of 2 minutes. Our daughter loves to explore, so one of us will usually walk her around while the other orders, sets up the sticky placemat, and waits for the food.
In a similar vain, your tot probably won’t sit very long once they’re finished eating. Be prepared to pay quickly, pack up any leftovers, and move.
4. Bring a dinner party vibe.
If you’re having a good time, so is your child. Talk to them about what they’re seeing, what other people are doing, and what they’re hearing. It helps them process all the stimulation around them and encourages connection.
Our daughter LOVES to interact with neighboring tables and servers. We try to reign it in if we find it disruptive for others, but generally, we just go with it.
5. Leave a big tip!
I feel like this goes without saying. Taking children out always means more mess and maybe more demands than a non-child table. Tip your servers well, and maybe they’ll remember you if you come in another time!