If the thought of dining out with your little one brings to mind images of ketchup – covered tantrums or macaroni meltdowns, know that while those things can and do happen it is also possible to have a fun dinner out with your entire family. While it is not possible to guarantee a successful restaurant outing with your toddler, there are things that you can do to increase your chances of having a good time.
First, choose your venue carefully. Look for a place with gracious staff, an inviting atmosphere, and food that you know your toddler likes. Also, plan your timing accordingly. You know when your toddler generally gets hungry, so aim to keep dinner as close to his schedule as you can. Call ahead to see if the place you want to go to tends to be busy when you want to eat so that you can choose an alternate place or arrive early so that you’ll be seated at the time you want to eat.
Keep your expectations reasonable. Do not try for a multi course gourmet dinner. Instead, stick to the main meal, maybe with an appetizer if you know that your child is okay with being there for a while. Also, fill the time with plenty of conversation and distractions. Pack the diaper bag with coloring books and some small, quiet toys that you can pull out as needed. You could even improvise and make puppets out of your hands and the napkins.
Be ready. Pay close attention to your toddler and if you see signs of an impending meltdown, take your toddler for a walk to the restroom or outside. It is helpful if you have an adult dining partner and both of you have cell phones. That way, if you realize that you and your toddler need to stay away from the table for a while or leave altogether you can communicate with each other and plan your exit. If you are alone, see if you can pay the bill soon after you place the order and ask that a takeout container be brought to the table with your meal. That way, you’ll be able to leave in a hurry if need be.
Dining out with little ones can be fun. If things go awry, just handle it as best you can. You’ll probably find yourself laughing about it later. I have to laugh when I think about what happened earlier this year, when my parents and I took Dylan to an Easter brunch buffet. The buffet tables were right at his eye level and they were decorated with a bajillion pieces of Easter candy and plastic eggs. There was really nothing we could do to stop him from swiping some once he saw it. We just went through the line as fast as we could, and made sure he ate plenty of real food at the table.
Photo by mxruben on morguefile.com.