12 Problems Dining Out With Kids & Ways to Help
This post is sponsored by Similac, all opinions are my own.
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How many times have you been in this situation:
Eating out with toddler can be tough, but I try not to let the stress of the outing overshadow the time we get to spend together. Here are 7 things I keep in my bag to make sure we can all enjoy dinner on the town.
A Notepad– That way when their kids menu has already been completed, I have something else they can use to color on.
A Pen- At our house, the toddlers aren’t allowed to have pens on a regular basis. So a special pen that they can use to color when we are out feels like a big deal to them. It is WAY better, in their opinion, than their usual crayons and colored pencils.
An Animal Book– No matter the age, kids are always drawn to animals. We love to use animal books to read, and even play I spy with when we are out.
A Snack– When the bread basket can’t keep up or the wait it too long, a small snack helps my kids be patient.
A Water Cup– One with a lid! Gone are my days of toddlers knocking their drinks all over the whole table. We bring our own water or have them fill up their water cup from home at the table.
Stickers-Stickers can occupy a toddler for hours. Keep a sheet handy!
A Small Toy– One that doesn’t light up or make noise, but one that will keep their attention for a minute or can easily be driven across the edge of a table!
Can you relate to these 12 Problems Dining Out With Kids? Which one always happens to you?
I was so bad with my first son, regarding remembering to bring the right things in his bag, and in mine! By the time I had triplets though, I was a pro. These are great tips.Thanks for sharing.
These are great ideas because while it is important for us to dine out with our children, we have a responsibility not to make the dining experience miserable for those around us as our children learn proper etiquette and decorum.
Great list. The things we do as moms to make sure we’re prepared! 馃檪
These are great ideas for keeping kids calm when you are at a restaurant. Bringing a snack is a great tip.
Bringing a snack is a great idea. Sometimes the food can take a while to come out.
Stickers are a great way to keep kids busy when you are waiting for food. Our favorite restaurant has a paper table cloth and they give you crayons to draw on it.
Snacks and small toys are a must! We would have those little finger foods so they could eat slowly while waiting.
These are some great tips. I need to start bring some items with for my girls. Once they’re done eating and we’re not, it can get a bit crazy. They can never stay still either.
Oh these are all too real! There is nothing worse than being out with your kids and realizing you don’t have anything to keep them busy.
I definitely remember running into some of those issues. Those mix-ins are really cool!
I have to admit I’m kinda glad these days are behind me. Teenage kids are much easier to take out for dinner…most of the time! 馃槈 These are great tips though and I’ll gladly pass them along to my friends who still have little ones. I think taking quiet toys along was always our life saver!
I can relate to ALL of these problems. It only took one time going out with the kids for me to realize I always needed to bring something to keep them occupied.
All of my kids have 4 legs, so I never take them out to eat. LOL.
It’s always a good idea to have some kind of entertainment for a child when you’re in a sitdown restaurant. I think with my son we would do a lot of coloring while we waited for dinner.
I always brought my own snacks when my kids were little. No one ever minded and it kept the kids happy!