babble » blogs » Strollerderby
Strollerderby
The Best (and Worst) of Dining Out With Baby
It’s always a
challenge to take a baby or toddler out to eat. And that’s putting aside the (remote) possibility that the restaurant will go all whack job and boot your kid for not wearing shoes.
Aside from the usual dining-out quandaries — appetizer or straight to main course? Dessert or just post-meal espresso? — there’s a laundry list of other potential issues that a young child literally brings to the table: screaming, fear of wine glasses crashing to the bistro’s tile floor, fear of silverware doing the same, the possibility of flung gruyère mac and cheese, and on and on.
But apparently, Anne V. Nelson of The Boston Globe has mastered the art of enjoying great restaurants with a baby. Although she acknowledges that she and her husband have had to hastily end at least one dinner in order to avoid a mealtime meltdown, she describes some really excellent dining out experiences they’ve managed to have with a not-even-one-year-old.
It all sounds so blissful: being able to enjoy a glass of zippy Zinfandel or some butter-poached lobster, even with a tiny diner in tow. Honestly, it’s something that, prior to having my own child, I never thought I’d experience as a parent, mainly because I had heard so many young-kid-in-restaurant horror stories. Exhibit A: my brother once shared that he took my nephew for pizza when he was, I think, 3 or 4. “How did it go?” I asked. “Fine,” he responded, “until he barfed all over the table.”
Fortunately, my son has yet to vomit in the middle of a dining establishment (yet). But a barf episode before the entrees even arrive has to be the worst case scenario for parents who relish the opportunity to eat out. That said, you tell me: what’s the worst dining-out-with-kids story you’ve got, based on either your own experience or the experience of someone you know? What’s the best dining-out-with-kids story, assuming that you can make any of them sound as delicious as the Globe’s Nelson did? And hell, while you’re telling us stuff, please share your tips for making a meal out with kids go as smoothly as possible.
Image: canadianparents.com
Related Posts :
Go Back To Strollerderby
0 Comments
GP commented on Aug 10 09 at 12:43 pmI have a 2-year old, we go out to mid-level restaurants, ethnic joint and brew-pub type places where the atmosphere is relaxed and a little noisy anyway…early. When she was an infant and could be contained in a carrier and sleep of feed, I went to a couple “fancy” restos with colleagues. She’s always been a good girl and easy to handle. Not all kids can you do this with, so it just depends. The Globe writer didn’t really provide any relevatory tips at all, just yammered on about all the good food she ate. Oh well. I would say tips would be to keep your expectations low, keep the meal short and plugging along at a good pace, bring some small toys like an etch a sketch thing, coloring books and crayons, etc. ENGAGE them in the eating and tasting, if they are old enough, but bring things you know they like so they can munch while waiting for the food. When my girl first started walking, she wouldn’t sit still long, so my husband and I would basically have to eat in shifts, taking turns strolling with her. We did this throughout France where the service is slooooow. It’s nice to be able to choose outdoor spots, too. Gives baby more to look at and talk about…unless of course they are insanely distractable. You have to know your own kid and their limitations. I wouldn’t go to a really fancy place with a toddler…a waste of MY money and not fair to the other diners.
PlumbLucky commented on Aug 11 09 at 8:13 amEarly on, it was actually pretty easy as my son was very laid back. He’d sit in his “bucket” carseat and look at coo at everything/one. We had some nice meals in places I never thought I’d be able to. Heh. Now he’s mobile and gives new definition to “distractable” (this works in our favor sometimes). Okay, now I can’t wait til he’s old enough for an Etchasketch, GP. And yeah, keep your expectations on having a good meal with no interruptions pretty low…I don’t keep my expectations on his behavior low though. And yeah, engaging him seems to be the way to go. I can’t believe some of the food this child is willing to try sometimes…the latest is lentils. Lentils? Whodathunkit? And I have to agree with the last line – at the moment, it’d be a waste of my money and not fair to the other diners or my child.
Add your take:
Note: Babble is a supportive, diverse community. We encourage a range of opinions,
but any unduly hostile comments will be removed.
Comments are delayed up to 15 minutes
Joslyn Gray 
Amber Doty 
Julianna Miner 
Monica Bielanko 
Sierra Black 
Meredith Carroll 
Carolyn Castiglia 
Sunny Chanel 
Madeline Holler 
Wendy Michaels 
Rebecca Odes 
Danielle Smith 
Danielle Sullivan 
Katherine Stone 
The Walt Disney Company supports Babble as a platform dedicated to honest, engaged, informed, intelligent and open conversation about parenting. However, the opinions expressed on this site are those of individual parents/writers and do not reflect the views of Disney. In addition, content provided on this site is for entertainment or informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, or safety advice.
0