Depending on who you ask, dining out with your children in tow is either a for sure or a faux pas. Yet, you can't just stay home when you don't have a sitter. Besides, how else are your kids going to learn how to behave in restaurants without experiencing it firsthand?
We've come up with five tips to help ensure dining out with your brood remains an enjoyable experience.
1. Make sure that the restaurant you're visiting welcomes children. Often, smaller and fancier restaurants do not have child-friendly menu items or even spaces and seating that are accommodating to younger diners. The best way to ensure success is to phone the restaurant directly and give them the ages of your children. This way the restaurant can let you know ahead of time if they'll welcome your kids with open arms.
2. Time is of the essence. Consider your children's attention spans very carefully. Then, figure in whether or not you'll have to wait to be seated and the restaurant's usual timing between courses. A restaurant that does not take reservations might be a poor choice for a busy weekend night, because hungry young diners often lack the fortitude to wait patiently for a table. Additionally, restaurants that serve multi-course tasting menus could either delight an older child, who anxiously awaits the arrival of the next course or aggravate a younger one, who is no longer amused with the situation.
3. Be prepared. More often than not, the restaurant will have coloring sheets and crayons or bread/crackers available for young guests, but this is not always a certainty. Crayola Color Wonder products are great to have on hand, because the markers only show up on the special paper. With travel kits available, transporting them is a snap! Worse case scenario, that pen and notebook Mom keeps in her purse could be a lifesaver. Additionally, when the kids are starving, rolling their eyes, and threatening imminent death should they not be fed immediately, granola bars, snack size bags of Cheerios, and other small snacks are great rations to tide little tummies over until meals arrive.
4. Make it fun! Show kids that eating out and experiencing different cuisines is a great way to learn new things and develop new likes. Let them pick out an appetizer that they've never tried before or talk them into splitting an adult entrée with you instead of the same old kids' menu fare. Then, for older children, let them guess the total of the bill and help figure out the gratuity. It's a great way to impart your values on gratuity and how you honor those in the service industry by tipping.
5. Enjoy your time together. You're not busy cooking or cleaning up and you're all together, so this is a great time to sit back, catch up, and enjoy one another's company. Find out what they've been doing in school this week. Before dinner, engage in a tic-tac-toe battle royale with your elementary-age child or an I-spy session with your preschooler. No matter what you do, at least you're doing it together.
We're sure this list is by no means comprehensive. What do you do to make dining out enjoyable with your kids? We'd love to hear from you!
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