How to Dine Out with Children

When dining out with kids, you have to consider the type of restaraunt and the type of foods available. Dining out with your kids does not have to be a hassle if you properly prepare for the outting. Keep a tab of child-friendly restaraunts or ask for recommendations from friends and family members with children.

Do NOT eat at a restaraunt that is mainly for quiet and intimate dinners. If the atmosphere is better suited for dates, anniversaries and other adult celebrations, choose another restaraunt. Save yourself and the other guests the frustrations in this kind of situation.

If you are a nonsmoking family or choose to sit in the nonsmoking section when eating out with your children, ask ahead of time how much space is devoted for nonsmokers. Because more and more restaraunts are banning smoking indoors, this should continue to get easier. Often times, the wait area is directly beside of the smoking section. If the restaraunt requires a wait time, you might wish to wait outside or in another area. Ask the hostess to place your table as far from the smoking section as possible.

When choosing a restaraunt, find one that has meals on the menu that are guaranteed to arrive within fifteen minutes of ordering. You have to be reasonable on this though. For example, you can not expect a well done steak to be done in fifteen minutes. Slow service is the worst when it comes to dining out with children. Most kid's attention spans can not handle much more than 15-20 minutes of wait time. It is best to choose a restaraunt in which your meal can be ordered, enjoyed and concluded withink 45 minutes. Another option is to call your order in ahead of time if you know what you will be ordering. Call the restaraunt , ask if they take call-ahead orders, place the order, give the a reservation name and tell them when you be there. Consider ordering an entree that will taste good reheated in case you need to leave the restaraunt before you finish your meal.

Some restaraunts will allow you to bring your own food for your child. Ask ahead of time to save the frustration if they do not allow outside food to be brought in. Bringing in your own food can keep a fussy baby or toddler happy. If you need a jar of baby food or formula warmed, ask your server. Most restaraunts are more than happy to accomodate the needs of small children. Make sure to give clear instructions for how long to warm the food up and always check the temperature yourself before serving to your child.

Find restaraunts that offer free breadsticks, rolls or chips as appetizers. All Mexican restaraunts offer chips and salsa for their guests. A good bread or chip basket usually adds atleast fifteen minutes of contentment to your dining experience. Some restaraunts will actually bring the child's meal out before hand if you request it.

Getting the right table can be the most important thing when dining out. Your table needs to be large enough so that your child has adequate room. If you will be using a high chair that has a tray, this is not important. Most restaraunts offer high chairs that are meant to be pushed directly up to the table and it is important that your child has plenty of room to color, eat AND leave your food alone. You might also need to find out if strollers are allowed inside of the restaraunt. If you need to bring yours in, make sure the aisle is large enough to accomodate your stroller.

How child friendly is the restaraunt that you plan to eat at? Make sure that the restaraunt you are eating at has highchairs and booster seats. If they do not provide high chairs or booster seats, it should be quite obvious that they do not cater to families with children. When dining outside of the United States, it is not uncommon for restaraunts to be highchair and booster seat-free. Check the bathrooms to see if the restaraunt offers changing tables in both the men's and women's restrooms.

Every parent's worst nightmare is a tablecloth! Children age 6 months to about 3 years have such a curiosity for things and a tablecloth can be quite interesting for them. It can be quite unpleasant when your child grabs the tablecoth and yanks all of the food and drinks off into the floor.

Tips for enjoying your restaraunt meal while dining with children:

1.) Make reservations. If you have an infant, place the reservation during a time that he/she will be sleeping.
2.) Dine at off peak hours. The staff will have more time to be attentive to your needs.
3.) Sit at a table where the kids can see the kitchen or a busy road.
4.) Keep your child out of the highchair or booster seat until the food comes.
5.) Always have a good supply of baby wipes readily available.