Kids and Restaurants: How to Dine Out with a Toddler

One of my favorite times of year is Restaurant Week. If you're planning to participate or just need some tips about how to dine out with your toddler, here are some tips that should make the process go much smoother. Of course, if you are even reading this, I know that circumstances did not allow you to get a babysitter.

Have a Plan

Going to a nice restaurant (especially for dinner) with a toddler will work best when there is a plan in place. Trust me on this one. My family's frequent travel lifestyle has allowed us to dine in some of the finest restaurants around the world. But no matter if we are dining in London, Bali, New York or Maui one thing remains the same, we always have a plan in place when dining with the little one. One way to do that is to peruse, the restaurant's menu online ahead of time so that you can and get an idea of what you would like to order. This will save everyone time and help things run more smoothly.

Dine Early

It is not a good idea to schedule dinner when your little person is sleepy or hungry. Yes you read right. Give your toddler a small snack right before you get to the restaurant so that he or she is not famished waiting for your order to get to the table.

Request a Corner Table

Ask the restaurant host/hostess about getting a seat in a corner or away from most restaurant patrons if possible. Remember, although you were not able to secure a babysitter for your night out, you should try to be courteous to other restaurant patrons that are enjoying their night out. Your time will come.

Set the Rules

Be clear with your toddler about what the rules are early on. Set boundaries and enforce them. For example, keeping your little tike in the booster seat or high chair through-out the course of the dinner is a good rule to enforce. Not only will it keep small fingers out of other people's food but, it really is not safe for an un-guided toddler to be walking around a restaurant anyway. Candle lit dinners, knives,...