I’m Alexandria. I am a mom of a two-and-a-half-year-old, and the younger one is almost a year old. Today, I’m going to talk about how I managed to go out, mostly to restaurants, with two babies, and enjoyed the meal while there were two potential sources of crying and screaming. I was also horrified when I discovered their hilarious and tiring behavior for the first time at a restaurant. However, over the time, I got the hang of it after applying some little tricks and twists.
First of all, kids are meant to make a mess; accept it. The sooner you accept it, the better you can plan ahead. So, before you even think about eating outside, you need to plan how you’re going to manage with your little one.
During the initial days, the mistake I usually made was not checking online if a restaurant served kids or not. If they didn’t, they probably wouldn’t have a high chair. As a result, I used to get perplexed when I found out. But after it happened a couple of times, I realized that I could use the stroller as a high chair; all I needed to do was park the stroller by the side of the table.
After that, if there was a high chair in the restaurant, there was a high chance that the top of the chair was not cleaned properly. So, I started keeping a chair cover in the diaper bag. Once we got the high chair, I put the chair cover on top of it, and voila! It was ready to host my little princess.
I also started using a small table mat to catch all the food and placed it on the table to catch any fallen pieces. I used to keep her three or four favorite toys in the bag and take them out, keeping them on the table to keep her busy for a couple of minutes. Lastly, we usually brought some snacks with us every time we went to the restaurant. Once she was all set, we gave her those little snacks so she could participate in our lunch/dinner and not feel left out.
Another tip is to keep two or three new books for children which she hasn’t seen while at home. The more colorful the books, the better. Some parents give their children tablet PCs, which are a great source of entertainment, to be honest; it will keep your baby busy for a long time for sure, but I’m not sure about the long-term impact of that on your child. That’s why I do not prefer letting my children spend much time on a blue screen. In many restaurants, there are small tablets or gaming consoles to keep them busy. But again, if you are okay with the screen time issue, go for it.
Sometimes, letting your toddler do whatever they want in a restaurant, letting them have a little tantrum, might not be the best approach to teaching your child social manners. There are many people who go to a restaurant for family gatherings, friends meetups, maybe after months or years. Those times might be very special to them, and we should respect that. So, my suggestion is, it’s better to practice social norms and everything else anywhere with your child, but not at the restaurant or museum, perhaps?
There is a high chance that the floor where the high chair is sitting is already messed up. Be sure to clean all that up before you leave. When I was working as a busser – a busser is someone who cleans all the tables and moves out all the dishes and utensils – people usually tipped me a bit more if their little one had already made a mess. You can also start practicing the same. Who wouldn’t love some extra cash, right?
Yeah! That’s all for today. I hope you are all having a very happy weekend!