Image Map


Teaching Sam and Scout

Teaching, Motherhood, and Life In-Between

Eating Out with a Toddler (and Glad™ Standard Aluminum Foil)

I remember this with Sam, and we’re totally there with Nora right now: that window of time (maybe from 15 months – 2 years) when eating out with your toddler is nearly impossible. She climbs out of her high chair; screams and squeals loud enough to disrupt everyone nearby; and, well, let’s not even talk about the mess she makes… Truly, there are only a handful of restaurants in town I’m willing to show my face in right now.

Can I get an amen?!?

All that said, I still really like eating out. So, through much trial and error (and embarrassing clean-ups), I’ve come up with a few things that seem to make it a little more do-able these days:

Glad Banner

1. Choose loud restaurants and eat outside whenever possible.

The toddler stage probably isn’t the best time to try out a fancy white-tablecloth hot spot, but there are plenty of places appropriate for little kids. When choosing a restaurant, I look for places where there will be other kids/families, where the noise-level is already high enough to absorb some of ours, and where the toddler can get down and move if she must. Outdoor dining season is my absolute favorite for eating out with kids since the mess, noise, and overall commotion seem a little less obvious on a patio or deck.

2. Bring activities to keep them busy while you wait.

Don’t expect your toddler to sit quietly while you wait for food (or, let’s be real, even to quietly watch a movie on your iPhone). I always come prepared with books, little toys, and other things to keep them entertained. Sticker books and those magnet drawing boards work great for this since they keep little hands busy and distracted but are less “edible” than crayons. 😉 Keep a bag in your car especially for restaurants and re-stock it frequently so that the contents always seem new and exciting. Trust me, it’ll be worth the extra effort.

3. Ask for your child’s meal to be brought out first (or bring plenty of “appetizers” from home).

The restaurant wants your kid to stay cool too, so they are almost always willing to turn a blind eye to the “no outside food or drink” policy when you bring applesauce pouches, puffs, and goldfish for your kiddos to snack on while they wait for their meal. Even more, if you ask, they will often deliver the child’s food as soon as it is ready (before the rest of the party’s dishes) so that he/she can start eating right away – just be prepared to share your food and/or scarf it down fast since letting the toddler eat early means you’ll have less time to enjoy your meal in peace.

4. Make your own disposable place mat with Glad™ Standard Aluminum Foil.

One of my struggles with eating out is how to actually give the food to my toddler since she’s definitely been known to throw a whole plate on the floor if the mood strikes. The reusable place mats never really worked for us either, and the disposable stick-on ones on the market feel too expensive for what they are. Recently, rather than just putting Nora’s food right on the table (which did feel a little unsanitary), I’ve started making my own disposable place mat out of Glad™ Standard Aluminum Foil. Once we are seated, I simply pull off a sheet of foil and lay it flat on the table in front of the high chair. I wrap one end around the ledge to hold it in place and fold up the other three sides to give a little “barrier,” then just put her food right there. When she’s done, clean up involves simply crumbling the foil into a ball and throwing it away. (As a bonus: a small ball of foil makes an excellent activity to entertain at the table in a bind a la #2.)

5. Keep your expectations low (and remember “this too shall pass”).

This is kind-of cheating, but it’s really true. Though it can seem like forever when you are in the throes, this really is just a season. Realize that your toddler WILL outgrow this stage, and it will – eventually – be easy and enjoyable to eat out again. Walking into the restaurant knowing that our meal will likely be a little chaotic and harried really does help me make the best of it and enjoy what I can. Plus, by continuing to eat out even when it is hard, I am teaching my toddler the “rules of the table” and setting us up for success later. One day, she will be a four year old that eats with a fork off a plate and colors contentedly while we wait for our food, and I will miss all this… Ok, maybe I won’t miss it, but you get my point. 😉

Glad 2

Glad™ Standard Aluminum Foil is a multi-tasking momma’s partner for not only easy prep, cooking and clean-up in the kitchen but also for making life easier on-the-go! At 12” wide, it is the perfect size and not too big to keep in your diaper bag. Plus, the new Stay Closed Lid helps keep it from coming open in transit, the “Pull up” cutting feature makes it super easy to get a clean cut every time (a major problem for me with other brands), and the Ready Edge makes each sheet ready to go when you need it.  Finally, at 30% stronger than other leading foils you can count on it not to tear or fall apart even when cutting food (or letting a toddler wreak havoc) on it.

Visit Gladfoil.com for more information, a list of retailers close to you, and a special $1 off coupon wherever Glad Foil is currently sold.

In the meantime, I’d love to hear your best tips for eating out with little ones! Tell me in the comments below for a chance to win a $100 Visa gift card.

Good Luck!

E

Entry Instructions:

No duplicate comments.

You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

1. Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post

2. Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: “#SweepstakesEntry”; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post

3. Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post

4. For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older (or nineteen (19) years of age or older in Alabama and Nebraska). Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. The notification email will come directly from BlogHer via the sweeps@blogher email address. You will have 2 business days to respond; otherwise a new winner will be selected.

The Official Rules are available here.

This sweepstakes runs from 9/1/2016– 10/7/2016

Be sure to visit the Glad® brand page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ posts!

Comments

  1. Great ideas! I also tell the waiter or waitress that we are “working on restaurant behavior” so they know it may be a little…insane 😉

    Reply

  2. I like to keep some disposable placemats on hand (we love these: https://www.amazon.com/Sesame-Disposable-Placemats-Reusable-50-Count/dp/B000R7L80C), either in the diaper bag or in the car. They adhere to the table to make sure it’s sanitary, and most of them have activities built in (counting, shapes, etc.). They’re well worth the purchase! Also take measures to set yourself up for success! Make sure they’re not overly tired, tell them about the outing in advance, and bring toys as you’ve suggested! With enough repetition they will get used to the environment, and in the meantime I’m not afraid to ask (politely, of course) for our food to be boxed up to-go if the little one gets out of hand! Chances are they like the experience of going out and you’ll only have to play this card a few times before they get the picture.

    Reply

  3. My kids love to people watch, so I position them appropriately. It’s a great distraction, though sometimes it keeps them from eating their meal. And this is an obvious one, but do cups with lids! We spent most of my birthday lunch mopping up spills… lesson learned 😉

    Reply

  6. Whenever we go out for dinner with our one and four year olds, we always try to eat fairly early – 5/5:30. It’s pretty early for dinner but normally restaurants aren’t overly crowded at that time, which means more space, faster service, and less people to annoy with our loud children.

    Reply

  7. We have learned to ask for a booth and booster seat instead of a high chair. Put the kids on the inside and they can move around as they please without getting down and running around. Also, an easy way to entertain at the table is to give them a few baby wipes and ask them to “clean” the table or menu. It always lasts longer than I think!

    Reply

  8. Oh my great tips! I always make sure to have enough items to keep their interest and a variety including noise, color, fabrics, stackables, etc… Also being prepared if the service is slow with additional tide me over snacks!

    Reply

  18. I bring coloring books, easy toys to play, Get them a fun item on the menu right away to eat it usually keeps my kids quiet.

    Reply

  25. When my kids were smaller we would usually eat at a buffet/self service restaurant so they wouldn’t have to wait to eat.

    Reply

  29. I try to have a snack or drink for little ones at a restaurant. Kids tend to get really cranky when they are starving, so it’s nice to have something for them to snack on while we wait for the food.

    Reply

  45. My best tip is to keep them occupied and to use a reward system where they earn something for good behavior and lose something for bad behavior.

    Reply

  49. When our kids were little we didn’t eat out much but when we did out secret was to hit the restaurant early. Waiting a hour to sit down to eat was definitely out of the question!

    Reply

  54. My best tip is make sure they have had a nap but I always take things with me they love like food or I have toys that are quit and entertaining with me and expect to eat quick sometimes!

    Reply

  60. We always bring an activity with us when we go out to eat. Either a coloring book, pocket game, or movie/game on the phone.

    Reply

  64. Bring something your child loves to play with (while sitting down). We got a small set of Tegu magnetic blocks. They keep my son busy and they’re fun for all of us really.

    Reply

  68. i don’t have any little ones to eat out with but i do try to be patient when families are at a restaurant eating with children.

    Reply

  71. I’ve used most of your tips for eating out with young children. I had never thought of using foil as a place mat/plate. That’s a great idea. I found it was usually best to take toddlers to familiar places instead of searching out new restaurants.

    Reply

  79. When I’d go to nice restaurants with my young children, I often took them somewhere they preferred first (like Taco Bell) and then they just ordered dessert off the menu. They enjoyed this a lot.

    Reply

  81. I bring coloring books to keep them occupied. I also pick restaurants where kids eat free. That saves us money.

    Reply

  89. I don’t actually have kids but one thing that my mom did when I was little was to only take me to kid-friendly places where kids were actually allowed to be kids and adults expected it to be a noisy/rambunctious environment. She never took me to “regular” restaurants until I was old enough to understand that I had to behave like an “adult” and respect that people were there to enjoy themselves and not listen to me or see me running around. hahaha!

    Reply

  91. Well, I would take our booster seat for the table or use the restaurant and have a table cover and provide her with snacks and toys

    tbarrettno1 at gmail dot com

    Reply

  95. Great tips!!! 🙂 I also make sure the kids get to do everything the adults do. Have their own plates, put their own condiments on and so forth, so they’re excited to go out to eat because they get to be grown up 🙂

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *