Dining Out Ideas

What works for us is going when he is hungry, and feeding him stuff from home at the restaurant. I rarely get him his own meal anyway, he just snacks on mine. Eating at least maintains interest while we order. 99 is a great place for kids, good menu, and staff is always helpful, easy to clean up after us...

I try to pretend we are sitting at our dining room table and treating her the same as I do then: setting expectations about sitting still on her bottom before hand. Maybe offer a treat for good behavior? I have found the only times restaurants kind of make sense is when it is a family friendly one, the kids are not tired or too hungry(but hungry enough to eat) and if I bring STICKERS :) :)

Making a broad generalization here, boys just can't sit still like girls can. Having said that, there's a good restaurant in Cambridge on Huron Ave called Full Moon. www.fullmoonrestaurant.com. Good food for grownups and kids. AND a great play area. You can eat and they can play.

Either go to very kid friendly places on days when kids eat free or something like Dennys or TGIFridays. That way there's a bunch of children and the other diners don't mind their rambunctious behavior so much. Or you can go to a restaurant that you know isn't going to have a lot of people at the time and sit in the corner. Remind them ahead of time too though what you expect of them at a restaurant. Let them choose the toys they'd like to bring. Get a special toy just for restaurants even that they really like, but only get to play with at the restaurant.

M.

Sitting still at all is just harder for some children in general, regardless of gender. When you're home are you able to sit down at the dinner table together for more than 30 minutes? It's hard to expect young children to know the difference between home and not-home. You've received so much great advice already, perhaps you can practice at home first, extending the sit down time a little bit longer each time, and then take that experience "into the field." Being a busy working mom myself, I know you want to feed your children good, nutritous food, that's not take-out, and you need to eat well too. Have you thought about using a service, like a meal assembly store, or a personal chef, so that you can eat good food at home more regularly? You may find that helpful with your current experiences. All the best!

Bring toys or coloring books that are new to them. Maybe a puzzle or something they usually don't play with. Also, as soon as you get your food ask for the check then, that way you are ready to go whenever you want. Nothing worse than waiting for a waitress to bring your check when your kids are tired of sitting and ready to leave!

Going armed with things to do is great - keep that going. Add a calculator to the list - kids love buttons. Your 4.5 year old is able to understand expected behavior - so just tell her. Keep the expectations high for her and let her know that her brother is still little and needs her as an example. 2.5 is tough - run around as much as possible before hand. If it is not a special occasion - just regular diner - make sure he gets something in front of him to eat ASAP - he can graze the entire time. We would also take breaks - time to take a walk with Dad to someplace in the place - a peek in the kitchen, a look at the cash register then lets go tell mom what we saw! Definitely stick with the family places - he will get the practice and the servers already know how to get you in and out quickly. It is amazing how much energy a little one can have. Good luck and keep going out - he will pass this bump and be wanting to go out all the time!

try some type of buffet. He can pick and choose what he wants and get the food right away. We find our kids (3 1/2 and 22 months) like Chinese buffet, Italian buffet, and old country buffet. Another thing is taking something like subs to go and eating them at the playground. He probably won't eat, but at least you can sit and watch him play while you eat. or you can make a deal with him. "Eat this much before you go play".

Red Robin is pretty accomodating, plus it is loud in there too. Going out to eat is not usually a pleasure at this age. I have a dining out bag with crayons, drawing boards, cars, blocks and books.

TGIFridays is notorious for taking a lifetime to get the kids meals out.

I try not to order things I know will take longer like baked potatoes and I usually try to mention to the waitress that we need to keep things moving along. Ask for the kids meals to be brought 1st. By the time they are done, yours will arrive and they can start on their dessert.

Also, try to go for lunch and not dinner when people are a bit more accepting of screaming kids.

My final advice - get a sitter! Grandma's are good, cousins, aunts, are you in a moms club - if not there may be one in your area www.momsclub.org - they have have a babysitter directory of preferred sitters in your neighborhood.

Good luck!

I always kept a small container of restaurant-appropriate toys in the car, and it went into the eateries with us. My child never saw those toys at any other time and really looked forward to it.

You could consider restaurants that have something else going on - for example, several Chinese restaurants near us have large and elaborate fish tanks, either with multicolored tropical fish or with huge koi. There are chains such as Bugaboo Creek which have animatronic animals - a raccoon that pops out of a tree trunk or a talking moose - you can tell the kids the animals won't come out unless they are quiet and eat their lunch. The Rain Forest Cafe has a lot of these things as well as fish tanks with tables right next to them, although you have to enter the restaurant through the gift shop (which I don't like). I would avoid restaurants with those machines in the lobby where you pay money to get a prize. They have them in the movie theaters too and they're a rip off.

You could also see if there is a place that serves a quick appetizer that the kids will nibble on while waiting for the main meal to be served.

Good luck - by the time you figure this out, they'll be older and it won't be a problem! LOL Hang in there!

Buy a new toy for each of them - a polly pocket for your daughter to keep her occupied and a Lego for your son. The expense of the toys will be worth it for you to have a nice dinner out and relax for a half hour (before they start getting restless again - remember, they are kids!) Good luck.

Hi A.,

Dining with a two year old will always be an experience, but not likely the experience you are looking for. Kids of this age really don't eat a true meal like we do. They are more likely to eat six small meals throughout the day, so frankly after they have had a roll before dinner, they are ready to play again. I would reduce your expectations of a dining experience until the kids are older with longer attention spans and bigger appetites. I never went to the full moon restaurant in Cambridge, but that sounds like a good alternative. I also have heard of a restaurant in Newburyport which caters to families with small children and has a play area for kids where kid food is served while mom and dad dine upstairs on "real" food. (Maybe you could Google it)

I know I am busy too so don't have time to prepare a nutritious meal each night and then actually have time to sit and enjoy it. I felt like a slave to the kitchen when I would rather have been enjoying the kids and we also have softball, soccer and homework. I settled for half take out/half prepared. picking up a rotisserie chicken with already mashed potatoes which could be reheated in the microwave. I steam some green beans in the microwave and open some cranberry sauce and "voila". Or I will buy already marinated lemon/pepper chicken breasts and broil them with microwave steamed broccoli and boil in bag rice. (you get the idea) I understand the frustration with all the obligations and no really healthy fast food alternatives (Boston Market is full of fat) (Maybe one of us should open such a place where parents can pick up dinner on the way home)

J. L.

Try the Rainforest Cafe in Burlington. We went to the one in San Fran and the kids loved it - fish tanks, moving animals and the forest and sea decor might keep him interested.

Take them some place that they will enjoy that has their interests, food they like, etc. We have a local restaurant here that is an old train station my boys would sit there all day if we are near the window watching the trains go by and now that it is nice weather go to drive in places where you can sit outside at a picnic table and your kids can run if they need to. My 2 year old will not sit unless buckled in so we always get him a high chair and if he is getting restless while waiting one of us will walk him around until the food comes he always will sit once the food gets there. You really can't expect a 2 year old to sit there and wait to be seated, then wait to order and then wait for the food that is much too long.

Being an 'Nana' to grandchildren of that age I can sympathize. Sometimes it is just harder for children to sit through a meal, especially at restaurants. Try playing restaurant at home. For our picky eaters we play the dinner game. It's the eye spy game, but there is actually a game out there called the dinner game. You could make some games up that only require the players and an active setting, put them in a baggie & let the children take turns pulling out a game. For what it's worth the Family places like MacDonalds or Chucky Cheese can help in either way - 1.the chuildren do not understand why they cannot play at all restaurants or 2.those places are a good training ground. We take turns letting the children pick the restaurant. That way they know which restaurant they can have a little more leeway. Also we set the rules prior to going out and stick to them. So be careful in what rules you set. We've all had our turns waiting in the car with the little one. And we have rewards for doing a good job. You can make blue ribbons that they can wear or add stickers to each time. My daughter has a system where her children (similiar ages)will have a charts - the little one (2yrs)just likes the stickers, but the older child (4yrs)works towards something he may want to buy or do. (Small game, stay up late one nite) We also have had the older child play mentor for the youngest. That works well at times. We'll ask Nick if he can explain why we use inside voices or why it's important to stay sitting.

HI. My kids are getting better each year with being out.. We actually try to go a little bit earlier then normal, b/c the wait was always the hardest part.. we do bring some crayons and cars to play with at the table. Also, we bring some snakcs for my son so he can start the second we get there.. and I try to order for the kids when we order our drinks so that it is in and cooking before anything. I also let the kids pick their seats and who they ar egoing to sit next to. It takes some time and they are allowed to get up once during the meal to switch seats, if everyone involved agrees.. they are just not amde to sit still for 2.5 hours...good luck..

A.,

You didn't say where you live so I don't know if this is too far for you but Full Moon in Cambridge has a kids play area. This is the website. http://www.fullmoonrestaurant.com/

Also in between Davis & Porter Square, Somerville there is the Green Tomato. Also with a play space.
http://greentomato2.com/

Good luck,
L. M

We had the same problem! I don't think we ate out much at all that year!!!
Don't worry. it gets better. Quiet toys that have lots of buttons to press are the only thing that helped. Oh, also not forcing him to sit the whole time-one of you take him walking around the restaurant during the "Waiting for the food and waiting for the check" times.
Good luck!

We have the same issues(!) and our favorite family restaurants in our area have closed. These were chosen strictly for their quick service and appealing kids' menus, as it is hard to get fine cuisine with the attention spans of little ones. That said, we rarely go out to dinner as a family, but the kids love Bugaboo Creek for special occasions. Full of fun things for them to look at and listen to, and the service is relatively quick considering how delicious the food is.

Hi,

My nephew has a very hard time sitting in restaurants. We discovered when we went out for dim sum on my birthday, that he loves loves loves going out for dim sum. You can see all the food choices, pick small amounts of different items, and the food arrives instantly when you walk in. Chau Chow City in Chinatown (or the one in Dorchester, which has parking) is great for this.

My daughter is younger so I've only heard this secondhand, but some Bertuccis will give the child a piece of dough to play with. Depending on your child's temperment, this could buy you some time.

If you're not a fan of fast food or chain restaurants and your kids are in preschool or day care, you might ask the other parents where they like to take their children. Maybe they have some local hidden kid-friendly gems to offer.

If you're in Arlington, there's a little cafe or diner, the name of which escapes me, near the intersection of Mass Ave and Park Ave that is filled with toys and kid-loving waitresses.

If you're not too far away from Cambridge, as someone already mentioned, Full Moon is great for kids who cannot sit still and the food is excellent.

Best of luck!