Eating out with a 10 month old?

AggieGrl

Okay, I need opinions from experienced mommas who have 10 month olds, or who remember their children as 10 month olds.

We are going to Disney World in November, when DS will be 10.5 months old.  Our first day to make Advanced Dining Reservations is approaching, and I'm not sure what type of reservations to make.  I've never eaten a meal with a 10 month old before.  I'm totally clueless!  

Do you eat out with your 10 month old?  How hard is it?   If you eat out, is a buffet or a full service restaurant easier?  How long can your child handle sitting still for a meal?  

Please tell me both the good and the bad.  I'd like to be prepared for both scenarios, since I have no clue what type of child my DS will be at 10 months.  TIA. 

Sweetgurl6630@yahoo.com

DS has been "eating out" with us since he was an infant but at about 6 months is when we used their highchairs. He does wonderful. We use the Floppy Seat that we got from BRU and bring along a sippy (the straw kind) and snacks just in case. He likes to nibble on those before the food comes. Then he just eats what we do, no prob.

We are at a Greek place in siggy pic. 

lwrigley2000

My DS is just starting to come around to finger food so he still gets 4 6oz bottles/day and 3 solid meals which include a YoBaby yogurt mixed with cereal, a stage 2 Gerber fruit cup mixed with cereal, and a stage 2 Gerber veggie mixed. Finger food wise, he eats a couple of cheerios/puffs, banana, etc... But, he hardly eats all of our food yet. Some other babies eat a lot more table food then my DS, but I'm just giving you my situation. We recently started going out to eat more often and usually just give him ripped up pieces of napkin and toys to occupy him while we eat. I give him some pieces of bread or bring cheerios. He can sit as long as we bring different things to entertain him long enough for us to eat. GL!

kit443

Monk is usually very good at restaurants. We try and go early enough (5:30-6:00) so that we can be done before his bedtime. He sits in a high chair and eats table food. I bring toys also. Sometimes he gets a bit cranky, but is fine once someone is holding him. DH and I trade off so that we both can eat. He has never cried or made a big fuss at dinner.

twirler324

Honestly, DD LOOOVES to go out!  She smiles the entire time looking around at people and playing with us.  We give her some of our food depending what we have.  We also bring her floppy seat for the highchair with a fabric book attached with links.  Then, we put down one of those placemats that sticks to the table and give her snacks with her sippy cup.  Or, depending on the timing, we give her what she is having for dinner while we wait for our meal. 

I think if you start taking him out on a regular basis, he will get used to it by the time you go.  We didn't go out much at all the first few months because we were afraid of what would happen.  Now that we know how good she is (knock on wood), we go out every Sunday morning for breakfast.  We haven't done very many dinners, but the ones we did do...she was great!

grinsandgiggles

All the time.  Been doing it since the beginning.   Not much different than going by yourself.  He'll probably spend most of his time taking in the scenery

As for food, I make sure to order sides he can eat, not so much the main meal.

Don't sit him in the chair until the food comes or he'll get restless before your food even gets there.  Bring small toys and snacks (if he's not eating).

It'll be fine.  Our biggest thing these days is he wants everything on the table, so watch putting things in arm's reach.

Oh and there's no way to know this now, but avoid nap times if you can.  If not, no biggie, it just might catch-up with you after a few days if he's off schedule (this is how my DS is anyways). It seems most babies this age take their first nap about 2 hours after they wake-up and then take an afternoon nap (for us it's around 4).

penguingrrl

My kids have eaten out with us their entire lives.  By 6 months they were able to sit in the high chair without a problem and my 9 month old is entirely on table foods (my older daughter was not on all table foods at 10 months, but was very close).  There will very likely be many foods your LO can eat at the restaurant by that point, although you may want/need to bring in purees/baby food for them depending on the child.  I can find something to feed both kids at most restaurants (DD2 is a little harder because she has dairy and soy protein intolerance so it's a bit limiting but workable).  Since you'll presumably be with other people, I don't think buffet vs sit down will matter at all.  If you do buffet, you can take turns going up while the other person stays at the table with the baby.  Most restaurants I've been to prefer that you try to clean up the table, but any time I've tried to clean up the mess my kids left on the floor the wait staff or bus person has always come over to let me know that's appreciated but not at all necessary.  I always leave a bit extra in the tip to thank them for cleaning up the mess.

My kids are very used to sitting for meals and do fine even when we go out to slightly nicer places.  We sit together at the table every night and nobody may get down until everyone is done eating, starting once they're awake for meals, so they are used to sitting for "longer" meals.  Of course they sometimes do get a bit impatient, but for the baby cheerios and toys go a long way in alleviating that!  We also bring crayons and books for our older daughter.  I'm sure the staff at Disney is adept at getting people in and out quickly and accommodating families with young children, plus if your kids get a little fussy I wouldn't worry about other patrons like you might elsewhere since it's a family place.

erino&chrish

We take our LO out all the time.  We get compliments on his behavior a lot.  I think partially we're just lucky.  BUT, partially we take him out a lot and have kind of gotten it down to a science.  The first 10 minutes of the meal he's content watching us talk and taking in the sights.  Then we feed him his lunch/dinner jar.  Then he gets to pick at our foods and then we feed him cheerios one by one the latter part of the meal.  Unless he's super fussy this has allowed us to go out quite and bit and enjoy ourselves with him.  At this age they "talk" a lot and can get pretty noisy (even the best behaved babies will want to talk).  I'd say go for it...and just remember you can always get the check if your LO acts up.

BelleBaby

We've been taking the boys out forever.  They've been able to use high chairs for a while now.  We take toys to keep them occupied.  Now we order a dinner for them to share (usually grilled cheese) and they eat while we do.  Since they've done it for so long, they behave very well.  So far we haven't had a bad experience out with them (knock on wood).

AggieGrl

Thank you ladies for your experience!

Right now, we don't go out with DS much.  We used to when he was smaller, but he's in an awkward stage that makes it difficult at 4 months.  He can't sit up yet, but he hates/is to big for an infant carrier (he's 19 lbs).  We are currently going out to eat at places that accommodate a stroller so someone doesn't have to hold him through the meal.  We've tried putting him in a front carrier (hates slings), but that makes it pretty difficult to sit at a table and eat.

I'm so happy that I asked because honestly, your responses are better than I expected.  DH and I like to eat out, and we like good food.  This is one of the reasons we chose WDW for vacation this year.  We can eat sit down dinners in a place that is very used to children.  Oh, and because I love Disney World, but don't tell anyone else that.