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Babies: 6 - 9 Months
Taking DS to a restaurant for the first time - any advice?
He is 6 months and we have not ventured out to a restaurant yet. Partly because I am a control freak and it is a little overwhelming to think about how to plan the outing. But now we have to go and I was hoping for some advice.
DS does not like the carseat, so what can he sit in? He does pretty good in the bumbo so I was thinking he might actually be ok in the highchair at the restaurant with a blanket around him for support. Any ideas?
We will probably meet our party there once they have put their names in so the wait won't be too long and I will probably feed him on the way or once we get there. Any other advice you can offer?
TIA!
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Re: Taking DS to a restaurant for the first time - any advice?
I've been taking my girls out since they were 6 weeks old. He will have so much many new & interesting things to look at! Bring a few toys, when he gets bored with one, take out a new one.
This. and use one of those straps to clip the toy to him so you don't have to keep getting up to wash it.
I've been to restaurants with DD probably 30 times already. When she was little it was great because she'd just sleep in the carrier. Starting at about 5 months when she was sitting up pretty well, we put her in a highchair with our grocery cart cover.
Definitely bring toys and go as early in the evening as possible. DD's bedtime is 8pm and we learned the hard way that we can not go out past 7pm or she's a terror. Watch your plates - DD grabs everything she can get her hands on from the table. And be prepared to take turns walking him around the restaurant or passing him around if he gets fussy. GL!
I've been bringing my LO out since she was only a few weeks old. At first I would only bring her to lunch because for the most part, she always slept through lunch, and was cranky at dinner time.
Now, we can bring her to any meal. One thing I always do is feed her while we are waiting for our food. This takes away from the "Boring" time. You know, when the new surroundings aren't so interesting anymore. Usually by the time I am done feeding her, our food is almost here, and she is more likely to be happy during our meal.
I know your LO is a little young for this, but once our food gets here, I'll give her a french fry to suck on (obviously once it cools). This keeps her so entertained. People may side-eye this, but it keeps her happy. Puffs also keep her entertained. Since your LO may be a bit young for the finger foods, as PP said, make sure you bring lots of toys, and extra pacis if your LO uses them. Oh, and a sippy with water helps keep my LO entertained too.
On a different note, I'll be honest, my LO wasn't sitting well in restaurant high chairs until maybe a month ago. I would try to bring the bumbo, and maybe something else like a big book to prop under (remember the bumbo is round and hollow, so we actually need to line two books together to prop it up) so that he/she is sitting high enough to reach the table.
Wow, I can't imagine not going out for 6 months! We've been taking A out since he was maybe 2 weeks old. He loves restaurants and usually behaves well.
He has been sitting in a restaurant high chair since about 5 months old. In the beginning I would put a blanket around him to help stop him from eventually leaning over, but that only lasted a couple weeks. Now when we go out, I bring a sippy cup with water, some finger foods, his tiny diner mat, a couple toys and something to attach the toys to the highchair. When he was tiny, we'd bring him in infant seat and then hold him when he started getting fussy.
Take something to clean the high chair and wipe the table where LO will sit. My kid tried to teethe on the table, so be prepared to try and avoid that. We use a shopping cart cover that also works with high chairs and has loops to attach toys to. We use the rings that link together to attach toys and give LO something to chew on.
Keep the "baby zone" clear. Everything in reach of baby will either end up on the floor or in LO's mouth. Inexperienced waitstaff will place glasses/plates near baby- be prepared to move the items quickly.
I do what a PP does- feed baby in the time between us ordering and when the food arrives. Pack all the normal meal things- bib, spoon, bowl, food, change of clothes, stuff to wipe face/hands.
We did the blanket/highchair thing for a while- it worked for us.
To the PP who gave their LO a fry, we have done that too
To the OP, since your baby is now 6 months, it should be easier now. My baby was 6 wks the first time we took her to a restaurant and she just slept. When she reached age 2-4 months, it was scary to take her out because that was the time period when she could get fussy pretty quickly. Once she reached 5 months, it was like "Phew.... now we can do stuff and she's sooo much easier."
I will echo a lot of what the other PP's said... bring toys, bring diapers and food. Natalie will just sit on one of our laps. She's been a pro sitter for a long time now... so I dunno why we've never tried a high chair. I guess we just got comfy with her sitting on a lap. We take turns with her. If she sat on my lap last time, she will sit on hubby's lap the next time. Just gotta make sure to have your food out of her reach, because she will reach for it quick! She once dipped her hand into some ketchup lol.
But I bet your DS will love the restaurant, they are quite fascinating for LO's with all the noise, people, new things to look at... my LO especially loves to find all the ceiling fans. She's like "YES, new fans to look at!" lol. Don't be afraid to try it. Worse case scenario, you can always say "Can we get this to go!"
Ask the server to bring your check with the food. Pay right away in case you have to leave in a hurry.
If LO gets too fussy, leave! Have one parent take baby out, and the other box your food. Don't be the obnoxious people with the out of control child.
we're past 6 mos and still haven't taken P out to a restaurant. 1) because I'm so afraid to be "those people" (above) and 2) becuase we cut waaaaay back on our dining out/entertainment budget since I no longer bring in a paycheck.
We have, however, had some mealtimes at friends/fam houses and it's getting easier each time. I have found puffs to be a life saver- they are so entertaining and he can feel like he's "eating" with us as we eat. I also have a few toys that he loves that we kind of "save" and don't let him play with every day. It's like christmas when we travel haha. GL! have fun
You've seriously never taken your kid to a restaurant?
It's not that big of a deal. If LO can sit up unassisted for a long period of time, use the high chair. If not, hold him on your lap. Bring some small toys to keep him occupied. Also, whomever you're there with will probably want to hold him and play with him, so pass him around. That makes it easier.
I think you're over-thinking this
I sort of understand though, because we got a late start taking LO out in public (he was colicky). Honestly, he is happiest when we are out and is fascinated by everything. Last weekend we were out and I asked for a side of avocado, which he loved (mashed). Those mesh teethers are nice - we just put ice in it. Other than that, just take a couple of toys. Hopefully you'll be pleasantly surprised by the experience. GL!