Kids in restaurants...

slv0606 · February 2013

I take DS with us pretty much wherever H and I go. When we go out to eat he comes with. Believe me it is nowhere extravagant and are places that I would consider kid friendly. We may eat out twice a month. Thankfully right now DS is well behaved while we're out. Anyhow we were discussing this at work because two women I work with think its absurd that we take DS into a restaurant. One of my co-workers actually asks the host to make sure she is never sat around any children when she goes out to eat. I really didn't think that bringing your children into a family type of restaurant was frowned upon pretty commonly. It almost makes me want to take DS out to dinner weekly now haha. I mean I do understand if the children misbehave or if it is not a child friendly restaurant but, if the presence of my child in a restaurant bothers you that much shame on you and deal with it, he is a little person too and deserves a place in this world as much as you do.

I promise I'm really not angry or annoyed by the opinion my coworkers have about kids in restaurants I just didn't know how bothersome it could be. Best part is they're both mothers with children ranging from 13-28, I guess they're so over the 12 and under stage they just don't want to be bothered.

Do you take LO out to eat? Why or why not?

Also, another side note dinner for us is usually with the early birds and the senior citizens seem to enjoy DS

Favority · February 2013

We always take DD out to eat with us! She is a total ham and grins and waves at all of the people around us. We try to avoid Friday and Saturday nights when it is busier, but other than that she comes with. Maybe your coworkers children were terribly behaved in public?

emschott · February 2013

We take them with us. They have always been great. Perfect, almost. I think it is because we have a nanny who comes to our house, so they don't get out much. We go in public and there is so much to watch they rarely fuss. If they did start screaming, we would leave I suppose. I don't know anyone who shares your coworkers' opinion.

jmccall79 · February 2013

If I'm going, Ian's going. If he can't go, I'm not going. I know people who "can't go out to dinner because they have kids". That mentality is absolutely absurd to me. These same people are constantly getting babysitters so they can go to dinner. And now that their kids are older, I'll admit, I don't want to go out to dinner with them! Their kids are unruly, it's embarassing...but I blame it all on their parents. They've never really taken them out to too many places so now when they do go, it's a complete cluster f*. I will add, that if we're invited out, and it's going to be too late and Ian didn't nap well that day, I'll decline the invite because I know the experience won't be pleasant. But, as a general rule of thumb, I honestly don't think twice about going anywhere, I just go where I want and always have a date!

jldubb0626 · February 2013

We always take Eli with us. I mean, we obviously do date nights, but on an average night when I just don't want to cook, we go out. Eli is awesome in public and loves the attention he gets!

pinkshades05 · February 2013

We almost always take Nat with us. We want her to grow up understanding how to behave in public rather than introducing her later and expecting her to behave. Practice makes perfect!

Shmogan09 · February 2013

We don't go out to eat often with the 2 kids just because Logan would rather be at home, but when we want to go I never think twice about bringing them. Like you said, if it were a really nice place that would be different. Although, my Dad had a retirement dinner at a nice place and we took them. We told Logan before that it was a grown up dinner and he needed to behave if he wanted to be included (and we brought his leap pad for emergency melt downs.) Kellen is easy if he has his pacifier.

I feel like if it is a family friendly place people can go f themselves if they don't like my kids around. If you don't want to to eat around noise or other people stay at home. I was at starbucks once with the kids and Logan was talking to people and singing (um hello it's a coffee shop!) and some woman said "you know I come here to have a conversation with a friend in peace and quiet!" What?! You go out in public to have peace and quiet? That's insane!

Bella61811 · February 2013

We go out to eat every Saturday night with Audra and have since she was 4 weeks old. We usually get seated around 5:30PM. She has never had any problems except for 1 time when she was 5 months old and I had to get up with her for a few minutes and then she was fine. She loves people watching in the retaurants and is a total ham for everyone around her!

Lena122 · February 2013

I don't necessarily blame her for not wanting to sit near kids when she goes out to eat. When going out to eat, especially before baby, I'd want to relax and I feel that as a paying customer I deserve that. That said, I wouldn't go to Olive Garden and expect a quiet night out.

We take Munchkin out a few times a month and he's never caused a scene. But we don't let him cause a scene either. If he ever starts to get fussy he's out of the high chair and we walk around with him. That rarely ever happens.

goldenleaves · February 2013

Lauren is an absolute gem when we go out to eat. She eats like a champ, waves at people and generally becomes the center of attention and people come to our table to talk to her.

Our son on the other hand...at around 9 months we had to stop bringing him to restaurants. Now at age 3 he's usually pretty good IF they have pancakes. We had to just not go to restaurants for a good 2 years!

2chatter · February 2013

I have gotten side eyed at restaurants for asking not to be seated next to tables with kids (specific tables - not just a blanket "no kids")....when my kids are with us. I would much prefer to avoid the tables with kids standing in the booth, with a ring of food around the high chair, banging things on the table...you know, THAT family. I don't want to hear it and I don't want my kids to see it and think it's OK.

We eat out once a week at least with the three kids, and they know how to behave.

When kids are not with me, which is rare, I avoid people with the kids like the plague.

ryry1977 · February 2013

We take both our kids out to eat weekly (if not more often) and they behave for the most part. They are used to it and know what is expected of them (of course Cordelia has her moments). I don't see any problem with it and think it is weird for people to expect it to be kid-free (at least around them).

JenK1108 · February 2013

We go out to eat usually once a week and always take DS with us. Most of the time he is pretty well behaved.

Cathyr1003 · February 2013

Anytime we go out to eat DS is with us. He is usually good & when he gets fussy (usually because he is tired) we just take turn holding/entertaining him. Its not always a relaxing meal but it works

And anytime i dont have to cook im willing to take a chance of a meltdown!

NatesLady1309 · February 2013

I absolutely take DD out to eat with us. I would say we go somewhere at least once a week like that. Could be somewhere really simple like Moe's or something more like Olive Garden.

I'm not saying this against the OP, just anyone who thinks LOs shouldn't be in restaurants. My daughter is a person too, so why the heck WOULDN'T I have her eat with us in a restaurant that we are going to as a family? Heck if I'm going to eat at home until she's not a baby/toddler anymore just so some people won't be offended or inconvenienced by the presence (or admittedly noise) of my child.

suitern · February 2013

I take Landon out to eat quite frequently. He has only behaved poorly once and I just rushed and hurried up. I don't understand how people expect their children to learn to behave properly in public if they are kept from doing important things like learning how to eat out and behave. We also eat out rather early to make it home by bed time. Landon loves to flirt and talk with the older people and it works out fine. For the most part, we have never had a problem

ssimon621 · February 2013

Skyler goes out to dinner with us at least once a week, usually more. She has since she was about 2 weeks old when we took her to IHOP. She usually does great. She did have meltdown on Sunday, we took her out and were out past bedtime, but she had just taken a 3 hour nap until 5:30 and thought she would be wide awake. She did great until we were ready to wrap things up. She got really fussy so I took her to the car while DH wrapped things up. She looks at people and "colors" and I ask the waiter to bring her food first so she can start eating. I wouldn't think twice about bringing her out and I have no problem with other peoples kids unless they are maniacs.

jju_stb_jju · February 2013

We take ds every where,even to restaurants like longhorn steak house and olive garden! We have taken him everywhere since he was 2 weeks old. We wanted him to get used to the noise and being around new people. Fortunately he does good so far and is a little flirt everywhere we go! I really could care less if someone gets annoyed if he is loud though, and I'm not going to leave him at home to please other people! Just like they are out eating as a family, so are we! Now if its a super high end fancy restaurant probably not but we don't go anywhere like that! Also we go to dinner around 6307 here.

jja0812 · February 2013

We take Jules to restaurants with us. I don't know how you would expect a child to know how to behave in public if you don't teach them how from the beginning. That's not to say that he will always be an angel... I'm not delusional. But I think the odds are a lot lower than they would be if it wasn't something he was accustomed to.

If someone requests to be seated away from us because we have a child, that is their prerogative. I wouldn't automatically make that request, but I might if I was seated near children that were acting like holy terrors and their parents seemed oblivious.

From personal experience, I am the oldest of four kids, and my parents took us out to restaurants. They might have put the fear of God in us ( Wink ) but you better believe we behaved ourselves!

And to echo what others have said, I think it goes without saying that none of this applies to a fancy restaurant.

footnotegirl · February 2013

We started taking our daughter out to restaurants a week and a half after she was born. Like you, we don't go anywhere super nice, no date-type restaurants (except one, our favorite sushi place, and we ONLY go there either between 2 and 5, or if we can sit on their patio). Mostly we go to places like local grills, or fast casual chains like Panera or Chili's.

Were she to misbehave (start screaming or crying, throw food, run around) we would leave immediately, and we always keep that in mind, but it has only ever happened once, and that was when she was a month old and started crying and Would Not Stop.

I think that keeping kids out of eating in public actually contributes to the problem. When you take a 2 or 3 year old into a restaurant and they've never been in one before, they have no real idea how to act. They are not prepared. Rowan already has some idea of how to behave. She grins to the servers, she blows them kisses. She 'reads' the menu (holds it up and stares at it, because it's what we're doing) etc.

We've never had anyone give us the side eye that we noticed, actually a much more frequent occurrence is to have people come over to say hi and to admire her.

I don't think that children going to restaurants is a problem. I think that bad parents not guiding and/or disciplining their children in restaurants is the problem.

Of course, I might be laughing at myself saying this when she becomes a much more mobile toddler.

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