Keep Your Kids Entertained When Out to Dinner

by Amy Sanborn

You're out at dinner, you've just put in your order, and now your child starts to fuss. He's hungry, he wants to play with toys, and he doesn't want to be stuck in a high chair. You can't walk away from food you just ordered, yet you have to find some way to appease your child before they disrupt neighboring tables. So what do you do?
Unfortunately, this is a situation that almost any parent of a young child can relate to. According to BabyCenter.com, children between ages two and four seem to be particularly prone to bad behavior in restaurant settings. By taking a few preventative measures and having a plan of action in place, parents can reduce the risk of bad behavior by their children and have greater confidence in their ability to enjoy a meal out on the town. Here are some strategies to help keep your child entertained throughout dinner:

Pack a snack or feed them before you go

Hungry kids can get irritated quickly. And young, irritated children can also be unpredictable and picky. For that reason, LifeHacker.com recommends that parents feed their kids familiar food ahead of a restaurant meal. You can still order food for your child, and maybe they will eat it — or maybe they won't. But with some food in their stomach, they aren't as likely to get agitated and cranky.

Bring toys

Sitting at a tablet for one hour or more is no easy feat for children. Their attention spans are short, which often results in crankiness by the midway point of the meal, especially if the kids are tied down in a chair. Toys can be a great defense against this. Pack a few of your child's favorite toys and wait to pull them out when your kid becomes cranky at the table. The toys can buy you a little extra time and save you from a full-blown meltdown.

Eat at restaurants accustomed to children

According to BabyCenter.com, your best bet with young kids is to go to restaurants that encourage family dining. Places like Olive Garden, Applebee's and Chili's cater to all types of families and have staff and settings that are more conducive to eating out with young kids. Many of these places also offer coloring pages and crayons with activities to keep kids engaged and entertained while their parents enjoy their dinner.

Download kids games onto your smartphone or tablet

Smartphones and tablet devices have become an essential tool for parents trying to manage their children in restaurants and other busy settings. According to research from the Joan Ganz Cooney Center, almost half of the top 100 iPhone apps are designed for young children. These games can offer exceptional stimulation and entertainment for children, and they're easily carried around and accessed by parents. Parents interested in these solutions can download games at iWin.com or check out the options available through their phone's app store.

When in doubt, eat out early

It might not guarantee smooth sailing with your child, but if you're worried about a meltdown at dinner, eating out early might be a good move. Restaurants won't be as packed with people, meaning you're more likely to get a table spaced far from other diners. And the lack of noise and distractions just might help your baby cope as well.

About the author

Amy Sanborn

With three school-aged children, Amy knows a thing or two about parenting. She loves teaching her kids to appreciate the outdoors.