Finding good places to eat with little ones can be difficult when traveling. Mexican and family style restaurants are usually good choices.
• If you’re trying to save money, make breakfast the biggest meal of the day. It’s always less expensive than lunch or dinner.
• Fast food restaurants may offer outdoor playgrounds and picnic tables. It’s not the best well-rounded nutritional selection, but you can supplement that anyway.
• If you’re going to a restaurant, it’s wise to call ahead and make reservations if you can. Check on the availability of high chairs, booster seats, and children’s menus.
• Try to keep your meal schedule as close as possible to the one that you follow at home, but eat early rather than late, then you can avoid the crowds and keep kids happy and satisfied.
• If you’re dealing with the young and the restless, you might want to remember to let a toddler sit in a seat facing a window. Cars and people will provide distractions. If you can’t get a window seat, at least sit by a wall or out of the way.
• You can also keep a booster seat in your car for use in an unaccomodating restaurant. You can make a homemade seat from old catalogs wrapped in contact paper or your car restraint can act as a booster seat in a booth.
Vicki Lansky’s practical, common sense approach to parenting is familiar to millions throughout the world. Vicki’s first book, Feed Me, I’m Yours, published in 1974, and still one of the most popular baby/toddler food cookbooks in the country, was followed by The Taming of the C.A.N.D.Y. Monster, a #1 New York Times bestseller. Her other titles include: Toilet Training, Birthday Parties Best Party Tips & Ideas For Ages 1-8, Dear Babysitter Handbook, Welcoming Your Second Baby, Getting Your Child to Sleep … and Back to Sleep, Trouble-free Travel with Children, Baby Proofing Basics and Games Babies Play From Birth to Twelve Months, Koko Bear’s New Potty, A New Baby at Koko Bear’s House, Koko Bear and the New Babysitter, and Koko Bear’s Big Earache. Vicki Lansky’s Divorce Book for Parents: Helping Children Cope with Divorce and Its Aftermath
Another great tip for parents eating out with their kids is to carry some simple, quiet activities that they enjoy.
Sitting in a booth or at a bench seat also allows parents the opportunity to be physically closer to their kids. This allows for quiet interaction and conversation rather than having to reach across a table.