dining out with spawn - part one

[yflyn]

In our household, the weekend means that the kitchen is mostly closed and I take a break. All our weekday meals are basically cooked by yours truly and the routine (and meal options) can get a little repetitive, especially when I am busy, sick or feeling uninspired. Now that the children are able to tolerate staying up past their bedtime better,

Comments

[nutfairy]

Hey, if you don't mind, let me send the kids some stuff to keep them entertained at mealtimes!

[yflyn]

Wow, seriously? That's so nice of you!

I'll send you a message to your LJ inbox. :)

[olimomok]

Ahahaha, I could write an entire post on how frustrated I am bringing the kids out to eat too. Thankfully Sean can sit through the meal - for him, I bring a few books and two small tubs of toys out with us now - one filled with Plus Plus (you can get from Amazon) and one with Lego. Ryan is like Bao - he can never stay in his seat - even at home - and is often running around, playing with chopsticks, throwing food around or rolling on the floor. We have to feed him the fastest. And now we have the baby too - I strap him to the baby chair and give him a plate of small bites (eg. edamame, tofu, carrots, etc) for him to feed himself. I try my best not to whip out the phone - for now, the boys know they can only watch something on the phone when they finish their meal (so we can eat in peace). Hi-five!

[yflyn]

Ah, the Plus Plus looks intriguing - thanks for telling me about it, it could work with my two.

Kudos to you for dining out with three! I always tell J that if we were outnumbered by children we would eat out maybe twice a year...

[argentina]

Interesting to read what we've got coming ;) We don't eat out nearly as much as you do, but still, it'll be different. We've got our first experience coming up soon for my sister's birthday, and I also desperately want to go out for some sushi (I craved it a lot during pregnancy, so now that I can finally eat it again, I need to make time for it!). Of course a little baby is a very different story than a toddler, but it'll be interesting anyway.

[yflyn]

From my experience, small babies are fairly easy to take out to a restaurant. It's after they work out how to use their legs and their voice that the challenge begins! The first time I took The Bun out as a baby, he started crying just as the food arrived and I immediately wanted to takeaway the food and run home. J had to convince me to stay on; with a bit of cuddling The Bun quietened down again, although I had to eat my meal one-handed. That first meal out can be a bit of a trial by fire but it's a step forward, good luck!