New York Resident

Activities assist parents with gaining enough peace of mind to enjoy a meal outside the home
by Victoria Pericon

Sheri Menelli reminisces on the days when she first started taking her daughter, at only a few weeks old, out to dinner in the infant car carrier. “Every time we went out, she fell asleep for the entire meal.” But at the age of two her daughter caused an interesting experience, which led to both Menelli and her husband sitting in the restaurant beet red and the restaurant patrons hysterical with laughter.

Now that her daughter is four and a half and the older sister to 11 month old twins; Menelli is wiser when it comes to restaurant dining with her children. She suggests parents bring a toy or something to do at the table. Crayons, she says, are great if the child is old enough to use them. If those don’t work, make a game out of how quiet they can sit or how quiet they can talk. “I sometimes let my 4 year old pick a surprise out of a bag that I have at home for very good behavior but this is only after we get home.”

Miryam S. Roddy, mother of three year old Jaymie, agrees with Menelli’s advice. “I never go to any restaurant without her distraction toys -- a set of crayons, small pads of paper, and reusable coloring books with ‘magic water wands’”. Roddy invests about $6 for some sanity at a restaurant dinner table and allows her daughter to color each blank page until the "wand pen" is filled with water. The book dries when not used, and the pages go blank again. Jaymie can spend hours coloring in those books.

If you are caught outside without any drawing material and can’t find enough things to hold onto your child’s attention throughout the meal; Judy Carter, a motivational humorist, believes the best way to handle the situation is with humor. “Sometimes dealing with children can be the worst thing ever. When out a restaurant, not only do you have to deal with your children’s antics, but you also have to deal with the way it is affecting other diners. If your kids see that they are getting to you, there will be no stopping them.”

Wally Adamchik, a father of two, resorts to dining at places he knows his children would eat meals at easily. “I took them to a place where they would like the food – we went to Pizzeria Uno. The kids like pizza so I thought it was a much better option than trying to feed them spinach crepes or something else like that.”

Dr. Mike Wasserman, MD, General Pediatrician at Ochsner Clinic Foundation believes that expectations for young children should be set at a low level. Children under 3 years of age should only be taken to extremely child friendly establishments. Even the family restaurants (chains such as Applebees) may be a negative experience. “If the child is ill mannered, other patrons are bothered; the fight to control the child before and during the meal may not be worth the effort.”

Marco Hejazi, general manager of Flatotel’s MODA/MODA Outdoors, offers parents some advice which has proven helpful at MODA; contact the restaurant prior to arriving, as it will help children order once they arrive. By making reservations, it will help with seating arrangements. Restaurants will be able to provide booster seats and high chairs promptly upon arrival and position the table away from traffic.

Armin Brott, author of Fathering Your Toddler and creator of MrDad.com urges parents not to stay out past your baby’s bedtime. “Being in a new place can be stressful enough so sit near an exit. You may need to take an upset baby out of the restaurant. Don’t be embarrassed if you have to leave suddenly. Babies melt down, have blow ups and get sick.”

This article was written by Victoria Pericon.
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