Six Ways To Make Dining Out With Baby Successful

Six Ways To Make Dining Out With Baby Successful

Let's face it. Dining out with an infant certainly isn't the same as having a meal out when there were only two of you. However, you can dine out and enjoy your meal, too. You'll have to multi-task, but with these tips you're sure to handle the night with ease:

1. Arrive early. There's nothing that will spoil an outing with baby at a restaurant than arriving to discover you have an hour to wait and the restaurant is so packed you can only expect service won't be much more prompt. Avoiding the crowds by dining early will give you more flexibility to juggle eating your own meal and attend to baby – without dealing with a long wait.
2. Pick an appropriate restaurant. There are some places that are more appropriate to take your baby to when eating out. Pick a restaurant with a casual atmosphere and enough bustle to create a moderate noise level. You don't want your toddler's whining or the baby's crying to be the silence breaker in a restaurant.
3. Choose your seating wisely. A booth may be a more convenient, self-contained area to lay out baby's gear and have your meal. For breastfeeding moms, a booth can offer more privacy. A patio seat can provide enough action to keep a toddler distracted and allow you to dine on your meal.
4. Pitch in your efforts. If both you and your spouse are dining with baby together, switch off and let one person eat while the other person attends to baby.
5. Keep it short. When you're eating out with a little one, you might not have time to stay a leisurely three hours at your meal. Expect to order your food and eat it quickly. If your child is doing well, then consider staying a bit longer to enjoy the time out.
6. Be prepared to leave. Sometimes a crying baby or cranky toddler just isn't up for a meal on the town. Have your belongings ready to a quick exit should you need to pay the bill and go in a hurry.