Ask Janelle Aday about dining out with kids, and she has one piece of advice: "Don't go - order takeout!" She's only slightly kidding. During the first few months of your child's life, going out to eat seems like a breeze. But...
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Ask Janelle Aday about dining out with kids, and she has one piece of advice: "Don't go - order takeout!" She's only slightly kidding. During the first few months of your child's life, going out to eat seems like a breeze. But sometime before their first birthday, they'll decide that sitting still is no longer fun. Are your dining out days over? They don't have to be. And we're not just talking about going to kids' restaurants, like Chuck E. Cheese's, either. It's all a matter of taking into consideration your child's temperament, says Asha Dornfest, the founder and editor of www.parenthacks.com, a collaborative weblog of parenting tips and tricks. "Some kids are content to sit still and color or be distracted by the fishtank in the entry, while others can't just resist tearing open the sugar packets or hiding under the table," she says. "Having your kids' natural inclinations in mind when eating out keeps expectations reasonable." Beyond that, try these tips: Pick the right place Finding a family-friendly restaurant is the key when dining out with toddlers. "Extra points go to those restaurants who pass out balloons, crayons and a picture menu," says Aday, a Sioux Falls mom. When Dornfest's rambunctious son was younger, no amount of clever distraction would keep him in his seat. "We stuck to noisy Chinese and Mexican restaurants during those years, where the energy levels were high and the food arrived quickly," she says. "Now that he's older and able to entertain himself, and we have another more placid child, we venture further afield." Some kids, however, are more sensitive and can get upset in a really loud or busy restaurant, says Doniese Wilcox, a family life educator at Avera McKennan Hospital. "So know your child and what he or she can handle."
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