Ideas to keep 18mo entertained in high chair when in a restaurant?

[Jenny343]

DS is 18mo and I’d love some ideas to keep him happy in the high chair when we are out for lunch or dinner.

Currently we get about 15-20 mins in there. He loves books so we will have lots of those, and we might get a few mins out of crayons and a colouring sheet (he isn’t able to ‘use’ them properly yet though).

After that he just wants to get out so that he can toddle around holding our hand.

Does anyone have a good idea of toys or anything really that will grab his attention for a bit longer? Thank you!

I saw a brilliant thing in a cafe today. Mum and dad and three under 8s, youngest probably being 2. They all had what I can only describe as magic painting books. They had a paintbrush and glass of water and kept carefully filling in pictures in the books and the colours changed colour. I'm old, so I don't know what these are! But there're more sophisticated than those old colouring books where you'd just wash paint over them.
Anyway - three contented children

The manufacturers call them magic paint books too!

We give my 18m old dc some appropriate food and he eats it with his hands while we eat. We have to help a bit obvs but he likes food so he's fine.

It helps to minimise the time in the chair to get the most of it. I look at the menu before going, order as soon as we're seated, and don't put them in the high chair until food arrives. Entertain them on our laps until we need to eat ourselves.

I order food they can eat without me feeding them so I can enjoy my own meal. E.g. sausage cut up and chips.

I also pack an activity pack. For that age, foam stickers, crayons, paper, hot wheels cars you can draw a track for, small farm animals, some stickle bricks to stick together and take apart. As they get closer to two, cheap playdough you don't mind getting destroyed, and puzzles.

Some kids like these busy books. Not my son, but some children 😂 uk.toddla.co/products/toddla-montessori-busy-board?currency=GBP&country=GB&variant=42517775941841&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Google%20Shopping&stkn=48f41cf92a4b&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23070551478&gbraid=0AAAAABeSq94jPYHECfLlS9oXV3GyDXpsN&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIqKyynd7FkwMVbpZQBh1-8Q1mEAQYASABEgLjBvD_BwE

Favourite toyb(with a big list of choices)? Hide it 2 weeks prior and pop it out hour 2. Favourite show? Print out and pop it out hour 30 mins in. Download YouTube yo gabba gabba. Pick out an expensive child magazine for hour 3. Ice cream.

Mini magnatiles, small tub of playdoh, plastic animals, snacks that time a while to eat - Cheerios, raisins.

Depends on your dc.

Dd1 could sit silently through a 2 hour concert at 12 months with a lift the flap book and a box of raisins.

Dd2 would have managed 20 minutes max with chocolate bribery and loud shrieks when she ran out.

Ds would manage about 45 minutes with a pile of cut up fruit, and constant entertainment from us.

It’s not enjoyable for them and you’ll spend all your time eating )what should be a good meal cooked by someone else) watching your child do what they do- not engage, throw food, cry , wail , bang spoons , try to escape, not eat (bring your own say allergies)
You’ll be all miserable and £££ worse off.
Just Don’t.

Do you sit up to the table and have him in his highchair at home?

Water colouring, post it notes, 3/4
little toys, books, their own food. Also take turns walking him around, especially between orders and food coming. Then take turns eating. Ours often were happier on a lap than the high chair once we were eating. It was fun if we were seeing it through his eyes. With our first. With our second we took lengthy breaks from restaurants and just at 3.5 is it happening successfully again. The whole taking turns part fell apart when we stopped out numbering them.

What we did at that age was only go to places where they could also run around and burn off energy. Take them to run around outside and bring them in when the food is ready, keep it short and don't linger. When they are a bit older they will gradually get better at being able to sit nicely for longer periods.

We love The Works / The Entertainer for random toys that are a bit of a novelty when out and about. Things we bought and used include:
Pop up toy with buttons to hit/twist
Puppets
Suction spinners
Magnetic picture books
Rubix cube
Slinky
Sticker books
Touchy feeling books
Tubes that pull out longer and make a weird noise

and then we bought snacks like raisins, fruit flakes, even Cheerios as they take a while to pick up. I think it great to keep at it (even when it’s not fun!) - we now have a newly turned 2 year old who can go 2.5 hours in restaurant for dinner playing with Lego, colouring and eating as he’s learning the etiquette.

If you don’t mind flashing lights then a Montessori busy board has worked well for us for restaurants, car, pram etc. when fussing has started https://montessoritoddlers.com/products/toddlers-wooden-busy-board

Also second all the comments about sticker books, aqua doodle and other great ideas. I think someone said this already, but there is a risk you end up just repeatedly picking this all up from the floor. Good luck!

My DGC ( 1 and 3) love their sticker books, my daughter has a selection she takes out. They sat very nicely at table for over two hours at a wedding we went to this weekend.

How did parents cope before screens? Oh yes, they sat and interacted with their child!

Lots of great suggestions here. Mine also liked chunky beads they threaded onto a string (it’s a kids toy, not a choking hazard!).

Melissa and Doug were always good for those sort of toys.

Biggest thing though I’ve found is we ate as a family probably 95% of the time at home. They sat in a proper highchair with us at the table. Even if we were just having sandwiches say. All food was consumed in the chair so they came to understand the routine.

But agree with the others OP, 20 mins is not bad going at this age!

I sit and interact with my child. She doesn't cope with sitting in a restaurant for a meal yet, and we don't do screens, so we don't go.

If we did screens, then I think that would probably help. That's all I was saying.

Lots just didn't do restaurants.

Some kids just won't be entertained in a highchair for long, even with a screen, they want to be moving around on the floor which just isn't safe in a restaurant.

If it’s any consolation the other parents were probably also worried about their two and helping manage their behaviour. I always thought my two were the hardest work in the room - because I and their dad were keeling them occupied, reminding them to sit nicely, eat their food etc. All anyone else saw were two beautifully behaved children having a family meal out. I know this because people would comment to them how well behaved they were.

Your boy sounds like a typical toddler, and you sound like you’re teaching him good life skills early on, which will stand him in good stead.

This kept my young one busy for ages - excuse the ridiculously long link

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/389719755002?_ul=GB&rb_itemId=389719755002&rb_pgeo=GB&ff=11&mkevt=1&mkcid=1&mkrid=710-53481-19255-0&campid=5339059258&toolid=10044&customid=CjwKCAjwvqjOBhAGEiwAngeQnXEGn8ioicob6OfDQlXUK5B8CnS8zYB34JjEBb7dj46IisDF864IuhoClmUQAvD_BwE&gclid=CjwKCAjwvqjOBhAGEiwAngeQnXEGn8ioicob6OfDQlXUK5B8CnS8zYB34JjEBb7dj46IisDF864IuhoClmUQAvD_BwE&wbraid=Cj4KCAjwm6POBhAYEi4AIHChOuk7EJooz4KqS-XFLwwLJKsYijG6PleIIY4VJ2ORe2iAOondPweLXdhxGgIvog&gbraid=0AAAAADA7Q_JEppisxykBxLVLLsGi-h0Ii&adtype=pla&loc_physical_ms=1006623&loc_interest_ms=&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=20506529270&gbraid=0AAAAADA7Q_JEppisxykBxLVLLsGi-h0Ii

We never cracked it. The few times we braved it we would take some food, fruit/baby crisps to keep them happy for a bit.

Thanks all for the brilliant suggestions. We got him some sticker books and they have gone down a treat so far (just at home), so thank you for suggesting that.

I’d love to be able to try the jigsaws or tiles but they would all get flung with force over his shoulder! Same with Duplo at home, it’s all just chucked behind him unfortunately.

And thanks for the reminder to eat at the table together at home. Might sound daft but we had got out of the habit of this recently due to some changes in the home. But not any more! Thank you 😊