To take a 3 year old to the Ritz at 17:30?

[PreschoolattheRitz]

We've been invited by grandparents at the end of April.

I took mine at 6m and 3 for a party before lockdown to another equally posh afternoon tea but we had a private room. The 3yo was a bloody angel and the 6m old suddenly decided eating was quite fun. But, (1) the return journey was hideous and quite fractious, (2) there were lots of other grownups to help out and (3) we had space to have a potter, (4) the waiters treated my girls like princesses.

I would do another afternoon tea with my now 4yo and would take her somewhere like the ritz (although it is not my favourite place). She’d manage well and enjoy the experience as long as we had some colouring. The other one is now nearly 2 and a she-devil who hasn’t had practice in restaurants because of the pandemic.

I think that last point is crucial really. If you’re a bit doubtful then treating the Ritz as one of your first post lock-down dining experiences is likely to be a bit risky even with a well-behaved child.

Would they also charge full price for the child - not sure I'd want to cough up £50 + for a 3 year old's tea!

@Tiquismiquis

I took mine at 6m and 3 for a party before lockdown to another equally posh afternoon tea but we had a private room. The 3yo was a bloody angel and the 6m old suddenly decided eating was quite fun. But, (1) the return journey was hideous and quite fractious, (2) there were lots of other grownups to help out and (3) we had space to have a potter, (4) the waiters treated my girls like princesses.

I would do another afternoon tea with my now 4yo and would take her somewhere like the ritz (although it is not my favourite place). She’d manage well and enjoy the experience as long as we had some colouring. The other one is now nearly 2 and a she-devil who hasn’t had practice in restaurants because of the pandemic.

I think that last point is crucial really. If you’re a bit doubtful then treating the Ritz as one of your first post lock-down dining experiences is likely to be a bit risky even with a well-behaved child.

Private room could be dealt with.

Everything else. No.

Sorry, just noted that the child's price is a bargain £35!

I’ve taken my daughter at that age. My son? No way. He would run riot.

@lioncitygirl

I’ve taken my daughter at that age. My son? No way. He would run riot.

My child would just be so bored, bless him. Then hungry, then tired.

@PreschoolattheRitz

Bathtime is 18:30, lights out at 19:00 generally

I think you could vary the routine for a special occasion. I'd have taken mine at three and he'd have loved it but we used to take ours out all over the place from a very young age, including music festivals :-).

Don't be too bogged down by routines, there are always exceptions. Most of us were taken to family do's surely, when we were little, stayed up late, ran around and played with other children.

I’d have taken mine. There’s space to take them for a walk away from the tea room and a sofa in the ladies if you get desperate, plus a park just down the road to run off energy before and after.

As long as they like cake and sandwiches, you aren’t paying (because it won’t be a treat for you entertaining a 3yo) and you’re prepared to cut it short if the 3yo acts up then I’d go for it.

Don't be too bogged down by routines, there are always exceptions. Most of us were taken to family do's surely, when we were little, stayed up late, ran around and played with other children.

I'm not bogged down by routines, I'm just reasonable when it comes to how far routines can be pushed.

I would but not at the end of April. Covid 19 restrictions may be a lot less but a tube or bus journey will still be with face coverings.

@Hoowhoowho

I’d have taken mine. There’s space to take them for a walk away from the tea room and a sofa in the ladies if you get desperate, plus a park just down the road to run off energy before and after.

As long as they like cake and sandwiches, you aren’t paying (because it won’t be a treat for you entertaining a 3yo) and you’re prepared to cut it short if the 3yo acts up then I’d go for it.

Park after? At 8pm? And then go home on the tube for an hour?!

I took your twins out for similar very posh meals for family events when 18m-3 and it was always fine but we did always have an agreement that one of us would take them out if they were too noisy (only happened once) I did always take books and toys and they really just liked being passed round random relatives.

DS1 at that age would have been fine...in fact I had planned to take him for a posh afternoon tea for his 4th birthday (for various reasons we didn’t get to do it but he would have loved it).

DS2 at the same age...honestly I would think twice about taking him into McDs for fear of him causing a scene.

My 3 year old is generally pretty well behaved when eating out - but there are 2 crucial things that would mean I'd not even consider going somewhere like the ritz:
1 we've only ever tested this in places like zizzis / pizza express
2 we haven't been able to eat out in such a long time that I'm really not sure how she would act now she's unpracticed!

No idea why you're eye rolling at anyone who says that their DC would be fine to eat at The Ritz? My DS has also regularly been taken to restaurants without any problem. He's always been happy to chat and do colouring/activity books between courses. DS has eaten dinner at many expensive restaurants including Le Manoir and Savoy Grill without any fuss. It's really not that unusual.

@Bubbinsmakesthree

DS1 at that age would have been fine...in fact I had planned to take him for a posh afternoon tea for his 4th birthday (for various reasons we didn’t get to do it but he would have loved it).

DS2 at the same age...honestly I would think twice about taking him into McDs for fear of him causing a scene.

4 is a world away from 3

I would have taken mine at that age, and did take them to a similar place. It was bloody hard work, but not impossible. Lots of preparation in advance - talk beforehand about what would happen when we got there, the fact that they would have to talk very, very quietly as they did when we were in the library, etc, etc, etc. It helped that we only ever had meals at home sitting at the table, and I also took them to a lot of places when they were little which involved them having to behave in a way that didn't irritate anyone else. However, it also requires heavy parental involvement - mine were little pre-screens, so we always took books, colouring, quiet card games, noughts and crosses, hangman, I-spy, etc, etc, etc.

So it's possible, but requires preparation and hard work.

And despite all this superb parenting, there is now only one of mine (aged 16-19) whom I could reliably take to the Ritz now.

@Paquerette

No idea why you're eye rolling at anyone who says that their DC would be fine to eat at The Ritz? My DS has also regularly been taken to restaurants without any problem. He's always been happy to chat and do colouring/activity books between courses. DS has eaten dinner at many expensive restaurants including Le Manoir and Savoy Grill without any fuss. It's really not that unusual.

We've taken my child to loads of places. For lunch.

@20CMB21

I would have taken mine at that age, and did take them to a similar place. It was bloody hard work, but not impossible. Lots of preparation in advance - talk beforehand about what would happen when we got there, the fact that they would have to talk very, very quietly as they did when we were in the library, etc, etc, etc. It helped that we only ever had meals at home sitting at the table, and I also took them to a lot of places when they were little which involved them having to behave in a way that didn't irritate anyone else. However, it also requires heavy parental involvement - mine were little pre-screens, so we always took books, colouring, quiet card games, noughts and crosses, hangman, I-spy, etc, etc, etc.

So it's possible, but requires preparation and hard work.

And despite all this superb parenting, there is now only one of mine (aged 16-19) whom I could reliably take to the Ritz now.

It's the hard work that sounds so appealing

I took mine to a s different high end london hotel for afternoon tea at 3y5mo, and it was fine. It was an earlier booking though - 15:30 - and we did not string it out. She was entertained by a new toy, and a lot of food and a sweet drink. The baby slept through the whole think but she’s have only been about 6mo so much more predictable.

Oh lord I wouldn't take my 3 year old . She is wild I would take
My ds though. He would love it.

@Paquerette

No idea why you're eye rolling at anyone who says that their DC would be fine to eat at The Ritz? My DS has also regularly been taken to restaurants without any problem. He's always been happy to chat and do colouring/activity books between courses. DS has eaten dinner at many expensive restaurants including Le Manoir and Savoy Grill without any fuss. It's really not that unusual.

@Paquerette completely agree. My Dc have eaten in various higher end restaurants with no problem. I assume the eye rolling is jealousy?

There's no getting round it, OP.

I'm not sure I ever found it very enjoyable. XH enjoyed these experiences immensely, but he didn't do any of the child-taming.

@Paquerette

No idea why you're eye rolling at anyone who says that their DC would be fine to eat at The Ritz? My DS has also regularly been taken to restaurants without any problem. He's always been happy to chat and do colouring/activity books between courses. DS has eaten dinner at many expensive restaurants including Le Manoir and Savoy Grill without any fuss. It's really not that unusual.

Bet all the other customers loved it. I’d be beyond pissed off if I went to Le Manoir or the River Room and there was a small child there.

@themaskedsinger I assure you I'm not jealous

I can't bear most stuffy, uptight, 'high end' places. Maybe I'm spoiled. They bore me.