3 year old at restaurant

[Theeamonandruthshow]

We’ve always taken our toddler Ds out with us to eat since being a baby. We live abroad, so generally eat outdoors, by the beach, lots of kids around. He was in his buggy, then a high chair at restaurants when a little older, now he sits in a chair. Only thing is, he obviously doesn’t sit for long without getting bored and starting to want to get up and walk around etc 😬fine if we’re by the beach or park as he can play in front of us. A couple of places we’d like to go to again don’t offer this option. How do you get your child to sit for a slightly longer time at the table? Do you take books, let them play on the tablet/phone, I know this would work but feel bit crappy having to resort to it, but would like to sit and have a conversation as opposed to gulping down my food and trying to persuade Ds to sit a teeny bit longer. Or can we just not do it?

iPads or colouring

I used to take books or colouring. Wouldn’t let them get up from the table.

You can't expect a 3 year old to sit at a table without something to occupy themselves, so that means colouring books/tablets or other such things.

Ds was a keen 'eye spyer' !! Nearly 7 he still is!!

We try to take a few things with us, maybe some colouring, a book or some cards. I don't like to give her tablets or phones personally as we don't allow them at the table. Fortunately for us our dd is really chatty and really nosey so she just tends to find restaurants interesting! You could also try some simple word games or eye spy (our dd can't really do it properly but likes to have a go!)

I get the iPad thing but that's a line I just wouldn't cross. Each to their own and plenty of lines I trample all over but phones at a table is a never for me.

Played simple card games age appropriate. Took tiny cars or other toys. Keep special toys for going out only.

Please if you use tablets, keep the volume down. I am still sacreed by Curious George and his tail or whatnot

Colouring books and games of noughts and crosses.
In my day we didn't have ipads but I so wish they were available in the 90s. I would have let them watch a film with ear phones on.

Not a chance I’d do iPad/phone. Take books, colouring, etc, play ‘I spy something that is ^colour^’. If the expectation is there that they’ll sit for a while then they’ll get their head around it soon enough, it’ll just take a bit of practice if they’re used to getting down.

Order quickly, get them a treat drink like a juice they don’t get at home, their main to come with your starters then they get a desert (also a useful bargaining chip for good behaviour) whilst you have your mains. That ensures there’s always something good in front of them! Whilst waiting for the food we do a mix of coloring, sticker book or play eye spy (you can do it by colours if they’re too young for letters). If we want to linger then I will allow playing a game on my phone with no sound but only after they’ve finished their meal.

Babysitter.

But mine were awful. Not especially interested in food, even a flashy looking sundae once they felt ‘full enough’ (e.g after a breadstick), and definitely not interested in colouring.

We did used to buy some time making up different games with some animal matching cards, but who wants to spend a nice meal going ‘what animal has 4 legs and stripes’…

I had a zip up pencil case or small drawstring bag with characters for my children to play with. They were only allowed to play with them when we went to restaurants so they didn’t get bored of them.

We had small ponies, superheroes and random characters I found cheap in charity shops ie pirates etc. There were a few small cars and animals too.

Obviously if we got desperate we would whip out our phones but to be honest they played happily with the toys most of the time.

With mine (now 13 and 11) we had tiny toys in little bags (think the little plastic iggle piggles/teletubbies/cars etc) that only came out when we were out. Drawing and colouring. Little wooden numbers to line up. Also, small travel books or jigsaws. We also never brought anything out straight away, so that (in theory) they'd learn to sit for longer without NEEDING something.

It's a draining phase at times, but I still remember the day we ordered an extra drink at the end of the meal and it was all lovely and relaxing and we didn't feel like we were on the clock!

I'm not against people using tablets/phones you gotta do what you gotta do, but I would bet they're a harder habit to break as the kids get to an age where they really should be joining in rather than distracted.

Colouring books, puzzles and enforce sitting at the table at home too. You can't expect little kids to act differently at restaurants to their normal routine

We just ended up being very selective about a limited repetoire of places that were less formal and fairly quick and perfunctory about serving. Once DS1 in particular had eaten, he was done.

There were some longer family meals that DH or I ended up bailing early and going for walks/ to the car with him as lingering over desert was not going to be pleasant for anyone with DS around.
(It turns out he has ASD and the sensory input and unpredictability can be awkward. I eventually gave in on tablets because it is socially the better option all round at at least having him there in a state of coping)

My 3 year old will sit with a sticker book for a long time so I usually take one of those. I also take a few little cars and he pushes them around the table, round the glasses, cutlery, etc. We keep him chatting and usually order a starter that's easily nibbled on and shared, such as a basket of bread. If he starts getting a difficult a little stroll to the toilets usually sorts him out.

One restaurant I went to recently had an option to add a snack pot to the kids meal which is bought to the table asap. I thought that was a good idea!

I used to have a bag with sticker books, paper, coloured pencils, small cars/trains etc. Mine would look forward to this aspect of eating out. We have managed to never use iPads etc but you do need to interact with them. And sometimes, a strategically timed trip to the toilet can deal with their urge to go walk about 😂
Like someone else said, don’t linger over the meal (I’m looking at you FIL!), and get their desserts while you’re having your mains.
It does get easier but it’s really not impossible.

@Brokenrecord3006 Cross post - sounds like we have used the same techniques 😂

@Dodeee

I had a zip up pencil case or small drawstring bag with characters for my children to play with. They were only allowed to play with them when we went to restaurants so they didn’t get bored of them.

We had small ponies, superheroes and random characters I found cheap in charity shops ie pirates etc. There were a few small cars and animals too.

Obviously if we got desperate we would whip out our phones but to be honest they played happily with the toys most of the time.

This. We have a busy bag especially for restaurants

Books, silent toys, tablet, phone, colouring. Even some small snacks in case the food takes a while to arrive. Other people in the restaurant would much rather see a table covered with toys than a screamind 3 year old!

I find that if I take something new that my toddler hasn't seen before (as opposed to just grabbing something from this bedroom) it holds his attention a lot longer. ALDI special buys when they do toys are great, you can get cheap colouring books, puzzles, little games etc.

I usually loathe seeing kids glued to iPads but situations like this are the one time I’ll allow it of my 3 year old 😆 he has never ever been allowed to get up from the table and play nearby, it’s simply never been an option where we go so he’s had to learn to sit and either play with his animal toys or do something on his tablet.

Books or colouring are fine , we asked to be moved from kids who were well behaved but parents had given them tablets to play with and were blaring

Books, colouring, little toys, never a phone or iPad.