Technology free dinner - with a toddler

[wishingforwillpower]

Parents of two year olds - are you really really able to go out for a meal, for say an hour, and not resort to technology - iPads etc?? I really really want to be one of those families that can sit nicely with their well behaved toddler who chats happily to us. That is how I imagine our meals out will be. The reality is that he will sit contentedly for maybe ten minutes, looking about and chatting. Then he wants to know when his drink is coming, then that's not the drink he wanted, it's too cold, I don't like ice, I want mummies drink, when is my pasta coming, I don't like pasta, where's my pizza (you told us you didn't want pizza), can I sit on the ground? Please can I sit under the table? Mummy I just need to check under the table for something, can I get down? Can I sit on your knee? My finger hurts, I need a poo, I don't need a poo, my straw is broken etc etc etc.... Today by half way through my pizza he was on my knee, trying to brush my hair with his straw. We also have a newborn. After perhaps a minute of having my hair combed with an apple juice-y straw I broke out the iPad, I just couldn't resist any longer.

And it's not that we didn't try - we suggested drawing (lasted 30 seconds), we talked about animals (2 minutes) we looked round the room to see what we could spot (2 minutes) drawing again (no mummy I not want you to draw)...
So if you are one of those families that I stare at with a mixture of jealousy, bewilderment and slight hatred, whose two year sits nicely and quietly for the duration of the meal, no technology required, how do you do it???
Also if you, like me, fail every time to have a technology free meal, please come and let me know I'm not alone??

Order children's meal first and tell waiters to bring it out as soon as ready.
Also have a million small toys in my bag, figurines, cars etc that can be played with quietly on the table etc.

Technology is a last resort if they are screaming etc but either myself or DH might take them for a walk outside first or something.

Also, try to take them when they're hungry so will sit quietly and ear the meal once if arrives.

Good luck!

We are old ( old gimmer emoticon )
So iPads werent invented when the DC were small
so , I read story books , they chatted with us , played Ispy

Maybe try saying ( before you go out ) that iPad is not coming with us today and were going to sit down and have a nice lunch out

because I hate the sound of technology when I'm out for lunch , bloody stupid games ping pinging away

Yes but you need to be quite focused on them, be involved in their chat and keep them talking and distracted from the fact they've had to wait more than 30 seconds for some food, and don't let them get too hungry. (Tricky in itself as you typically want them to eat so you get your money's worth!) So you need to pick somewhere which you either know has quick service or is self service. And also preferably will bring the DC's food ahead of the adults so that you can cut it up and let it cool a little before yours arrives and you want to eat that. But not too far before yours, because if they eat quicker and you're still eating then you have potential for them to kick off and/or get bored and cause trouble while you're trying to scarf down your food to get it finished and get out of there.

Pizza Hut is perfect - especially at lunchtime rather than dinnertime, the stakes always seem lower. And it is positively FULL of MC parents training their small DC in the rituals of restaurant etiquette, tis funny

Pizza hut works so well because of three or four key things.

• They have crayons. This tells you that they are fairly child friendly to begin with. They don't mind small toys at the table, the staff actually talk to your DC, which they love, they put a smiley face on their pizza and the crayons are quite a novelty because they're not yours from home.
• The salad bar. Included in the kids' meal! This way if they get too whiny or restless before the pizza arrives, you can take them to fill up their bowl with a variety of not very filling but intensely interesting tiny pieces of food like sweetcorn and croutons which they can pick out piece by piece quite happily.
• Pizza - most children love pizza and if they don't finish it you can have it boxed up and (they or you can) eat it cold or reheated later. So no waste. Equally, no cutlery to worry about table manners with so it's nice and relaxed and you aren't worrying about what other diners are judging you on. Get the "sitting still and not shrieking or randomly appearing at the side of other tables" thing down before attempting a place with cutlery.
• The ice cream factory. Master of bribery to dangle over them if you're trying to work on a particular aspect of behaviour and/or something to keep them occupied for at least another 10 minutes after they get bored of their pizza after half a slice, letting you finish yours in peace.

Other places that work well - carveries, other buffets (it should be familiar food though unless you have a very adventurous toddler.) Pubs which have giant tables if you go with another family/have more than one child over 2 who can sit together.

There are worst things in life than resorting to an iPad or smartphone for ten minutes to keep a child quiet. Especially at 2. Of course it is nicest and also good teaching to try and get them to have a conversation or play with something or colour in, but 2 year olds aren't exactly reasonable most of the time. Hell, most of the 2 year olds I know are still in the midst of being picky with their food or fighting using cutlery, so if ten minutes of Peppa Pig before a meal stops them from getting too wound up before the food arrives then go with it.

Though I think in the longer term its obviously beneficial to everyone to teach them how to behave in a restaurant setting.

But pick your battles. There can be enough of them around food at 2 anyway, don't add too much stress

I am a slattern who is happy for my dcs to watch TV/play on technology at home or when travelling to keep them happy and give me peace.

I figure that as I was always sloping off to read a book as a kid, and not playing improving outdoor games it won't do them any harm.

But...I never ever allow technology out for or at meal times. Or toys. Dcs have to learn to sit and enjoy/put up with a meal,with other people. Important life lesson.

Plenty of time for life lessons when they are capable of a rational discussion.

There is lots of helpful stuff here thank you. I think practice might be key. At present we eat out maybe once a month max. I agree taking him for a walk would definitely help, I'm just reluctant to let him know that leaving the table is an option!
He doesn't ever get to use or even see the IPad at home - that's why it has such power! We limit it precisely for that reason, because we want to be able to rely on it eg on trains or planes so we don't want to dilute its novelty!

We used to read to the boy while waiting for food. I remember reading Winnie the pooh in a hotel dining room. Also used to order nibbly starters and eek them out for a long time. It helped that he liked olives. small toy cars were good, also lego minfigs. Ice cube table footy is sometimes a good game ( not where there are table clothes tho)

Didn't resort to technology till he was old enough to play independently on a game boy ( age 5) and then playing mario carts was a treat for after he had wolfed his main course so we could be a bit more leisured with ours.

We find sticker books are the best for entertaining dd when waiting for food.