Out for a meal with baby?

[Squashbanana1]

Hi all, this might sound really stupid but just want to know opinions - MIL has invited us all for a meal out for her birthday - what do you all do with a baby? (Mine is 8months). Do we keep awake and sit with us at meal or aim for nap in pram? Or think it's unreasonable and ask for babysitter?
We don't have any kids in the family so I literally don't know what's acceptable 🤔 thank you :)

Have you not been out in 8 months?! You can do either it doesn't really matter. I'm sure family would want to see the baby so if awake all ok if asleep ditto.

Whatever you would normally do.

I'd say take baby and pram and play it by ear.

If baby seems happy enough to stay awake, fine (does place you're going have high chairs? If not there are some you can get that "convert" normal chairs to high chairs or "bolt on" to dining tables) if baby sleepy pop them in pram, take them a wee walk round the block if needed.

Don't fall into the trap many can of feeling having a baby means you can't socialise, it's good for you and baby to get out and about and I'm sure baby's dads family will love seeing baby. Have a lovely time

Dd would either sleep in her pram, or sit at the table in a high chair @8mths.
Dd always comes if were going out for dinner with family.

Have you not been out in 8 months??

We take dd with us, she sits at table and has dinner with us, and we have pushchair if needed if its a late night, but normally she stays up as theres lots of people then falls asleep in car seat on the way home.

Dd has been coming our for dinner with us since she was about 6 days old, we've just carried on as normal as we did before she was born

I think it depends on the child. Until mine was 4 months, we took her with us and she napped or sat on our laps. Then she started to need to go to bed earlier, and is now in bed asleep by 7.30/8pm. A couple of times recently we’ve been to evening things, thinking she will sleep in her pram or in my arms and she wouldn’t, and screamed and screamed. In the OP’s case I’d have to get a babysitter, as no one wants a screaming baby at dinner!

I'd agree it depends on the child. When is their bedtime and how how happily do they stay up past it? Restaurants are actually very noisy, so I'd have thought the chances of them sleeping in the pushchair are slim while there - at which point you are risking overtired screaming. DC1 was such a light sleeper that even at 10 weeks we couldn't get him to stay asleep when out for a meal, hopefully yours is more flexible!

Thank you all we have been out and had plenty of lunch meals out but actually haven't done a evening meal out at a restaurant since she was a little sleepy baby when sleeping in the pram was fine! At 8 months she very much relies on a routine and then in the cot, overtired she is very very cranky!!