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Original poster

So this couple walk into a restaurant with an oldish toddler......

180 replies

Flum · 16/04/2008 13:32

... sit down at a table, get out a portable DVD player, plonk it in front of him and switch it on.

Is this normal behaviour? Would you do this?

Judge, Judge, Judge away.....

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Original poster
Flum · 16/04/2008 13:55

Mmmm Actually it was a great restaurant it had a huge banana tree, about 3 fish tanks.

Mind you they were on holiday with jsut one kid so he didn't have anyone to banter with I guess.

He didn't hae autism. He was nice. They wre nice too. I guess all these techy things are just waaaaaaay too tempting aren't they.

Yeah I tak e crayons and books etc.

Just as rude to 'read' at the dinner table isn't it.

OP posts:
Tutter · 16/04/2008 13:56

i bet you wouldn';t have said anythiung if it had been a book though...?

oranges · 16/04/2008 13:58

I think its a great idea! We only go in for lunch on holiday when ds has fallen asleep for his nap.

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Oliveoil · 16/04/2008 13:58

there was a family in Pizza Express the other week and their son was being a right pain in the arse

I could see the look in his mum's eye and recognised it well

it said "oh ffs why do we bother, £40 for indigestion"

I usually sympathise with bad behaviour tbh as you know you may be there next week

dd1 is great, dd2 needs Attention and Distraction

anything more than an hour in a restaurant and you are asking for trouble

FeverishFish · 16/04/2008 13:59

on hol when we had to wait forever( greece) we let the kdis ds wheil they waited.

tehre is a limit to stimulating convos wiht a 7 5 and 3 year old

cheesesarnie · 16/04/2008 13:59

tutter very true.got me on that one

AitchTwoOh · 16/04/2008 13:59

lol, i love reading at the table, it's an absolute luxury. you don't let your kids read at the table in a restaurant? god, i buy dd a cbeebies comic especially.

FeverishFish · 16/04/2008 14:00

i ahet takign kids out for a emal
uttertly indigetion inducing

"sit still dont knock your drink no youdont ned the loo, well cololur that bit in, eata bit mroe, ohits on the floor now DONT SHOUT not everyone wants to hear"

TheFallenMadonna · 16/04/2008 14:01

Well, we're going camping for two weeks this summer and I fully intend to take a portable dvd player. Why not?

I wouldn't take one to a restaurant, but I have taken my laptop to the hairdressers so dd can watch Dora the Explorer while my grey is touched up. Once she's old enough to read, she'll take a book, like her brother does. And me too actually. I always have a book in my handbag in case I have to wait somewhere.

FeverishFish · 16/04/2008 14:01

thsi " oh my kdi sits well "
AT WHAT PRICE FGS

its not liek you cna chat about eh exchange rate mehcanism wiht them

we play" lets tease daddy on how littel he knows about htings"
its godo but not endlessly thrilling

jenkel · 16/04/2008 14:01

I have no problem with it. Sounded like they were on holiday and perhaps wanted a nice meal, nobody to look after the child so they took a dvd player to keep him entertained. Cant see what the problem is and its probably something that I would do.

FeverishFish · 16/04/2008 14:02

well if i went and paid£50 odd to go to a hairdersser adn there was someone eles KID watchign firgging dora i woudl NEVER return

Tutter · 16/04/2008 14:02

we don't do restaurants with the boys

sounds like a great idea

misery in reality

Oliveoil · 16/04/2008 14:02

me: do you need the toilet?
girls: no
me: are you sure, don't say you do when my meal arrives!

dd1: I need the toilet
dd2: I don't need to

dd2: I really need to go now
waiter: chicken ad astra is this yours madam?
me: grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

chopchopbusybusy · 16/04/2008 14:03

In my opinion it makes a difference that they were on holiday. The poor child has probably been subjected to a week or more of long leisurely dinners out - which many children would become bored with.

FeverishFish · 16/04/2008 14:04

yes i agree and he si an only child.

Mercy · 16/04/2008 14:06

Oh yes the going to the toilet thing is sooo annoying. Plus spilling the drink everywhere and then moaning because they don't like the food.

Lazycow · 16/04/2008 14:09

Well we have one ds and this sounds like a great idea to keep him entertained if we want some peace on holiday. Not for every meal but certainly for some of them.

As for colouring books and crayons - ha ha ha. Just today when I suggested colouring ds said in a very polite and diffident voice. Mummy I find drawing a bit boring. I know this anyway as drawing/colouring keeps ds entertaind for exactly 3 mins if you are lucky.

He is much better if there are other children at the table actually as he can chat and play quiet games with them (just not drawing). He likes to interact with people and I am happy to do this with him, but Just sometimes on holiday it is nice to eat a meal in peace.

Unfortunately as he is and will always be an only child, this is not an option always available to him!

Heifer · 16/04/2008 14:13

I was original judgey about stuff like this - but realised that as we use the colouring book technique to keep DD entertained before the food arrives, it is no different really.

She does have to put it away when the food arrives though, and we chat whilst we eat - well I chat as DH is a man of very few words...

We have learnt that we don't have enough time for 3 courses as she will start playing up..

Kewcumber · 16/04/2008 14:15

what a great idea ... or am I missing something? I'd much rather have DS sitting with me at dinner on holiday intermittantly entertianed by a DVD than stuck in the hotel room with a strange babysitter.

belgo · 16/04/2008 14:16

phew I was getting worried that it was only me who thinks it is a good idea!

Lazycow · 16/04/2008 14:19

Good grief Heifer - 3 courses!!

Only in my wildest dreams would we ever try for that. To eat out with ds and for it to be just bearable he has to be hungry and we usually order his food and our starters at the same time. We than ask the waiter to bring ds an ice cream/dessert when they bring our main course. We do without a dessert (good for the waistline) and that is the most we ever manage.

If we fancy a dessert we forgo the starter and eat our main courses together and have dessert together.

Mostly we just have one course each though !.

Heifer · 16/04/2008 14:20

No I said we can't do 3 courses!

Kewcumber · 16/04/2008 14:22

I too had a smothered titter about the 12 week old who has been trained to sit nicely at the table.

3andnomore · 16/04/2008 14:26

Hm...like others, I can't really see the huge issue....
Kids can get so easily bored, so, if it makes things easier and for everyone more enjoyable, there is no harm done...no different then them playing with a nintendo ds or something like that, or indeed colouring a book in or reading....

Thing is, it seems no matter what you do you will be judged....unless you have that perfect child that will sit all nicely all the way through a relaxing family meal....(but I must admit, I may well judge such scene thinking what are those parents doing to that child in order to achieve such placidness in public ;))