Read Mumsnet users top tips for keeping their DC entertained during dinner

[EllieMumsnet]

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Trying to keep your children entertained and not act like wild animals throughout meal times can feel like a bit of a struggle sometimes, especially if you go out as a family to a restaurant. Whether you have to make sure your children don’t throw food around or stay in their seat throughout the entire meal, Frankie & Benny’s would love to know what your top tips are for keeping your children entertained during meal times.

Here’s what Frankie & Benny’s have to say: “Launching this half term at Frankie & Benny's, we're giving away a free Squishie with every kids' meal. You're going to need to head down to your nearest restaurant to collect all ten before they’re gone! If you haven't heard about Squishies, they are cute foamy toys that you can squeeze to you hearts content, before watching them magically re-inflate. There are 10 different adorable Squishies up for grabs at Frankie & Benny’s, tick each one off on our Squishies Passport as you collect them!"

Do you only choose family friendly restaurants to eat out at? Perhaps for meals at home, you cut their food into interesting shapes to ensure there’s an element of fun? What about playing games at the table and if so what kind of games do you play? Or maybe you bring colouring and toys along with you to restaurants?

Whatever your top tips are for keeping your children entertained post them on the thread below and everyone who does will be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £300 voucher of their choice (from a list).

Thank you and good luck with the prize draw!
MNHQ

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We put there favorite shows or a FILM on TV no yourtube or Tablets while dinner time.

We chat to each other and if that fails, play word games such as the word association game. My son always finds that funny!

We take books and colouring with us, and sometimes a small toy but we will talk to them and join in with the colouring. We only tend to pick places to eat where we know we will get served fairly quickly too, as the waiting is the worst part. We will often go to places that have a salad bar so that the kids can at least start eating their salad while waiting for their food.

I don't really hold with turning dinner time into play time.

It's great to have Christmas songs playing in the background that we can all join in singing as we have our dinner :)

My little one loves dinner so I've never had this problem . Food is the entertainment

We take an activity book with us and pens. Generally, we just try and keep the conversation going with my DD, play eyespy , look at and read the menus together to get her reading and interested, we play games like guess what daddy might order and watch other people around the pub/restaurant and guess what sort of person they are! She loves using her imagination.

My eldest has always been brilliant eating out but my youngest is unfortunately a lot harder. I don't like taking technology out to restaurants as it is not teaching them to behave respectfully, I don't mind them being given colouring by the restaurant as that's what all children are offered.

i dont believe the children need outside stimulation at the dinner table. just family conversation and fun. all meal times are spent around a table enjoying good food and family

We try to avoid relying on phones and tablets

We have always just used the free colouring/activity sheets that you get in restaurants and/or chat and enjoy the food. We don't eat out that often so it's a nice social event for us.

we try to chat over dinner but my son ASD and ADHD and sometimes he just needs to zone out on his ipad and take his mind off what hes eating as he has bad gag reflex

We sometimes play a guess the food game. Colouring is always good or as a last report we use cartoons

We make sure we don't stop talking to our kids - ask them how their day was? What was the best thing that happened? What are they looking forward to tomorrow? What is the funniest thing they saw or heard? Just keep talking and they stay engaged and well behaved.

Now our children are a little older, we find apps on a phone can be good communal games that keep us entertained while we're waiting for our food to arrive, like 4 pictures one word, or Fight List, where we all join in to guess the answers xx

Conversation! We always ensure it is the time for them to tell us about their day!

We always have a few bits on hand to keep our son entertained (crayons, reading book, couple of dinosaurs etc) but we do tend to choose family friendly restaurants on the rare occasion we do eat out. We choose places we know have high chairs, activity sheets and a half decent children's menu, and not just nuggets and chips.
At home we always have no tv or tech and use mealtimes as a chance to catch up with each other - we chat, ask questions, listen to each other and keep each other engaged. It's good manners!

Chat to them. When going out to a restaurant, take a variety of little quiet toys and crayons and paper to bring out one at a time for when they have finished eating, but you have not.

Conversation always instead of expecting them to quietly eat their dinner i try to keep them interested in talking about things they love. Crayons and a colouring book is also a good stand by.

We always used to take a small colouring or puzzle book with us or a small quiet game

Yes only family friendly restaurants, and colouring/pens plus many games of 0 and X.

We tend to go to family places, makes it alot less stressful, pencils, cars etc to distract!

I'll probably get shot down for this, but I don't think that kids should be kept entertained with toys, games or gadgets at mealtimes. Mealtimes are about food and company, not distractions. Why not make them part of the family group by talking to them and engaging them? My step-kids have never needed to have distractions at mealtimes, and have always been impeccably behaved both at home and whilst eating out.

Usually just sit and talk to them, it's always great if the restaurant has crayons and something to colour in.

We usually take pencils or match attax