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

Standard Insight T&Cs Apply

Ask for the paper and crayon set when we walk in - common and always available too

I have a small pad and crayons in my bag, if I think the venue won't have any children's packs then I let my son choose a few toys (small, quiet) that I know he will enjoying playing with and not lose.
The best activity pack I have seen recently are hall and Woodhouse pubs with the bag having puzzles & activities and filled with masks, stickers, photo frame (I guess for selfies) and loads more. Stickers are a favourite. The other thing I would say the speed of starter arriving is key too!

We always pick restaurants that are known to be family friendly and have food that is child friendly.
We take the usual colouring/activity/reading books etc to keep them entertained.
Emergancy snacks are a must incase service is a bit slow or the children become bored such as chopped fruit.
We never have starters due to previously finding the children are too fed up by the time main course arrives.
Luckily the dc enjoy eating out

We always have an iPad to hand, just in case. Lucas will stay occupied with crayons and an activity sheet (depending on what it has in it - he enjoys dot to dot and spot the difference). Stickers are always popular too!

With a one year old DS, we're still finding our feet a bit! Dinners at home are always done as a family so we eat and interact together - no toys or distractions, and at this point, he goes into the high chair when we start to eat and gets out when we are done. As for when we go out, whole different ballgame with a multitude of strategies - sharing food off our plate to keep him interested with different tastes, lots of interaction/babbling until he gets fed up (sadly not quite at the stage of being able to discuss his day at nursery or world politics), quiet toys (paper and pencils/crayons not ideal as he still likes eating them). We tend to avoid "adult" restaurants as it's not fair on couples/groups who have come out for a nice grown up night as no matter how good he is, there will inevitably be fussy moments. We're also quite realistic about how long he can last so steer away from long long meals out (unless he's asleep!).

We take those magic water colouring books - the ones the use a pen with water and colour on the page and the picture comes out, then fades when dry. They are great as they can use them over and over and they don't get bored. My daughter sometimes even practices her spellings writing out on them!

Mine are now 10 & 7 so getting to the end of the colouring in restaurants stage.

I try to converse with them like I would anyone else. Sometimes it works, sometimes the whole process is a PITA.

I do choose family friendly restaurants, but if it doesn't have food I like to eat too I won't go. Noodle bars/Asian restaurants and burger places usually suit us all.

I try to bring some small toys and paper and pens but I must admit if we end up waiting along time for food we do sometimes resort to a phone to entertain

Anytime we go for a meal I take a few little supplies to keep my daughter entertained.

1. Good ol' paper and pens for drawing and colouring
2. A collection of small toys, usually 2 or 3 toys that are half the size of a McDonald's toy
3. A story book
4. A tablet (or my phone) loaded with a couple of small apps

We use these for the time in between meals and when my daughter starts to get distracted to keep her focused on eating and talking with the family :)

I bring small portable games like Uno or Top Trumps when we go to eat out - not screens. We always enjoy the fun of eating at Wagamama

My daughter (5yo) loves an activity sheet. She can get bored of plain drawing/colouring pretty quick but spot the differences and word searches can take her a while so are a big hit 👍

Not really an issue now DC are 9 and 11 and can sit and chat, but when younger we made use of restaurants' colouring sheets etc (they still like the Pizza Express ones even though they have long since upgraded to the adult menu!). Or I would stash a puzzle book or two in my bag so we could sit and do a word search or something together.

Big fat NO to screens at the dinner table. One of the saddest things I've ever seen in a restaurant was a family celebration meal where all the adults were on one table, talking and laughing; all the children were on a separate table and without exception sat in silence glued to their phones.

@PiperPublickOccurrences I agree. It’s baffling that we’ve ‘evolved’ into a society where we have to entertain children to eat. Anyone fancy explaining that concept to 99% of humanity over the ages?

We play hangman, noughts and crosses, dots etc so always have pens at a minimum.

nip bad behaviour I nthe bud from the off.its always been clear from the first visit how to act.
yes they can get a bit winy voice but its quick to leave.
let them get then distracted and find something to think bout.its amazing how quick a kids creative minds can come to the rescue with stuff to think about or do when you don't automatically try and rescue the mwith screens etc.
if not.i-spye. or playing noughts and crosses or other game on the napkin.
talk to them.always include them in conversations.kids shouldn't be made to feel like your being forced to bring them because there is no other option.
its suprising how often the lines "soon,its coming soon".works.
and yes also we do use the "only pudding If ur good."
usually we can go anywhere(within reason) the family friendly ones are good.if they have aplay area or a nice garden they can be used whilst waiting for the meal.
always get drinks on arrival.but only one until the meal comes.
hekp them choose their own meals so from the off they feel in control.

We eat out fairly often and find that DS5 is happy drawing or playing with a few cars, figures, Lego etc. It's always nice if the restaurant provide an activity sheet or pack as it holds their interest a little longer.

We go to restaurants and take colouring and stickers. We tend to try and do the activities with them and keep them engaged. We do go to family friendly places, but it is just starting to get easier to get them to focus during a meal. Our two year old still struggles to sit for too long! But we eat our meals around the table at home, so it's not a massive change..

always take coloring books and pens, to keep my little one busy:)

I try to carry pen, crayons and paper with me, but I’m alwYs grateful for restaurants that provide them, especially if when the meal out is impromptu. My DC have always enjoyed the sheets that have puzzles on them, simple anagrams of menu items or quizzes along with character drawings.

I’m also hugely appreciative of staff who are tuned in to families. Those who make the effort to interact with children and encourage them to voice their own menu choices, I think this is valuable learning for the DC. Waiters who take the time to chat to children can really boost their enjoyment and their mood.

Our latest table game is a who am I in which someone has to pick a character from a cartoon or movie and everyone else has to ask questions with yes/no answers to work out who it is.

Finally, it makes a real difference if you don’t have to wait ages for the bill at the end of meal!

Colouring or activity book. I spy. Lots of chatter which includes DC rather than adult convo only.

We have a little goodie bag of things to keep dcs entertained such as colouring and magnetic draw thing. This is essential for the youngest (age 3) But with the older ones now (7 &10) we try to use the opportunity to have a chat. I am attracted by restaurants that give out colouring etc, especially for those times when we have spontaneously gone out and not come prepared! Occasionally we have also brought UNO to play.

Engage them in the conversations in some way until food arrives, colouring and puzzles are good but so is a blank space on the sheet for their own imagination - we always took pens and paper and that was generally enough

We eat wherever we want to eat. Family friendly restaurants are unfortunately full of other people’s badly behaved little darlings. My DC observe other kids’ naughty behaviour and are less likely to sit still and behave. A “naice” adult restaurant is much more conducive to sitting still and playing quietly with a book or colouring pencils. Not to mention that family friendly restaurants seem to think that all kids eat chips and beans and soft drinks. An adult restaurant is more likely to offer a decent meal such as a small portion of meat and veg with sparkling water, etc.

My dd is 14 months so it's really hard to keep her entertained throughout dinner but books tend to work - that and finger food that she can feed herself.

Colouring pencils and paper, to keep them entertained between courses, I try to make meals colourful and encourage them to try new meals.