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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Ours were expected to behave at the table always. Conversation, decent manners, etc. At under 7 we wouldn't have taken them to a high end restaurant but they certainly could cope with, say The Ivy, from 7 plus. But always ate at the table, used cutlery properly, didn't get down until allowed.

Family meals need bigger tables, and more space around them. Also, I prefer to have a table as far away from other diners as possible.

Fast, friendly and thoughtful service is really important. Crayons and pads are great, but it's the waiting that's difficult, if you have a hungry child. How about providing a few immediately available appetisers for children? Interesting fruit, rice cakes, a cocktail sausage and a lump of cheese - nothing too heavy, and even complimentary? How much does it cost to cut up an apple and share it between three kids, after all?

I like it when the children's meals arrive before the adults' too, as that gives us time to cut up their food for them and wipe up the messes before we start our own meals. (But other people would probably want to be served at the same time, maybe?)

Some safe outdoor space for afterwards is good too, so the parents and grandparents can sit and enjoy their coffees.

I try and take my own pencils crayons etc, but if a restaurant provides them they are already winning in my eyes!. I also don't mind them watching YouTube kids on my iPhone if they finish before us and start to get a little impatient.

I have a variety of tactics for entertaining my DC. When they're little we take wipeable teething type toys & maybe a board book or 2. Once they get to about 3 I introduce games like I spy but their favourite was always silly stories - they have to tell me who the story is about, where it starts & one thing that happens. I then make up the silliest story I can think of. That keeps them entertained for hours! Now that the eldest is 7 we've moved on to taking top trumps or a pack of playing cards with us.

We often go to F&B's when we eat out & find that the DC spend most of their time watching the TV. We've tried both F&B's locally & both of them have the news on all the time. It's really frustrating because the DC take forever to eat & a lot of the things they see aren't really suitable for young children & we don't really want to be discussing war/bombs/terror attacks/famine while trying to enjoy a nice family meal to celebrate the 3yos birthday. It doesn't seem to matter where we sit, they'll crane their necks & we'll spend the whole meal telling them to turn around/sit down/stop staring & wishing we'd gone to Chiquito instead!

We chat. Play eye spy, memory games, talk about our day etc. I hope this will teach them to have good table manners in the future.

We have a couple of small colouring books and pencils. We swap them about and take one out with us. We also have a few small toys in a pot and take a handful with us. Keeping it different and fresh means that she doesn't get bored and just a small amount of toys seem new and exciting each time

Having visited a Frankie and Benny's today for lunch perhaps they need to rethink the hashtag #squishdontsquabble as my 2 did nothing but squabble about those damn squishy things plus we waited 45 minutes for our food which was incredibly disappointing. F&B it's time to rethink how food is presented and the cost, as both my husband and I were underwhelmed by our overpriced and stingy food. I feel the chain has gone massively downhill and won't be back. Sorry no suggestions as to how to entertain the kids as eventually I took the damn squashies from them and completed their children's wordsearch to stop me knawing off my own arm in hunger.

Take them out from a young age so they are used to eating out. Pick places with good kids menus where a snacky starter appears almost instantly.
Reserve screens for moments of near meltdown only.

Colouring, lots of colouring! Or even better places with a bit of outdoor space they can go and let steam off in between courses.

DC love activity books with little puzzles etc in too.

Coloring books and pens always the best, for small and big kids:))))

If you don't perpetually feed dc nuggets and chips they don't need "kids" meals just smaller portions. Ours always found the experience of eating out an absolute treat.

Colouring books/pencils are always a must especially with my 3 yr old. I also have a 9 yr old who mainly chats. We also play games like I Spy and Hangman. One big bug bare I have when seeing families out is they are all on their phones etc even the kids! There is really no need for it! I love eating out with my family and so do my kids. We make it what it is with chatting/games.

Do you only choose family friendly restaurants to eat out at? Not all the time, as the food tends to be pretty generic, we will opt for them for a quick meal, but for a special occasion, then a smaller restaurant with a nice ambience is fine, I always come equipt with a tablet computer, and a small crayoning book and crayons, the £1 shops are great for single use toys for the table (we love toy animals most)

Perhaps for meals at home, you cut their food into interesting shapes to ensure there’s an element of fun?
I do this with toast, and other finger foods like cucumber and carrots, they will eat this (gradually)
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? We have a few travel games which we use for airports for restaurants (we love guess who and top trumps) If we get served pretty quickly toys are not always necessary. One game we particularly love is eye spy which comes free and does not need packing away.

We like restaurants that have activity sheets - even though our DC are 10 and 11, it keeps them occupied. We sometimes have iPads in bags but only use them as an absolute last resort - my DD has adhd so sometimes waiting for a meal can be hard.
We ate out last week and played I Spy which worked as a one off but wouldn't every time.

We have lots of special dietary requirements so never, ever eat out - which makes life much simpler. We do eat at other people's houses sometimes (because we can take our own food with us). My children are kept entertained by the conversation; we are usually eating with people who also have children, so the conversation isn't just restricted to what the adults are interested in.

We take colouring books for our 4 year old and our 18 month old is happy if he has a Peppa Pig book. He has to tell every server or random person walking past about it though (just pointing to it saying 'Peppa!')

We generally choose family friendly places to eat, but I will take DD anywhere to eat. I avoid anywhere with soft play etc like the plague! As an ex-waitress I have instilled the importance of staying seated, not making a mess etc. We take something small to do together at the table e.g colouring or stickers. I also like somewhere that doesn’t just offer the usual chicken nuggets, sausages, dish fingers. Child portions of ‘adult’ options are so much better.

Magnets!

My kids are well behaved. We don't need tricks to keep them entertained. When we're eating out we talk, between courses we play games, but we do it because we like to be with them, not to keep them distracted from being destructive. apologies if it sounds smug, I am just completely alienated from the question!

We choose a family friendly restaurant that give out free activity sheets. You can however get a small portable aquadoodle style book that's great for keeping my 3 year old busy while he waits for the food.

If we’ve planned to go out in advance we generally take a selection of activity books & colouring books for the kids to do before the food arrives.

It’s also good when restaurants provide their own activity sheets and crayons for when eating out is a spontaneous decision.

Dc don’t need to be entertained during dinner!

Mine (all ages over 3) have sat at the table, with me and dh since they had solid food and we all talk together. If they’ve finished, they wait till everyone has finished before they ask to leave the table.

It does make me pull on my judgy pants when out in restaurants and I see 4/5/6 year olds plonked with an iPad whilst everyone else has a nice time

Moonmins kids are totally the ones screeching for attention lol

I’ve always got some crayons and paper in my bag. With my eldest I was always well prepared with a small bag of toys but must admit my youngest frequently ends up watching YouTube on my phone...

Wear them out before hand
Go to a family friendly restaurant
Get crayons etc
Make it fun for them too!