At what age do you stop taking food for your baby to a cafe/restaurant?

[TheDetective]

What age is acceptable to take food with you? Does it make a difference if it is puree, or finger food?

What if your child has an allergy or intolerance to a food, or several foods?

Any opinions?!

[TwelveLeggedWalk]

Also one for future ref, .Carluccios have a book of ingredients/allergens in all of their dishes they can check for you - mum is coeliac and they took it VERY seriously.

[TheDetective]

Yes Melon. I get very upset sometimes over how restricted his diet can be, and how eating out will be tricky for as long as this lasts.

Okay, so it isn't the worst thing in the world. But it's still crap, and can make things quite difficult.

I shall put JL on the list of places we can go safely!

Did you know some chips even contain sodding dairy?! Some meats do too.

I can't even say I blame the eating establishment if they say something is dairy free. Because until you have to deal with it, you just don't know! I have to check every single little thing. I wouldn't like to put that responsibility on a cafe/restaurant. And I wouldn't want to embarrass them/me by asking to see packaging.

I think it will be easier to just take something suitable along.

[hazeyjane]

if the cafe have no problem though, mrsmartin, why would it be an issue?

[mrsmartin1984]

Have 6.5 mo DD and have never taken foods into restaurants. And never will. She can have whatever everyone else is having

[hazeyjane]

Ds is 3 and has quite a limited diet, I usually take his own food (unless I know they serve something he will eat), and ask the cafe if it is ok, it has never ever been a problem.

[melonribena]

The detective, my 13 mth ds is allergic to dairy and I'm so jealous of people who can take their children out for meals and dont have to worry about it.

Now ds is properly off purees, what I generally do it take a few bits with me, e.g cucumber sticks, hummus, breadsticks, cold sausage etc that could pass as a lunch but supplement it with bits I get whilst out. Eg salad, the odd chip, carrot stick etc.

If anyone complained, I would say that the choices for ds were pretty slim pickings! A dry jacket is not appetising!

I find it easier to find bits from a hot meal selection than cold. Sandwiches are always going to be out!

However, in John Lewis at the wkd, the list all ingredients in every single baby/child's hot meal and ds could literally have had any meal, none had milk in. He ended up with roast herby chicken, chips and peas. He loved it!

I also go to new places with a packed lunch for ds but inquire as to possibilities for ds in the future. Ikea were very helpful in this! It means I can build a list of places I can take ds to and not need to take food but also know where I need to take food (sainsburys!)

[sharond101]

My DS is fussy with food, one day he will eat something the next day not. I always take something with me and have never really thought of there being a problem with it. Sometimes though I just give him something light before we go the he eats off of our plate or as soon as we arrive I give him his food as we order. The last time we went out I gave him some filled pasta and no-one batted an eyelid. He will always eat something off of our plates and I would hate having to order him one of the children's meals which has to come with chips and be in the form of a nugget or fishfinger.

[TheDetective]

MissPlum he has an allergy test next week, so for now we are sticking to completely dairy free.

mikkii we don't keep 'proper' oil in the house as me and DP cook using frylight. And don't eat mayo. So would probably be little point in us making a mayo at this point!

[MissPlumBroughtALadder]

If he's CMPI he should be fine with butter as there's no protein in it. Or rather, there are trace amounts which would only bother someone with a type one allergy. Ironically it's margarine which is more likely to elicit a reaction as it's made with milk so contains both lactose and protein. Butter contains neither. My DS is quite severely CMPI but absolutely fine with pure butter.
Sorry to slightly derail there OP! To answer your question: he's 22 months now and mainly eats from our plates but I always have some fruit or buckwheat crackers in my bag (yep, he's gluten intolerant too).

[mikkii]

Just one suggestion, you can easily make your own mayo using a hand blender, then you can use any oil you want (assuming he is ok with egg), if you want, I can get DH to ell me what the quantities are.

[usualsuspect]

Most cafes won't mind you taking food for him ,if you explain about his allergies.

[ChippingInNeedsSleepAndCoffee]

As I said earlier, for a child with allergies, then any age goes really if you aren't confident of what he can have or what will actually be in something. I would try to take things that 'keep' and if there is something on the menu, from somewhere I felt I could trust I would order it, if I wasn't sure if it would be OK or didn't trust them then I'd give them what I'd brought.

But at your DS's age - no bother even without allergies. When he is bigger, if anyone queries it, just tell them he is being allergy tested and isn't allowed anything not prepared at home.

[fieldfare]

I cm and am always out and about. My smalls are very good at eating a variety of things and have no food issues or allergies etc. I'll normally order them a sandwich but normally have yogurts, a tub of soft fruit, a banana and some rice crackers in my bag in case they don't like it or are having a picky day.
As long as I'm buying food for me and the older children it's not really occurred to me to worry about it.

[Hulababy]

Can you take out small portions of dairy free milk and spread with you, as he gets older? I was dairy free for several months a few years back and did this as it was easier - then I could have drinks out easier, and would have jacket potato with my own spread, or bread - and add my own spread - with a side salad, etc.

[Hulababy]

Once DD was happy to eat finger foods, such as bread, vegetables, etc I only ever took snacks out and about. When we went out she would either eat from our plates or have a child meal or starter option as she got bigger. We find most places were happy to give us a little plate for her to have some of out meat, fish or veg though, and some would bring her a side potion of vegetables or salad stuff for free too.

[TheDetective]

Of course they are Lady and this is why I always check foods first .

Beans are off the list. D'oh!

No mayo under 1. I had to check the ingredients. Hellmans was the first one I came across, and that had soya oil as it's first ingredient, which means unlikely he can have it - yet.

[LadyMacbethIsBored]

Surely beans are in tomato sauce so would trigger his allergy.

[Sirzy]

Can he have mayo? If so tuna mayo may be an idea for jacket potatos

[TheDetective]

Not that there are many breads dairy and soy free .

Although we have experimented with soy traces, which he hasn't reacted to. Where as full on soy, he did.

So we could take him a sandwich at some point. :)

[FruitSaladIsNotPudding]

I think it's different if there are allergies to take into account though, obviously. Think you'd be fine to take him a sandwich.

[Sirzy]

If you are buying a potato I don't think anyone would even notice your putting your own butter on it for him and if its for allergy reasons then it makes perfect sense!

[FruitSaladIsNotPudding]

About one I'd say. I take snacks and beaker of water though, and I usually have a banana in my bag for emergencies. I can't think of many (any??) places which would have NOTHING a one year old could eat.

[MortifiedAdams]

If I do order for dd, I do it first, before Ive even sat down. THen we look at the menu and order for us. That way her meal arrives sharpish and usually is too.hot so cools and is ready to eat by the time ours arrives.

[TheDetective]

It's a bit dry though, a jacket on it's own :( He can't have any of the usual fillings, no marge, no cheese, no butter. Suppose beans may be possible. He hasn't tried those yet though.

Could always take his own vitalite? I take my own butter bud as it is (10cal butter powder!).

[TwelveLeggedWalk]

My two are two, and generlly a nightmare about all things food-related, so I take stuff with me but 99% of the time I'll order something for them to share.

The cafe is getting my money anyway, and me feeding them a few sandwiches while we wait means less screaming for the rest of the customers, so I've not been queried yet.