Dining Out With Your Toddler

Dining out with a young child doesn't have to be a recipe for disaster—not if you know how to avoid some of the most common pitfalls.

Choose the restaurant with care

You'll have plenty of time to hit the five-star restaurants after your kids are grown. For now, stick to spots that are 100% kid-friendly. That might mean a restaurant with high chairs, booster seats, a good kids' menu, crayons and coloring books, and plenty of background noise! A special menu for kids is helpful, because there's no point spending money on an entrée for your child if he's likely to eat only a mouthful or two. (Hint: If the restaurant you've chosen doesn't have a kids' menu, see if there's a suitable side dish or appetizer that could serve as your toddler's dinner. Or plan to share a few bites of your own dinner rather than ordering a separate dinner for your child.)

Call ahead

If you have a large family or a young child with a very limited attention span, call the restaurant ahead of time to see whether they'll start preparing your order before you arrive. There's nothing worse than having your kid run out of patience before your food has even arrived.

Plan to hit the restaurant early. Not only will you beat the crowds, you'll also ensure that your child's dinner arrives before her blood sugar has a chance to hit rock bottom, triggering a major meltdown.

Ask for a booth in a less-crowded part of the restaurant so you'll have more room for your child and her paraphernalia and won't feel quite as self-conscious about disturbing other diners. It's hard to enjoy your meal if every childless patron in the restaurant is shooting daggers your way.

Let your server know that you're operating on "kid time." You may not have the luxury of waiting 20 minutes to place your order or for your bill to arrive!

When you order your child's dinner, hand the waitress your toddler's sippy cup and ask that the kitchen staff pour the drink directly into her cup. It'll save you the inevitable mess associated with trying to transfer liquids from cup to cup at the dinner table.

Be sure to tote along everything you could possibly need.

Come up with fun ways of keeping your child entertained after you run through the bag of tricks you brought from home.

Don't be afraid to get up and walk around while you're waiting for your dinner to arrive.