Eating out

Not for that long. If we do eat out with our two-year-old, we usually only do the things like the birthdays, special occasions, and then we try to find a play place if we're doing fast food. Otherwise, we bring the food back to the house to eat.

I guess it depends on the kid? We go out often… probably more than I’d like to admit haha. And have his entire life. Maybe that’s why? How often do you do this? Could just be excitement because it’s something new and unfamiliar? Might get easier the more they do it and get used to it?

I do bring an entire bag FULL of shit.
- colouring (mess free and markers)
- colouring tablet thingies (not iPad but like an itch-a-sketch)
- sticker books
- travel magnetic tiles
- magnetic blocks
- yoto mini with cards
- leap frog books
- busy books with felt pieces
- monster trucks and hot wheel cars (often he’ll make houses for the cars with the tiles/blocks)
- leapfrog learning laptop thing
- play doh
I’m sure I’m forgetting something

Yes but we’ve prioritized eating out since our baby was just a few months old & only really hold expectations of behavior at meal times when we are out at restaurants vs when we are hom

We put in our sons order when we order our drinks & we also have a backpack full of restaurant appropriate toys & things to do
We also let him take a walk with us to the bathroom or around the restaurant holding our one of our hands, cause adults can get up and stretch their legs whenever they need to, why can’t a two year old do the same?

Mine love magnetic blocks, he can sit and make different shapes through the whole meal. If it do know it will take a while we might order then one parent will take him for a wander before the food arrives

Another great tip is to order your kid's meal as soon as you sit down so it arrives sooner

Yes but we do let him run around / take turns outside or in a quiet area where he can stretch his legs (ideally go somewhere with a garden!) and then books and colours come out when the food is there x

We take a bag with toys etc. And if possible choose a place that's okay for them to walk around a bit. It's completely normal for toddlers to be unwilling to sit at a table for an hour (average restaurant trip with ordering etc). I personally feel it's important to take toddlers to these type of environments from time to time to learn how we should behave in restaurants, however it's not easy/peaceful, my almost 4 year old is mostly content to play at the table now.

I would book a place with a high chair!