We have all either seen it or been there, you are at a restaurant and a family is in the middle of eating and their kids are screaming or crying and disturbing everyone’s dining experience. Some families respond by packing up quickly and heading home, while others proceed to eat as if nothing were happening. Prior to having kids, I would have mom judgment and didn’t understand how parents could do that. Now, that both Kelli and I have toddlers, we have experienced the difficulties first-hand of eating out with children.
We recently took our toddlers to St. Tropez in Encinitas, California. Whether you are a local or visiting from out of town, it is a great little find. We enjoyed lattes, crepes and omelets while our little guys devoured their eggs, fruit and potatoes. Kids eat free with an adult meal on Wednesdays. We had a great time catching up while the boys laughed and ate. We eventually had to resort to watching videos because we were having a bit too much fun and making a lot of noise.
Here are our some of our tips to eating out with kids.
- Take advantage when they are little. Many moms passed this tip on to us. When your baby is young, plan eating out around their sleep schedule. You can still enjoy a date night at a nice restaurant while your baby sleeps in the stroller. From brunch to a coffee date, we found this tip very helpful when the babies were little.
- Find kid-friendly restaurants. We love when a restaurant has a kid-friendly menu or has specials for kids. There are even some restaurants or coffee shops that have kid play areas or activities that children can do while parents eat. Au Fudge in Los Angeles was started by Jessica Biel for this very reason. We find it helpful when restaurants have an outdoor or enclosed area, that way when the kids are finished they can roam around.
- Bring toys or activities. If your kids are like ours, they finish eating in five minutes and are ready to go play. While the crayons and coloring sheets at restaurants are great, we like to bring our own. One of our favorite restaurant toys right now is People Toy Co magnetic blocks, which the boys can make animals, cars or just a tower.
- Don’t be afraid to bring a video. There is no judgment if you need to resort to a video. Sometimes restaurants can get loud, the kids get tired and only Thomas, Peppa or Dora will do! It can even helpful to bring headphones.
- Know when you need to head home. There is no shame if you need to wrap things up, get a to-go box, and put the kids down for a nap. A restaurant that works for one family, might not be the best fit for another. You may get seated near a group that is not kid-friendly or your kids might just want to run around. It is okay to have periods in your life where ordering takeout and eating at home or the park is normal.
If you have more tips, we would love for you to share them on our social media comments! We are still learning.
Thank you St. Tropez for inviting us out for lunch. Our thoughts and opinions are our own.
