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Food, Fun and Family
Dining Out With Children
By Carolyn Campbell
Choose a booth, rather than a table, so that the child will have more room to move around without actually leaving his seat. Because booths are often situated along the wall rather than in the center of the room, they are out of the waiters' way, and the child has fewer distractions that might lead to fidgeting.
Choosing to dine at a restaurant's outdoor patio also can relieve a parent's stress, because the parent doesn't feel quite as compelled to have the child behave in a certain way.
"Children do not wait well," Wright says. "They need to be engaged in drawing with crayons, markers or other things that might entertain them while they are waiting."
To avoid a long, boring wait time, you may want to consider ordering your child's dinner from the child's menu right away, even if you aren't yet ready to order. This way, the child's wait will be shorter, and he can begin eating rather than simply waiting.
Wright suggests adults forego the appetizers or order one or more appetizers as your child's complete meal. A la carte items, such as a baked potato or a salad, can be ordered as a child's meal if it is one of the child's favorite dishes. Buffets are often a good choice for kids because food is available almost immediately, children enjoy choosing among a variety of foods and such restaurants usually offer a reduced children's price.