There is no
place for "Tough Love" in Restaurants.
Restaurant Tips for parents of children under 4
years old.
Last night I dined at a nice restaurant in the
Lake George Saratoga area. A father of a crying
eighteen month old said in a harsh tone "be
quiet - enough already", from that moment on,
the crying escalated and there was nothing the
poor mother could do about it... or was there?
Here are my tips, as a mother of three little
children
* First rule of dining with little ones: know
which restaurants are appropriate. Don't torture
yourself by bringing an infant into an upscale
restaurant unless you know your infant very well
and that you both can handle it.
* Don't panic or overreact, most diners
understand that children cry and will be
understanding for a few minutes, after five
minutes however, even the most patient mother of
3-5 children will want to come over, pick up
your child and rock them and take them for a
walk outside the restaurant (something you
should seriously consider).
* Have a set of small "restaurant toys" that are
NOT used everyday such as small Disney toys,
bright simple books, a travel magnadoodle, or
crayons and coloring book.
* For small babies, don't forget the obvious:
check their diaper, nurse or bottlefeed, cuddle
your baby close, hum a favorite tune, gently
rock, wrap them in their favorite blankie
(hidden in the purse just for this moment), no
matter what keep your tone upbeat and soothing,
never harsh.
* Use your imagination, play I Spy, Peekaboo,
Itsybitsy spider, this little piggy, pattycake...
* Bring a small baggy of cheerios, a favorite
drink in a bottle or sippy cup (or even two).
* Take them for a walk if they are getting
antsy, take your children for a "quiet tour" of
the areas where diners are not eating.
* A change of temperature and scenery works
magic: take them outside quickly if they are
crying, if the weather is cooler outside this
works best but only stay outside for a minute.
Make
 sure they will not be too cold, just a mild
change of atmosphere.
* If you aren't against the occasional
lollipop, this works wonders when age
appropriate,
as
their mouth is busy for many minutes.
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