Kids and Restaurants

In countries such as Italy, France and Spain it seems that children are seen as part of the restaurant clientele and welcomed as such (when I was an au pair in Paris we ate out every single day) whereas eating out with children in the UK can be, in my experience, more problematic. First of all let me say that I don't think children should be massively seen and heard at restaurants. I find other people's children highly annoying if they are allowed to wander around the room up to other tables - why??! - whilst the parents happily ignore them and expect other guests to provide the entertainment. I think children should, like adults, be there to eat and ...  Read the complete review

EVENING MEAL SPOILT On a weekend break recently our evening meal in the hotel was spoilt by the behaviour of two young children on a nearby table. They were probably aged about 3 and 5 years old, a girl and a boy. They were loud and one of them started creating because she couldn't have what she wanted, then she started crying, so loudly it echoed around the room. Now you are probably thinking, having read this, that I am one of those people who believe children should not be allowed in restaurants. I do not think this at all, but what I do strongly believe is that if you are eating out with children then at least be sensible about the time. In this ...  Read the complete review

It can be tricky going to restaurants with a toddler. Often the staff will quarantine you in the worst spot to avoid upsetting their other customers. We've all witnessed occasions when the toddler at the next table starts yelling loudly and throwing food. And unless we've got kids of our own, we may not understand how difficult this is for the chld's parents. Although many parenting books recommend leaving children at home because of their short attention span and need to be involved in everything, I think they're wrong. Taking a child into a restaurant doesn't have to make you an outcast, particularly if your child behaves well. We eat out ...  Read the complete review

Here are my top tips to try and avoid being 'that family over there' that I'm sure we've all tutted about in restaurants. None of this is foolproof of course and you can't account for how a cranky teething toddler will suddenly feel on the day, but I've found that doing a few of the following has meant that I've been able to happily take my two yr old out time and again without too much fuss including for a 4 hr Christmas Day lunch! So here goes - hope it's helpful. Get good patterns going at home... We've always tried to eat at home as much as possible as a family, round a table, having a chat, modelling what is acceptable during mealtimes, ...  Read the complete review

When I was a child, I was very rarely taken to 'kiddie friendly' fast food joints like Mcdonalds or Burger King, where you often see kids running around screaming their heads off and dropping their food all over the place, and it's viewed as perfectly acceptable. If my brother and I were taken out for a meal, it was more likely to be a pub lunch or even a nice restaurant, where good behaviour was obligatory. We learned quickly that any misbehaviour would not be tolerated, and we enjoyed sitting quietly with the adults and eating a nice meal. I believe that the fast food joints that children are often exposed to at an early age have a very ...  Read the complete review