Do you let your kids eat off the tables in restaurants?

[Minnie824]

Friends and I had a 'debate' on this the other day...3 of us have kids, all at different levels of opinions w/germs. One lets toddler eat directly from the table in restaurants, assuming of course its cleaned...at fast food places, put napkins down. Another puts a placemat down. A third has some spray that kills every germ known to man, sprays the high chair, then wipes it clean, will not let them eat anything thats come remotely in contact with the table, her DD is not yet 1, will not give her any sugar, salt, fried foods, etc. Anyway, how do you feel about this? What do/did you do w/your kids?

 

[Christine]

I would never let my kids eat directly from the table. I have seen them clean the tables at most restaurants. They spray a cleaner on and then wipe it all up with what looks like to be a very dirty rag.

I'm not the type to "sterilize" everything but it doesn't take a brain surgeon to figure out that the rag is probably harboring some bacteria.

Usually I would either put the food on a plate or on napkins.

 

[oogieboogie]

DH and I were just commenting on this the other day. We were at Pizza Hut and the table next to us had an infant in a high chair. The mom was putting all the food directly on the table for the infant to eat. This included mac and cheese, pizza, etc.

DH and I thought it was gross. I don't care how clean the tables are, why can't you just get another plate and put the food on the plate? I've never been in an establishment that refused to give an extra plate. What's the point of putting the food on the table as opposed to putting it on a plate?

What's is the reasoning behind this anyway?

 

[Free4Life11]

If I had kids I wouldn't let them eat off tables. Isn't that what plates are for? And at Fast Food they provide the trays with placemats. I mean it's not like the restaurant just plops a pile of spaghetti down on the table!

 

[Castlebound]

I guess when our kids were at that stage we were kind of middle of the road. They could eat off of a napkin or food wrapper but if the food touched the table it was yucky and they couldn't eat it. The only table they could eat off of would have been our kitchen table but I can't say that they ever did. That never made sense to me. It makes a mess on the table instead of a plate or bowl, and you can't put the table in the dishwasher!

 

[Nancy]

I used to wipe the table or tray down with a baby wipe, let it dry and then I would put the food on a napkin or plate (or maybe the hamberger wrappers). 9 times out of 10, it ended up on the table or tray, but at least it started out on something! As far as what the one will let her kid eat, I guess that's her choice. The only restrictions on food for my kids at a young age was no spicy foods.

 

[kidshop]

I use either the tiny diner rubber mat (very nice) or use the disposable sticky mats. I always cut them in half since they are so big. In a pinch, I'll use napkins on a tray. I'm not a huge germaphobe, and I don't give a kid under 1 salt, fried foods, sugar etc. There is plenty of time for that later!

I think the tables would be pretty dirty to eat off of. I wouldn't eat my food from the table top. In fast food play places, I know shoes have been up there!

 

[mickeyfan2]

I would not let them eat from the table.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

I used to, but then learned the germs that are being spread around on that table when it's being "cleaned". Yuck, take a look at that rag! I'm not obsessed with making sure that nothing ever touches the table and it's hard to keep things off the table with a toddler, but I try not to put things right on the table when I can avoid it.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

DH and I were just commenting on this the other day. We were at Pizza Hut and the table next to us had an infant in a high chair. The mom was putting all the food directly on the table for the infant to eat. This included mac and cheese, pizza, etc.


What's is the reasoning behind this anyway?

Maybe the child was at the stage where plates are used as frisbees! Ugh, I hated that stage and would try to catch it before it went flying, but it's hard to reason with a baby (almost as hard as it is to reason with a teenager ).

 

[froglady]

I wouldn't eat off of a public (or even private) table, so why would I let my children?

I would grab a stack of napkins if a plate wasn't available, or use the wrapper, even if using a tray.

 

[crcormier]

I'm willing to bet that the mother that sprays everything with germ killer will have the little girl that grows up with a weakened immune system and gets sick much more than the other two moms' kids.

 

[malibuconlee]

We had friends that were really picky about their little girl getting dirty. Well, the mom was anyway. What surprised me was they would let her pour candy on the bleacher seat at the softball fields and eat it.

 

[WDWAurora]

DSisIL always used those disposable table covers. They had sticky so that you stuck them under the table and they covered a placemat-sized portion. It was nice because he wasn't eating off the table, but he didn't have anything to throw (other than food).

 

[Keli]

Ick! No way! I would never let my child eat directly off of the table at a resturant (although I did let her eat directly off her tray in her high chair at home, I knew that was cleaned properly). If she was at the stage to grab the plate and drop/throw it then I covered the table with some napkins and laid her food on that. I don't like to let my fork or knife lay directly on the table when I'm eating. I usually try to get an extra napkin to lay it on. And I don't think anyone that knows me would call me a germaphobe, to me this is just practical measures to prevent the number of germs we are exposed to.

 

[christinadei]

NO way. I am not a paranoid, gemaphobe parent either. But that's just gross. I understand that it's hard to keep the food on a plate, but I used to try my best and I'd wipe the table/high chair wtih a baby wipe first.

Also, I would never give a baby under 1 fried food, salt, sugar, etc. either. They are barely eating solids, they sure don't need any of that stuff!

 

[Pooh Girl 71]

I'm not a germaphobe either but those tables aren't clean. I'd use a napkin or a plate.

 

[Bashful2]

I never let my child eat directly off of the table. I'm no germaphobe either, but that would just seem nasty to me. Of course, I don't understand why some parents let there kids crawl all over public restroom floors either.

 

[Kermit]

I at least clean the table with diaper wipes. I usually keep those disposable mats that stick to the table in my diaper bag. Putting food on napkins or even the restaurant's plates isn't really a good option with my kids. They've both thrown those things when they were little. Oddly enough, they don't throw food, though. I will put things like bread crumbs on the table if I've cleaned the table and don't have a mat with me. If I give them food like mashed potatoes, it has to be on the mat.

I'm very picky about the foods I'll give my children. At home we don't eat vegetable oils, hydrogenated oils, MSG, artificial ingredients, refrined flour, or refined sugar. I obviously have to relax my standards when we eat out, but I choose the healthiest foods I can.

 

[katerkat]

I wipe it clean with a baby wipe then put Cheerios on the table. If I use a napkin, he'll try to eat that instead; if I use a plate, it will get dumped out and tossed.

As for foods - no fried foods for my son for a while yet! We don't use salt because I don't want him to get used to flavoring his food with it. Same with sugar - he eats a lot of fruit so he doesn't need more sugar!