Ideas to entertain 24 month old at restaurants

[lecach]

For DS we would keep an empty baby wipes container in the car. When we'd go out to eat we'd fill it with small toys (we always kept a basket of toys in the car since the drive to daycare is 20 minutes each way) and take that into the restaurant. The toys were always rotated regularly so he never knew what would be in the box. It really helped hold his attention.

 

[imortalcandy]

travel aquadoodle!!!
my kids draw on it and on everything else, its great cause its just water

 

[ShootingStarMom2]

You can get the travel size Magnadoodle knock-off at Target for $2.50. They are in the toy department, usually on an endcap. I think they are supposed to be for goody bags? Some of the stuff is way too small for little kids, but the doodler is ok. We bought a couple to keep in the cars and one in the diaper bag.

We also have a little guy who is entertained with that cooky little golf tee game from Cracker Barrel. He loves to take them out and put them back over and over again.

We take the crayons we are given at dinner and put them in an empty travel sized wipes box (the envelope sized one). That way we always have crayons with us. I also bought a bunch of small coloring books from Walgreens on clearance that fit in there too.

 

[BiancaBernard&Penny]

Wikki Sticks!

a restaurant we like to frequent in town used to give them to kids instead or crayons and paper. They were great! We never pulled out the iPod movies there like at other places.
We also liked those magic spiral bound cardboard coloring books from the drugstore that you color with a water filled brush or pen. When they dry you can reuse them. I think we had Hello Kitty, Backyardigans, and Dora? When she got bored with the brush, I'd let her color with an ice cube for a new sensory experience.

 

[Cassander]

pipe cleaners, they are quiet and you can make all kinds of animals and people out of them.

You are brilliant!

 

[ksl5f123]

We try the coloring books and the pipe cleaners. When those stop working, we play "bugs". Touch each of our fingertips down to the table and make them run. Chase each other's bug around the table. Run up a child's arm and down the other one. Hide the bug behind the salt shaker and have it peak out. Etc.

 

[hammie59]

Small can of play-doh. Learned that trick in the ER.

 

[jennk1425]

Man, was THIS a great idea for a thread! I love the wipes box of crayons and the "trash toys" idea. I might even go buy one of those Cracker Barrel toys.

We usually have a Thomas train in the bag, as well as kid forks/spoons. I was thinking about maybe some dice for DS to stack, flash cards of animals, play doh, ball-in-cup, and I love the safety scissors idea!

When we were at Hollywood and Vine, DS had a meltdown and a wonderful CM gave him a little flashing star with a button that changed the flash frequency. It entertains him to this day.

Orientaltrading.com has a bunch of toy ideas.

 

[waltskids]

DD is 9 months so snacks are all she needs
When DS was younger we used playdoh, pipe cleaners, stickers, and crayons. Now that he's older, he usually can just sit and talk with us or he will still color if crayons are available.

 

[Magic2000]

My youngest DD loves dogs and when she was little, I had bought about five or six little plastic dogs that I kept in one of her purses in the van. These little dogs were only about an inch tall. Anyway, the only time the purse with puppies came out was at a restaurant. They entertained her for hours!!!

Another "game" we played with all of the girls when they were younger was with the sugar packets. I'd give them 2 or three of the pink, blue, yellow, white, and/or brown packets. She'd stack them, or sort them by color (either all the pinks together, all the blues, etc, or a pink, blue, yellow, pink, blue, yellow, etc)

I also found, with my girls, that I would either let them sit on my lap or in the booth with me for a little while. Then put them in the high chair. Sometimes, they just got tired of being in the highchair.

Have a great trip!!!!

 

[kstinw19]

scotch tape... they make the dispenser w/ the squares already cut. or those teeny, tiny post it notes that pop out of the dispenser. kids just love sticky things on their fingers.

I have never thought of that, but I think I have to steal your idea! I too have the 2 year old that is not easily entertained but he does LOVE to dismantle a roll of tape.

Stickers work for the first couple of days but after you are at DW for a while they get kind of bored with them.

Thanks for the great suggestion!!

 

[zendisney]

I usually buy little trinkets from the dollar store... like blocks, puzzles, action figures, stickers...
I buy extra toys from happy meals
a little metal cake tray and some magnet letters
string with big beads
etch a sketch
doodle pro mini
old deck of cards to build card houses, learn numbers, letters, shapes

I keep them hidden and break them out as a fun little surprise. Sure they can get old and the novelty wears off but usually if it is something my daughter hasn't see she gets a kick out of it.