Keeping toddlers busy at the table

[crisi]

Mine weren't great sitters. We tried coloring - they ate the crayons. We tried small toys - they got thrown at other diners. Cheerios only meant they were bored with dinner before dinner even arrived. We had two, so we never had extra coverage.

So we used the "keep them at the table the least amount of possible time" method.

Arrive at the restaurant. Decide what you want from the menu posted outside before entering. When you enter, tell the hostess you are "ready to order immediately, and I'd like to keep things quick for the sake of the kids." Once the order goes in, its time to indulge the toddler facination with public restrooms. One parent babysits the table, while the other takes the kids to see the potty. At Disney, with most restaurants there is something to see and look at in the waiting area as well - or right outside the restaurant. So we'd wander a little. When the food looked like it was going to come, we'd head back to the table, eat quickly and leave.

No appitizers. No desserts. If you need them, order them to come out with your entree.

The waitstaff is very used to dealing with kids, and moving a lot of people through a restaurant quickly. Most of the staff we had were quick to recognize our challege and help us meet it.

The good news is that it gets better. My kids last trip they were four and five, and did very well at sit down restaurants - we did make several potty trips each meal, but we were able to eat three courses. The even did well with the drawn out meals on the cruise.

The other good news is that it probably isn't you - its luck of the draw and genes if you get a kid who is going to be content at two with crayons (my five year old will now draw for hours, we need to bring a sketch book with us) or one that is more into projectiles and physicalness.

 

[prncess674]

Is WDW the only place you take your children out to eat. Start taking them to restaurants at home and help them learn how to act in a restaurant. Like an earlier poster stated teach them young about "restaurant rules". Even a 2 yr old can be taught. If sitting in a restaurant is foreign to your child then WDW is not the place to teach them. When growing up you were taught young how not to act like a barn animal.

FYI - even though many here are fans of stickers, I personally find them to be a bad idea. What if they stuck them to the table or other furniture in the restaurant. You could possibly pull the varnish off the furniture. how about trying colorforms or paper dolls.

http://www.liveandlearn.com/colorforms.html

 

[cinmell]

Things that kept our 2 year old busy in WDW while at restaurants were crayons/coloring books and stickers. We loaded up on Disney books/stickers and she thought that was great. A travel size magna doodle was also a savior for us along with fruit snacks and little baggies of cereal. We brought disposable placemats with us and we got them at Babies R Us. The mats were good because they kept her busy along with her stickers, etc. and we didn't have to worry about her coloring on the table or placing stickers on the table.

Also, we tried to make the earliest PS possible for dinner to avoid the waiting and b/c she was used to eating dinner between 5 and 6.

 

[deelam]

I just though of something with stickers. When I took my 18 month old to the main street barber there was about a 45 minute wait. The Barber put stickers all over my little one. He must have put 20 mickey stickers on him. My 18 month old froze for about an hour. And the rest of the night he was rather tame and was just amazed at the stickers all over his body. Maybe I'll try that before we go to Ohannas next trip. I'll wait until we get to the table and he starts, and I'll put stickers on him.

Deneen

 

[ahutton]

A tip on the stickers - look for "reuseable" stickers. They are in books we've bought at Target for a couple dollars - they have Princesses, Wiggles, Sesame Street and others. They don't stick as well to furniture - no residue and no damage.

One thing that works for my DDs (2&4) is we'll "draw a story" together. I will ask them for a place they want me to draw. Once it was a sail boat, another time a castle. They we ask who is on the boat, add those in. What happens to the boat? Draw it. Our boat had our favorite stuffed toys plus us, and then it rained and we all needed umbrellas. By the time the story is going dinner usually arrives. They I can get them to color after their own dinner while we finish ours because they are coloring in the stuff we've drawn.

 

[nigel-bigel]

Here are two of my favorites...

Crayola makes a wonderful product called ColorWonder Magic Markers (at least I think that's what they are called!). The are great for little ones becasue they only color on the special Color Wonder paper - you can try it on walls, furniture, skin, whatever, and no ink will mark! They sell plain paper and also ColorWonder coloring and activity books that sometimes reveal hidden images when they are colored. My girls have loved these since they were 3 1/2, and the 9 year old still loves them!

Another cool toy is called Wikki Stix. They are wax covered pipecleaners. They are fun because they stick to things, but not permanently. One fun thing to do is to take the Wikki Stick and shape them to "trace" drawings and pictures and letters. You can find out more about them at wikkistix.com. They sell travel kits with activity books and stuff like that.

Nicole

 

[lovesdumbo]

Originally posted by frstimer128
BTW,
Crayons stay nice and safe in an Altoids box.

Thanks for the tip! Gotta go a couple boxes of Altiods now....

 

[sarahsmom73]

sticker books with stickers(Fisher Price has some)... This was a life saver on our way home when we were stuck in a small plane on the runway in Chicago for over an hour with dd in her car seat because there was only one runway operational for take offs and landings due to weather.....

 

[trola2]

Often we were asked if the waiter wanted us to put the kids orders in first and bring their food with our salads. Never do that...then you have children that are full and ready to leave at the exact moment that the rest of the entrees arrive.

We always told our DD's that we were going in to the restaurant and what to expect. We usually order an appetizer or something. There are usually crayons and papers provided at Disney restaurants and we talk about what we did that day until our meal comes, or talk about what is ocming up tomorrow.

We were never fans of keeping them away from the table until the food came because then they just expect to be able to wander as soon as THEY finish. We just expeted them to adapt to our routine and they did fine. Kids always do better when they know what to expect. But I don't think you can wait until you are at a restaurant on vacation and expect them to know what to do....It is important that my children not make my vacation stressful, or ruin your vacation, either!

We also tie in behavior to an upcoming event..."we're going to eat here adn as long as everyone stays on their chairs throughout dinner and uses quiet voices while we are eating and walking feet when we go into the restaurant and leave, then we will go to DTD and let you play at the lego area after dinner. " If they don't comply, then we don't go. We go back to the resort and let them know that we really wanted to go to Lego, and if they can behave better in the restaurant tomorrow, then we can go there.

~~Beth