Oliver at the restaurant
Since my wife and I only have Oliver, we are still able to go out to restaurants. But I'm not sure that that is still the case. Our typical restaurant story goes something like this:
We arrive at the restaurant somewhere between 5:00 and 5:45. We have to eat early because Oliver gets really cranky when he's hungry. We'll have either brought something small for him to eat like a cheese stick or have just fed it to him recently. The small snack is to take the edge off. We'll order our food quickly asking for whatever was ordered for Oliver to come out as soon as possible. We keep him entertained and in his place until the food arrives. Depending on how long the food takes, he may or may not lose his patience with the whole process. If we're lucky, he eats much of his food before he loses patience. As soon as he loses patience though, he starts whining and crying. The whining and crying can be allayed somewhat if one of us takes him out of his chair and holds him, but the only thing that really makes him happy is to get down and wander around. Inevitably, we'll eventually give in and one of us will continue eating while the other follows him around the restaurant. We'll pick him up if there is anyone nearby or if he is getting close to a serving area, but he likes smiling at people and isn't yelling or screaming. A couple of tag-ins and outs gets us to the end of dinner. We'll leave a good sized tip and beat a path for home.
I know that a lot of people's pet peeve is the child wandering around in a restaurant. I've heard from former wait staff that children underfeet can be a hazard. We try and balance responsibility and, well, irresponsibility by letting him go but following him. It's worked so far, but still I think our restaurant days may be swiftly coming to a close.
We arrive at the restaurant somewhere between 5:00 and 5:45. We have to eat early because Oliver gets really cranky when he's hungry. We'll have either brought something small for him to eat like a cheese stick or have just fed it to him recently. The small snack is to take the edge off. We'll order our food quickly asking for whatever was ordered for Oliver to come out as soon as possible. We keep him entertained and in his place until the food arrives. Depending on how long the food takes, he may or may not lose his patience with the whole process. If we're lucky, he eats much of his food before he loses patience. As soon as he loses patience though, he starts whining and crying. The whining and crying can be allayed somewhat if one of us takes him out of his chair and holds him, but the only thing that really makes him happy is to get down and wander around. Inevitably, we'll eventually give in and one of us will continue eating while the other follows him around the restaurant. We'll pick him up if there is anyone nearby or if he is getting close to a serving area, but he likes smiling at people and isn't yelling or screaming. A couple of tag-ins and outs gets us to the end of dinner. We'll leave a good sized tip and beat a path for home.
I know that a lot of people's pet peeve is the child wandering around in a restaurant. I've heard from former wait staff that children underfeet can be a hazard. We try and balance responsibility and, well, irresponsibility by letting him go but following him. It's worked so far, but still I think our restaurant days may be swiftly coming to a close.
posted by mypetrock at 10:50 AM
2 Comments:
Are you sure you haven't been watching us with Charlotte at a restaurant? We have much the same experience. It's even more fun when you're with a group of adults who want to sit around and chat for a long time after the meal is over. Crayons will only entertain her for so long (especially when she treats them as the appetizer). And to think, my inlaws wonder why we prefer to stay at home and cook!
I don't have all the answers when it comes to restaurants, and we only go on rare occassions, but I can tell you what's worked for us. We bring a ziploc full of snacks, like pretzels, goldfish, crackers, maybe a cookie. Usually all different kinds mixed together (he eats the fish first, isn't that cute?). And then we bring a box of toys, a small box with small things in it. Crayons of course, with a little notebook to draw in, a few little cars to race round, some action figures, and play-doh. Play-doh is where it's at. Paul can play with play-doh anytime, anywhere. And they make these little party packs that have about an ounce of playdoh in each of ten different containers. We usually don't have to resort to the restaurant tour until we're wrapping up. I don't fear restaurants like I used to, but talk to me again in about 12-18 months.
-Mike
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