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30+ Smart Products That Make Dining Out with Babies & Toddlers Much Easier
30+ Smart Products That Make Dining Out with Babies & Toddlers Much Easier

30+ Smart Products That Make Dining Out with Babies & Toddlers Much Easier

Want a drama-free dinner out? Start with these parent-approved essentials.

author-Latifah Miles
By Latifah Miles
Fact Checked by Shannon Vestal Robson
Updated On
Updated On
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In This Article

Dining Out Essentials for Babies
Snacks
Toys
Other Helpful Products
Dining Out Essentials for Toddlers
Snacks
Toys
Other Helpful Products
More Tips for a Smooth Dining Experience

Catching a last-minute dinner reservation on a Friday evening before having kids probably looked like throwing on your shoes, finding your wallet and heading out the door. Once you add a baby to the mix, eating out can look a little different—but we can assure you, it’s not impossible. As a mom of two who refuses to let go of enjoying a good meal at a restaurant (with my kids in tow), I know how intimidating it can be to take your kids to a sit-down place to eat. 

Unlike the adults at the table, toddlers and babies need to be entertained during most of the dinner (minus the few minutes they're eating) to avoid meltdowns. And while you can definitely find a way to entertain them with the sugar packets and napkins on the table (much to your server’s chagrin), there are a few things you can do before making a family dinner reservation to give you a leg up.

Along with fun, travel-friendly toys that’ll keep your toddlers and babies entertained through the appetizers and main courses (and no promises, but maybe even dessert), we also included some general tried and true tips to keep tears and fallouts at bay.

Dining Out Essentials for Babies

By the time many babies reach about 6 months, they can sit up and interact (even if they’re not quite chatty yet), which actually makes this a great age to bring them to restaurants. They’re naturally entertained by the sights and sounds around them, and since they aren’t really mobile yet, they aren’t likely to be itching to get out of their high chair. With that being said, a little entertainment can help some babies stay content. Here are some of our recs.

Snacks

Finger foods and pouches aren’t only good for holding over until the food comes to the table, but they are also entertaining for babies who are working on their pincer grasp and motor skills. You already know the snacks your baby loves, but here are a few more that are usually a hit with the under-1 crowd. 

Toys

The most entertaining product for any baby is going to be toys. But to be considered restaurant-appropriate, the toys you choose should travel well, not create a mess and be relatively quiet. Here are a few ideas.

Other Helpful Products

And to put the cherry on top of your entire eating-out experience, these products will take the stress out of some of the more nuanced aspects of dining out with a baby (like wondering if the table is clean enough for them to eat their fries off of). 

Dining Out Essentials for Toddlers

Once your baby graduates to toddlerhood, sitting down to eat out will have a different set of challenges, but they aren’t impossible if you’re prepared. Unlike younger babies, they are less entertained by their surroundings and need more entertainment to keep them contained and content. 

Snacks

Toddlers love snacks and just like when they were babies, snacks keep them entertained and will keep their bellies satisfied until their food arrives. As a toddler mom myself, one of the snacks I never leave home without is a lollipop (the YumEarth brand is my personal favorite because they’re dye-free and only four grams of sugar per pop). When we’re on the brink of a meltdown and my toddler simply isn’t having it, an emergency lollipop almost always knocks us back on track. 

Toys

Even if it’s just one toy (preferably their favorite), something to keep them entertained and dare I say, distracted, is going to help keep them tear-free. The same rules apply: the toys should be portable, not too many small pieces and relatively quiet. And for toddlers, something they can reasonably play with independently for at least a few minutes is an added bonus (so you can actually eat). 

Other Helpful Products

If we’re heading out to eat, there are a handful of products that I absolutely cannot leave the house without (for my own sanity). These are some products I’ve found to be helpful and I think will work for most families (like bringing toddler-sized eating utensils), but you can also consider your toddler’s habits and needs specifically and throw those in as well. 

More Tips for a Smooth Dining Experience

  • Don’t skip their sippy cup. You may think to yourself that a restaurant will definitely have a lidded cup that your toddler or older baby can drink from, and while that may be true, it's better to bring the cup they’re most comfortable drinking from and can hold on their own (and not spill) to avoid any meltdowns. 

  • Order their meal as soon as you can. When you’re putting in your drink orders, go ahead and ask the server to put in an order for your baby or toddler so that it has time to arrive and cool down while they're still feeling jovial. The last thing you’d want to do is order food when they’re inching towards being hangry. You can also order a small bowl of fruit to come out with the drinks to give them something from the restaurant to munch on. 

  • The toys they play with when you go out to eat should only be used for that purpose. This way, your child won’t get bored with them and will look forward to playing with their “special toys” that you only break out during a dining out experience. 

  • Contact the restaurant to ask about their availability of high chairs or booster seats. If not, a travel-friendly option like the Inglesina Fast Table Chair or the Hook-On High Chair from Lalo can stay in your trunk, just in case. You can also ask if they have changing tables in the bathroom (but if they don’t, you can always change them in the back seat of your car). 

  • Whenever possible, make your dinner reservation as early as possible (and as far from bedtime as possible). Your baby or toddler will likely be in a happy mood and if other parents had the same idea, you’re likely to be there with other families who are immune to baby and toddler meltdowns. 

  • Remember that toddlers and babies are unpredictable, and that’s ok. Give yourself permission to go with the flow and remember that your dining out experience may look different than what it was before. When my toddler is feeling antsy after we’ve eaten through her snacks and played all the games, either my husband or I will walk with her outside to get her wiggles out. Sometimes, we’ll take turns holding her or playing with her while the other eats in peace. 

  • The more you practice, the better your child will become at it. Over time, the novelty of eating out will wear off and your child will eventually get better at enjoying going to a restaurant. Give yourself (and your baby) grace and time to get better at it. 

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