Tuesday 28 May 2013

Eating out with a 3 year old

For the last year or so with our active Little Man - dining out only occurs for a date night or at family friendly restaurants equipped with high chairs

As Little Man is now getting a little older and can sit still for a little longer , we  recently ventured out to have dinner at a local restaurant - a little Taiwanese restaurant near where we live.

Now as with most people with young kids - we generally have dinner quite early on weekends. We arrive at the restaurant shortly after it opens at 5pm and get our pick of tables at this very small restaurant.

For the first time ever, Little Man sits on a stool at the table. I had visions of my child running amok and creating chaos, disturbing other patrons in the restaurant. All my fears were unfounded, my boy was a perfect little angel and didn't try to escape from his seat at all!

He amused himself whilst we waited for the meal by playing with the  paper cover from the chopsticks. 

From the menu we tried out pork and chive dumplings, stir fried noodles, shallot pancakes and deep fried fish cakes.

Now, when we were in Taiwan - we had these amazing shallot pancakes, with flakey pasty and just delicious, the pancakes here were really good too, though very different to what we had expected. Perhaps they were great because they were deep fried. Whatever it was, Little Man had multiple portions of this dish.

As to the dumplings , DH proclaimed them to be some of the best he's ever had. And the Little Man - he liked them - ie he ate them.







There were no incidents whatsoever to account for, no displays of bad behaviour from Little Man, no tantrums which was kind of disappointing with my expectations. 

Little Man is growing up too quickly!  He's getting really good with using his own chopsticks(aka Thomas), and even knows where which fingers fit. I'm certain that he is going to perfect this chopstick holding skills unlike his mum!

I feel like we are at another milestone, where family activities can include meals at restaurants and not have to worry as much with Little Man behaving badly or making a mess.

3 things I learnt about eating out with a 3 year
  • bring your child's own utensils - saves worrying if they have the right implement
  • go somewhere that serves dinner quickly
  • talk about the food that is being served - it's amazing how much they remember

We had such a great time out as a family and plan to do it again.

What was your first experience with your child eating out? Any tips for a newbie parent who brings child out for a meal? 

Linking up with Jess on I blog on Tuesdays.

Steph x

15 comments:

  1. Food looks good Steph, especially the dumplings! :)

    My two are the ones that run amok unless we come prepared with iPads! They get ants in their pants and will not sit still. Our favourite place is Belrose hotel as they have two indoor play areas so the kids can run off all that energy before dinner. :)

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    1. The ipad is a great idea. I always seem to forget it when i need it most! Must check out Belrose hotel. S x

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  2. He's using the chopsticks so well! I haven't been "training" my girl to use it much haha.. I should bring it out more often ;p One thing I still do is to bring out busy bags filled with activities to do at the table while waiting for food or for the adults to finish.. keeps her busy most of the time and not run about too much ;p

    Ai @ Sakura Haruka

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    1. Thanks Ai. What kind of activities do you include in the busy bags? sounds like a great idea i'd love to try out. S x

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  3. What a perfect little gentleman! He could teach my boys a thing or two.
    xx

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    1. Mrs BC - we have our bad days too! S x

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  4. I love those little Thomas chopsticks!! So cute. Sometimes they just surprise you with their behaviour. I am always amazed at how well me 20 month old deals with cafes, and drinks his babychino like a pro! x Karen #teamIBOT

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    1. Thanks Karen - the chopsticks are cute! they can sit still if there they have something to occupy them. S x

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  5. It's funny isn't it watching them grow up? My little girl is at the same stage, she is nearly three, and they are just so cute!

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    1. Robyn - they grow up too quickly - especially when they decide to assert themselves with "NO! mummy!" Though i love that at this age they can actually express themselves much better like when they are sick. S x

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  6. Speed of service was definitely a winner for me when the girls were younger. Rachel x

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  7. Totally agree Rachel. Thanks for stopping by! S x

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  8. You know Steph, going out anywhere with my three is a mission, sushi is the best option for us! Have a great week!

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  9. I know this post is about eating out with kids, but I'm still stuck on the dumplings and the shallot pancakes, and I can't concentrate! I always take colouring in for the kids, and order their meals when we arrive - so they're already eating while the adults decide.

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  10. Well done for taking the risk and dining out with your three year old. I haven't been to brave of late but perhaps I will try again soon. Thanks for the tips!

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