Can’t go out for dinner without my LO kicking off 🤦🏻♀️
Just wanted some advice really and to see if anyone else was in the same boat. My daughter is 16.5 months and is completely incapable of behaving or sitting nicely when we go out for a family meal, she just gets bored and wants to get up and run around. She never really eats when we’re out either (maybe due to the change of environment) & it’s just exhausting and sometimes embarrassing. I know it’s not a big deal, but my family enjoy going out for dinner often so it’s hard to avoid it completely. I’ve tried giving her things to do whilst at the table, colouring, stickers, screen time etc but she soon loses interest 😂 I just wanted to know if this was normal for her age and if any of your little ones were the same and if it’s just a phase.
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We have a bit of a system now 😅 Our LO is the same, he doesn't like sitting for too long, although he is a big foodie so if he's eating he's happy. Usually we keep a few toys hidden away that he only gets in a restaurant, so they seem new and keep his interest for longer. Between courses my partner will take him for a walk, even if its just to the loos and back 😅 I also bring fruit and biscuits for him to nibble between courses. And tbh non-toy things like menus and salt shakes keep him entertained so as long as he's not breaking anything we let him play with whatever is available 😂
We’ve given up for the time being 🥲 he is a nightmare during meals out!
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Dinner out takes so much longer than dinner at home, I’m not surprised they want to be down and running around. We don’t do it often, but when we do I make sure it’s places where between courses one of us can be walking around with her, she can go exploring etc, that way when the food is here she can concentrate on eating and doesn’t feel bored of being confined to a highchair longer than she’s used to. Seems entirely normal to me, I have no expectations for my daughter to sit nicely for an hour while we have a meal out. Maybe when they’re 2 and are more interested in focusing on things like colouring etc it’ll get better?