Eating meals on the road?

I will preface this by saying my kids have eaten dinner out with us a total of TWO times. It stresses me out, so we avoid it. The first time was fun and they did great...the second time, DD decided to chuck every piece of food in front of her on the floor. Then she got agitated and whiny (which is shrill and loud!). Needless to say, I am terrified of Thanksgiving weekend because we will be doing a lot of traveling between family homes and will have to eat a few meals/snacks on the road.

So, what do you guys do? Any tried and true locations? Particular menu items that your kiddos like? I read the recommendation to look for playrooms to burn off energy, so in my mind that means McDonalds?? I haven't been there in ages, but I imagine the kids' menu has improved since I was little??

I know it is only a few days, so if they eat poorly, it won't really matter. But, without the convenience of a microwave/stove/etc., I am lost on meal ideas??

We will be introducing peanut butter this afternoon as a snack...only for the purpose of Thanksgiving travel and the need for easy lunches!

Thanks for any ideas or just encouragement that it won't be THAT bad :unsure: :unsure:

 

PB&J is always a good lunch, you could pack baggies of cereal, puffs, yogurt bites/nibbles, fruit cups or fruits like cut up grapes. Mc Donalds/Wendys and Burger King do have kid friendly menus where you can order of side of fruit rather then fries...so it might be worth checking out. My kids also like bolonga & cheese sandwiches and ham & cheese ones too.
As for restaurants, my kids really like Cracker Barrel, Pizzaria Uno, Applebees, & TGIFridays
Good luck!

 

We've done it quite a bit... The key is to bring some snacks to keep them busy while the food arrives and get them something they usually eat (chicken nuggets, grilled cheese etc). Bring cups and give them milk... bring their own forks if they use them. To keep them busy we often just give them napkins, or if it's a kid-friendly restaurant they might get crayons (Denny's does).

I honestly haven't tried fast food yet, but I'm sure chicken nuggets and fruit salad would work out well, and they mostly all have those. For the playrooms, considering that I have yet to actually see a place that has them, I don't think it's always possible...

 

If you are ordering food for them, do that when you order your drinks so it gets there faster. If we order the boys fries, we ask that they are not seasoned. If we eat somewhere like Denny's or somewhere else that does breakfast they get pancakes and fruit cups. We always bring their own cups and just order milk and put it in their cups.
If we are eating somewhere like Chili's, Applebees we usually get them grilled cheese b/c it is not too messy and they get it quick. I always keep crayons in my purse in case a restaurant doesn't give them, but most do.
As far as fast food, yes you can get them milk or water, fruit for sides.

 

We have eaten out a handful of times. One of the best things I bought were mini magnadoodles for all three of my kids. I always bring pretzels to keep them occupied while we wait for food.

 

We eat out pretty frequently. We bring lots of snacks and typically eat at places that are louder - Red Robin is pretty common. Claim Jumpers is pretty good and they have a baby plate that has turkey meat, apple sauce, cheese and oranges all for free. We do our best and usually plan on eating quickly to scoot out when they start to get fussy. Certainly not a relaxing meal out but they will eventually learn... right?!?

 

[quote name='Shelly's twins' date='15 November 2009 - 09:13 PM' timestamp='1258337598' post='1507549']
We eat out pretty frequently. We bring lots of snacks and typically eat at places that are louder - Red Robin is pretty common. Claim Jumpers is pretty good and they have a baby plate that has turkey meat, apple sauce, cheese and oranges all for free. We do our best and usually plan on eating quickly to scoot out when they start to get fussy. Certainly not a relaxing meal out but they will eventually learn... right?!?
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ITA with this, especially the bolded part. We eat out at least 2-3 times a month, and we usually go someplace that is family friendly and/or loud so if the boys get noisy it won't rise much above the ambient din. We have low expectations (about everything really ), and if the guys are too fussy we finish quickly and head out.

The best places for us have been the local coney (it's a Detroit thing; like a diner), Wendy's, Boston Market, and our favorite Middle Eastern restaurant. We've also stopped at Panera on the road, but they don't have too much stuff my boys like. Red Robin is a great choice; it's very family oriented.

As I mentioned above, have low expectations, an exit strategy (1 person takes the kids to the car while the other pays), and find a place with food you know your LOs will like, and you'll do great!!

 

We eat out a lot & my kids have really come to love it. We usually go to a kid-friendly place & it helps if it's fairly loud & there's a lot of stuff to look at (like people, tv's, cartoon characters, etc.). I bring lots of snacks & pretty much just feed them constantly until their food arrives. Once they are done eating, they are DONE and we have to go. I also tip really big at the end of the meal because we make big messes!

 

We didn't eat out much when they were that age (we missed the infant window, did it for the first time when they were 12 months and then only a few more times until they were 2!).

But when we did, we actually didn't follow the advice to order their food first. We found that if we did that, their food would show up and they would devour it (or not) and then be done and wanting to leave before our food even arrived. It worked better for us to order everything all at once, but bring snacks and activities for them while we were waiting.

Bring sippy cups -- the most kid-friendly places might have cups with lids, but my kids didn't get the hang of those until they were almost 3.

My kids don't like much at fast food places except fries -- we usually go to brewpub-type places because they nearly always have quesadillas (the only thing Sarah will eat at a restaurant) and nachos (the only thing Amy will eat). Plus, they have beer. :ibiggrin:

Good luck and try not to stress!

 

:good: Great advice. this is exactly how we handle dining out. The only other thing we do that helps us keep our sanity- we have portable boosters. We find the kids do much better if they have their own chairs, and then you dont have to worry if they have enough high chairs, are they clean etc.

 

Well I haven’t taken out the youngest dudes yet (to a restaurant)… buuuuttt I learned with my wiggly oldest a few restaurant tricks: I got a booth and DH sat at one end I sat at the other and we let him walk it until the food came (this was at family friendly places… were talking pleather booths, nothing nice)… then he had to go in the chair and eat when the food came… then he wasn’t burnt out of the chair before the food came… but he had energy issues until we changed his diet… but that a post for another day

Elizabeth

 

It's hard for us to eat out at a restaurant, my kids don't like the highchairs. They just want to run around, best place for us so far is chucky Cheese.

On the road, I got them carseat trays and put snack foods on them like apple wedges, grapes, gummy snacks

 

We go out to eat quite a bit with the kids (at least a few times a month), and I think that has helped them get used to it. I agree with a lot of the recommendations - go to louder places, go to places with a kids' menu/crayons because that means they are anticipating kids. Some places I like and things I like about them:

1. Cracker Barrel and Bob Evans - you can get breakfast items/a la carte items any time of day. Cracker Barrel at least has whole milk. I think Bob Evans does. Both have fabulous boosters with straps!! Mine love the novelty of sitting in a booster, and it lets us corral them into a booth or the inside seats at a four top.

2. Panera, Noodle & Co., McCallisters - really good, healthy food options. Noodle & Co. will make you buttered noodles or mac n cheese or marinara with any type of pasta you want. Plus, they have organic milk to drink (although no whole milk). McCallisters has a great kids' menu with whole grain grilled cheese, fruit or applesauce, mac n cheese. Panera also has a great, relatively healthy kids' menu.

3. Red Robin, Johnny Rockets, etc. - fun, loud, messy restaurants where you won't feel awful if your kids are crazed. They love looking at the stuff on the walls and watching people dance and act silly. Kids' menus are not great on the health factor.

4. Fast food places like Chick-fil-A, McDonalds, Wendy's - CFA and McD's tend to have play areas to let them run around, although I find that they are not really sized for my kiddos. I don't want to let them loose in tunnels and ball pits, so we generally avoid play areas. All have an option of fruit (CFA has a great fruit cup with apples, grapes, strawberries, and mandarin oranges; McD's has apples; and Wendy's has mandarin oranges). All offer milk or juice options to drink. All are not the best on main courses, although I do tend to think that CFA chicken is not too bad as far as a chicken nugget goes. Plus, all are loud and really not a big deal if your kids are crazy.

5. I don't feed mine in the car because I'm concerned about choking and how I'd get to them in time if I had to get out, get them out, etc. I do give them sippies of water to travel with, but generally I plan on pulling over for meals and snacks.

Mine also do well at primarily adult places - like a BBQ joint, where I just get a couple veggie sides and share some pulled pork, for example. I have NOT yet done a place like Olive Garden or Red Lobster, which some people tend to think of as more adult and high end.

HTH!