Venturing out into public

The only venturing out we do is to daycare, BRU and occasionally the food store. I would love to occasionally eat out at restaurants again. My boys are almost 4 months old, is it too early to start going out to eat?

 

If you feel they are good and healthy and you and your husband want to go out for dinner, I say go for it. It's not flu or RSV season and I haven't had anyone just come up and breathe all over my kids at a restaurant.

 

I say go for it too. I keep mine in the stroller still when we go out to eat. Works well for everyone. Have fun.

 

Our girls are 4 months adjusted age and we've started taking them out to eat. Going out tonight, in fact.

 

I have gone out with all my children since they were born. Unless you have health issues - go for it!

 

QUOTE(2pugmom @ Jun 17 2008, 12:52 PM) [snapback]831162[/snapback]
The only venturing out we do is to daycare, BRU and occasionally the food store. I would love to occasionally eat out at restaurants again. My boys are almost 4 months old, is it too early to start going out to eat?


We go out to breakfast all the time. That's the best time of day for the babies' disposition. Dinner would not work at all. We've done some lunches. They just chill in their carseats, sometimes sleep. Worse case scenario they fuss a little and end up sitting on our laps. We've never had a bad experience though.

 

QUOTE(Callen @ Jun 17 2008, 12:23 PM) [snapback]831240[/snapback]
I have gone out with all my children since they were born. Unless you have health issues - go for it!

i agree... we have taken our boys since they were 4 weeks... but only to lunch as dinner time is not as "happy"... funny i wont take them shopping though...

 

The night we came home from the hospital we went to Olive Garden. We left them in their seats the whole time and they were as good as gold. (They slept the whole time)

Now they love going out to eat. They are always so good in public.

Have fun!

 

We have taken the babies out to eat since they were a few weeks old....if you feel up to it go for it!

 

I've taken our boys out since they were "allowed" by our doc at 4 weeks home from the nicu (2 months old). They loved the "white noise" of everyone talking and usually fell asleep. I've found lunch is also a better time than dinner, but DH and I have tried dinner once or twice. I took the boys to lunch yesterday with my Aunt and it went great. We only get to eat out about once a month, but when they were younger, I'd meet my girlfriends for lunch once a week! It really got them used to it. I say go for it!!

Taking up half the table!

 

Go for it! We took our girls to brunch maybe a month ago, and it was fine! They were alseep almost the whole time. They woke when I got my food

 

We went out to eat right away with our twins. I would say go for it, unless you think they're not feeling well. If it's naptime, maybe they'll sleep right through the meal!

 

Not tons but we have since they were little. When they were little we would leave them in carseats to sleep. Now they sit up and we order something right when we arrive so they have something to eat or snacks I bring. It isn't bad at all. My babies love to be around people and watch everything going on so they are really good. When they start wanting to get down I think will be the hard time.

 

We have gone since they were a week old or so. Applebee's was the first place (I did have a cocktail too). We go at least once a week. It actually was better for us to go a little later in the evening. The girls will have their night bottle and fall asleep in their carseats....then off to bed when they got home. Now they are able to sit up in highchairs, and we give them their puffies while we are there.

April

 

Originally we would take them out with friends or family only! That way there would be another set of hands, or more around to help out! Also, we got to eat our meals while they held on to the babies!! But we just started venturing out just the two of us for meals and JUST started going to like the store by ourselves...(one or the other of us!)

Shannon

 

We go out to eat (me and the twins) lunch a lot with my friend and her three year old. When we do go out to lunch we like to get there right at 11:00 a.m. That way we beat the lunch crowd.

Also DH and I usually take the twins out to eat once on the weekends. We will usually do breakfast because as a PP said that is when the boys are happiest, or we will do a late lunch early dinner (around 3-4) on Saturday or Sunday. This way we don't have to wait for a table or anything.

Good luck and have fun!

 

We took them out to eat from about 1 month old. Like pp said, the worst that can happen is is that they end up in your lap.

 

Go for it. At that age, we just kept them in their infant carseats. Since we had the Podee Hands-Free bottles, it was always nice to time dinner with a feeding time because the babies could eat while we did. Taking them right after they fall asleep is good too.

 

We took the twins out to eat about a week after they were born. And we go out to eat with them at least twice a week. We never have problems with going out, it's more of where to go that can accomidate twins easily. We choose to go for dinner at about 4-5pm-ish so we miss the crowds... We also make notes about where the carseats fit into booths and where we have to sit at tables... We also make sure that they are changed and clean ahead of time, and now we're bringing toys, and those sure keep them busy! We started taking my son out to eat at a very early age as well and he's 8 now and is very polite at restaurants. I have a girl-friend that never took her kids to restaurants because she thought they would be bad and didn't want to handle it, and now they are 9 and 12 and HORRIBLE in restaurants with no manners... ugh!
So I say take them out if you feel comfortable, I would probably start with a place that you've gone to before and feel comfortable with.
Good luck and have fun with it!!

 

I didn't really feel comfortable taking them out to restaurants until about 6 months. Partially b/c of the germs (it was flu season) and partially b/c DD was a fussy newborn and we would never be able to set her down long enough to eat. Now we go out all the time. They are able to sit in highchairs and love looking around. As long as I keep a steady stream of goldfish crackers coming we can enjoy our meal!

 

Do it now while they will sleep in their stroller or infant seats! The couple of times we went we brought bottles along and fed them while we waited for our food and then they slept while we ate.

 

We've been going to restaurants since about 4 months. A few times before that but only with more help. Now we just make sure we have toys and bottles in case someone gets fussy. Most of the time the noise of the restaurant puts them to sleep though. Lunch was easier at first but now if we have them out and are headed home at dinner time we will sometimes stop for a quick dinner. Their bedtime is so close to dinner though if we do that there's not much time.

I've also found that the waitresses are usually extremely helpful and fewer people stop to touch and ask questions when you are eating vs shopping.