Eating out with your family

I am a mum of 4 children and 3 grandchildren , I have spent over 20 years supervising children parties and taking my family out to dinner.
It can be a rewarding time, but it can be frustrating, sometimes boring for the children (especially if we go to a restaurant that is not children friendly.)
Sometimes other people’s children annoy the general public, they don’t like to hear children, laughing and having fun, it seems to spoil their enjoyment, ( it is a very sad society that is not happy to welcome children.)

In Italy and Spain it is a common sight seeing children, in the restaurants with their parents. In England we seem more limited and often take children to fast food restaurants that seem to cater for large amounts of children.
How can we prepare ourselves for a meal in a restaurant, well here are my tips to help you have a happy meal with your family.
Firstly ring up the restaurant. Explain that you are a family and find out what facilities they have in the restaurant.

Ask the questions are there high chairs? Do you have to pay adult prices for a child’s meal? (If you do this will affect your budget and you may not be able to afford the extra cost.) Do they have child size portions?

Do they have colouring books and pens for the children’s entertainment?. These may seem small things but it would be easy for the children to become bored during or after the meal and this may result in your own enjoyment being affected.
Have a plan b available to entertain your children. If the restaurant cannot provide anything to keep your children happy, bring your own pack. These could be simple things like pens and paper, colouring book and pens, cards or a board game.

If all these things to consider have made you rethink eating out in a restaurant then here are a few alternatives you could consider.
Firstly get a baby sitter, could be a friend or parent or even a paid babysitter. This will enable you to have time out as a couple.
Secondly have a picnic with the children. Take them to a park, fill them up with a healthy lunch in a picnic hamper , take a ball and Frisbee for fun.. The advantages, of this option is, it is a cheaper option and the children can run around and make noise and use up all their energy. This will enable you to have a rest later as they will be exhausted.

Lastly, prepare a meal at home, get the children to make a flower arrangement for the table, write out menu and if you have a paper table cloth, draw pictures on it.
Older children can also be waiters, and bring in cutlery and lay tables. One other option is to do a come dine with me with other parents and children, each parent making a course and all the children sitting together on their own table. A prize could be awarded for best course.

I hope that this article will help you to be prepared, it’s worth persevering as children learn so much from eating out, life experiences like eating properly, making conversation at the table.

Good luck and enjoy your meal.
Bon Appertif.




When you have children one vital question is where is the toilets. You need to find out and sit as close to them as possible.
Is the food healthy? Is it freshly prepared and without additives or e numbers. It would be terrible if half way through the meal the children started to become hyperactive and jump up and down. Don’t be afraid to offend the restaurant, (it is your enjoyment and your children’s that is at stake, also your hard earned cash) you are the customer. If you would like more recipes for restaurant and budget family meals then look at the e books at pauline3858firstclassrecipes.com