Do you let your toddler walk around in the restaurant?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Actually, it's because we don't expect perfection that we expect to make accommodations of our children AND the rest of the world. So children who can't stay in their seats or stop screaming need to be taken out of the restaurant for a break.

Hey, were you the woman playing tag with your kid in the Carlyle on Sunday? The kid who was cramming his truck into the sugar bowl and hurling it onto the floor? That was awesome, and I'm sure the servers love you.

Hey, but I bet she "tipped high"!

[Anonymous]

Yes, with a parent at a family friendly restaurant. We try to stay out of the way of other diners and if she doesn't get better after one or two walking excursions, we take her to the front of the restaraunt away from tables or outside if the weather is nice.

[Anonymous]

I can't believe this is so long. I only read the first and last page. Is it worth reading the entire thread??? Is it basically a rehash of the shooshing at IHOP thread? My kid doesn't walk yet so I don't have a dog in the fight ...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Actually, it's because we don't expect perfection that we expect to make accommodations of our children AND the rest of the world. So children who can't stay in their seats or stop screaming need to be taken out of the restaurant for a break.

Hey, were you the woman playing tag with your kid in the Carlyle on Sunday? The kid who was cramming his truck into the sugar bowl and hurling it onto the floor? That was awesome, and I'm sure the servers love you.

Hey, but I bet she "tipped high"!

So walking and screaming are the same to you? You might want to stay home if you can't handle being out in public.

[Anonymous]

NP here. Couldn't read all the posts, but got the distinct impression that many of the early posts - the ones raising such strong objections - were written by the same person!

I do let my toddler walk around, and one of us walks with her. Never been an issue. This is usually at casual restaurants, but not necessarily "family" restaurants. We've also done it at at least one slightly more formal restaurant, but when it wasn't crowded, and we kept her close to our table there. Not sure we'd do it at truly formal restaurants. But in more casual environments, servers and others are already walking all around, there's plenty of music or other noise, and it's just not a big deal. If we were to ever sense that some diners felt unhappy about it and intruded upon, we would redirect her from going near their table again. But so far people have either seemed completely indifferent and ignored us, or have engaged with DC very happily. Not a single person has seemed bothered. (She's not doing anything "naughty," she's just walking around happy as a clam and occasionally greeting people.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No. If she can't be entertained by the toys, books and crayons we brought then one of us either takes her outside for a walk, or if that is not an option, we'll ask to have our food boxed up and we leave. It's that simple. The world does not revolve around our family or our kids and everyone deserves to eat their dinner in peace. That includes us on the occasions that we go out without our kids, so I try to treat other diners the way I would like to be treated - i.e. not having to put up with other people's kids' noise and chaos and running around when I have finally found an evening to escape the chaos of our own house.

THANK YOU. More of this general attitude towards life would resolve so so many issues that are posted on DCUM.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No. If she can't be entertained by the toys, books and crayons we brought then one of us either takes her outside for a walk, or if that is not an option, we'll ask to have our food boxed up and we leave. It's that simple. The world does not revolve around our family or our kids and everyone deserves to eat their dinner in peace. That includes us on the occasions that we go out without our kids, so I try to treat other diners the way I would like to be treated - i.e. not having to put up with other people's kids' noise and chaos and running around when I have finally found an evening to escape the chaos of our own house.

THANK YOU. More of this general attitude towards life would resolve so so many issues that are posted on DCUM.

ITA! Again, a new poster, but this sums it up. As one PP stated, in this area especially there tends to be my-child-is-so-cute oblivion. Maybe the other diners are being polite to those children/parent who are "wandering" around, but -trust me - they're annoyed. It's downright rude to let your kid walk around and greet other people while they are eating. I cherish those kid-free evenings my DH and I can go out to dinner, even if it's at a moderately priced restaurant (not everyone can afford formal restaurants for date night).

Please do me a favor and keep your kids confined to a chair at the table, the way they should be! I have a friend who lets her kids run all over the place in restaurants, scream, carry-on, etc., without disciplining them (she laughs about it, while everyone else stares or glares), and I have stopped going out to eat with her because I think it's so disrespectful (even for lunch). I don't want to rock the boat with her, so I just decline lunch dates anymore. This same friend once actually started to change her baby's diaper in a booth at a restaurant while we were eating, and that's when I finally had to interject that this had to be done elsewhere, e.g., bathroom. Again, she just didn't "get" it, and had complete my-child-is-so-cute-and-perfect- it-doesn't-matter syndrome. Oblivion! When I raised it, she was apologetic and it was like a lightbulb went off...but still...come on, people!

[Anonymous]

To those of you that strongly object to a child being walked around a restaurant WITH an adult (I'm not talking about kids that are running around unattended, playing in the aisles, playing "tag" or any of that - just simply being walked by a parent around the restaurant) - How do you know the difference between a child that is being walked around and a child that has to use the bathroom and is being walked there or being walked somewhere legitimate?

When I see a parent and child walking past my table, I don't watch to see where they go, or find out the purpose of their walk? So, does it bother you just as much if my kid had to use the restroom and I took her to go to the bathroom, and happened to walk past your table?

[Anonymous]

Every time anyone posts that a child can walk around attended, someone will post back that it's horrible parenting to let a child run crazy wild through the restaurant screaming his lungs out and disrupting everyone's meal. 11:54, I wonder the same thing, but don't be surprised if the answers you get is that it's rude to let a child be so undisciplined so as to terrorize the entire place with his utterly out of control behavior. People have no sense here.

[Anonymous]

ITA! Again, a new poster, but this sums it up. As one PP stated, in this area especially there tends to be my-child-is-so-cute oblivion. Maybe the other diners are being polite to those children/parent who are "wandering" around, but -trust me - they're annoyed. It's downright rude to let your kid walk around and greet other people while they are eating. I cherish those kid-free evenings my DH and I can go out to dinner, even if it's at a moderately priced restaurant (not everyone can afford formal restaurants for date night).

Maybe, but you get what you pay for. If I go to dinner at a Friendly's, Silver Diner, IHOP, or Applebees, I expect there to be children there. And I might even have to hear them, too.

If you want a child-free evening, don't expect others to cater to you. Take a little responsibility for your own happiness and go somewhere less child friendly. Families aren't going to walk on pins and needles around you at the family friendly restaurants just because it is your big night away.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

ITA! Again, a new poster, but this sums it up. As one PP stated, in this area especially there tends to be my-child-is-so-cute oblivion. Maybe the other diners are being polite to those children/parent who are "wandering" around, but -trust me - they're annoyed. It's downright rude to let your kid walk around and greet other people while they are eating. I cherish those kid-free evenings my DH and I can go out to dinner, even if it's at a moderately priced restaurant (not everyone can afford formal restaurants for date night).

Maybe, but you get what you pay for. If I go to dinner at a Friendly's, Silver Diner, IHOP, or Applebees, I expect there to be children there. And I might even have to hear them, too.

If you want a child-free evening, don't expect others to cater to you. Take a little responsibility for your own happiness and go somewhere less child friendly. Families aren't going to walk on pins and needles around you at the family friendly restaurants just because it is your big night away.

HA! Love it! Take that bee-yatch!

[Anonymous]

"Maybe, but you get what you pay for. If I go to dinner at a Friendly's, Silver Diner, IHOP, or Applebees, I expect there to be children there. And I might even have to hear them, too.

If you want a child-free evening, don't expect others to cater to you. Take a little responsibility for your own happiness and go somewhere less child friendly. Families aren't going to walk on pins and needles around you at the family friendly restaurants just because it is your big night away. "

THIS is why I date rich men.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Every time anyone posts that a child can walk around attended, someone will post back that it's horrible parenting to let a child run crazy wild through the restaurant screaming his lungs out and disrupting everyone's meal. 11:54, I wonder the same thing, but don't be surprised if the answers you get is that it's rude to let a child be so undisciplined so as to terrorize the entire place with his utterly out of control behavior. People have no sense here.

Exactly. A voice of reason amongst a whole bunch of insane people. Only once or twice in my restaurant going history, have I witnessed a seriously unruly child where the parents did nothing. Every other time, I've never had a problem with the presence of children. Me and DH went out to eat with our two kids and infant last week, and a little toddler girl walked up to us wanted to see the baby. I thought it was sweet. The mom let the little girl look for a moment, then left. It was cute and sweet. I realize kids may get loud in restaurants, but most parents tell them to use their quiet voices... and I'm also fully aware that little ones can be noisy... so it doesn't really bother me. I mean, we are talking about small children and babies, people. Lighten up.

And a little off the subject, but if I see one more nanny post something saying "nanny here..." and then going on to insinuate that they know everything there ever was or ever will be known about child rearing, and how they would never let a child walk around a restaurant, blah, blah, blah, etc... then I'm gonna pull out my hair. There.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a restaurant patron, I would much rather see a child calmly walked by an adult around the perimiter of the restaurant (looking out windows, at the coatrack, flirting with the hostess) than listen to the child scream because he or she cannot sit still for as long as it takes parents and/or servers to finish eating and paying.

totally agree

[Anonymous]

"Exactly. A voice of reason amongst a whole bunch of insane people. Only once or twice in my restaurant going history, have I witnessed a seriously unruly child where the parents did nothing. Every other time, I've never had a problem with the presence of children. Me and DH went out to eat with our two kids and infant last week, and a little toddler girl walked up to us wanted to see the baby."

Your roots are showing. It's DH and I went out to eat.