Taking newborn to restaurant in DC

[Anonymous]

Our anniversary is coming soon and my newborn will be one month old. We would like to take him with us to our favorite restaurant downtown. He sleeps most of the time and will quiet down pretty easily with his bottle. We will keep him in the carseat next to us, can we do this? I don't worry about the baby but worry if the restaurant will not be ok with it. We have a babysitter that will be taking care of our two toddlers but she is not conformable with newborn, so WWYD?

[Anonymous]

Call the restaurant to see if they will/can accommodate the car seat. Many will. Going earlier in evening is usually better.

[Anonymous]

I’m sure this is no big deal at all. I haven’t done it in DC because I lived in London when my babies were born but we did it there all the time and it was no problem - I really can’t see why it would be.

[Anonymous]

Should be fine

[Anonymous]

My DH and I went to so many restaurants when she was that little
She would sleep the whole time and she was super easy to calm down if needed. No one every gave us a hard time.
We did ask for a table for 3 so we could put the car seat on a chair.

[Anonymous]

Newborn is easy. It's when they get to be older infants (or worse, toddlers!) that dining out with them becomes much harder.

[Anonymous]

E wouldn’t even call. No restaurant will say no. This seems fine to me unless it’s Inn at Little Washington or a similar level of fancy.

[Anonymous]

I also wouldn't call. Just go and have fun!

[Anonymous]

Last year we brought our 2-month-old to Thanksgiving dinner at a fancy restaurant. It was fun, but I ended up holding him and didn't really get to enjoy my meal! We did it early in the evening.

[Anonymous]

I agree with a PP that you should try to go early. I don’t see a problem with this. My DD was far easier to deal with in restaurants as a newborn than she is now as a toddler!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:E wouldn’t even call. No restaurant will say no. This seems fine to me unless it’s Inn at Little Washington or a similar level of fancy.

I disagree, OP should call. I know it’s rare, but there are a few restaurants that frown on this. It happened to a friend once that she was turned away from a restaurant for showing up with her newborn in a bassinet stroller.

[Anonymous]

I find it kind of unusual that this is your third kid and you don’t know you can eat out with a newborn! What did you do with your previous kids?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I find it kind of unusual that this is your third kid and you don’t know you can eat out with a newborn! What did you do with your previous kids?

Maybe I had a live-in nanny. How is this relevant ?

[Anonymous]

Just ask in advance and go right when the restaurant opens (we have our fancier restaurant dinners at 5pm). If you call ahead, the restaurant may be able to put you at a table apart from the other guests. Go out now before things get crazy in toddlerhood.

[Anonymous]

I ate out everywhere in DC with my newborn. In my experience, the only eye rolls come when you try to bring your giant stroller in. The newborn days are the best. Happy anniversary!