Eat at home. They aren't toddlers forever. Is it fun for you? I thought it sucked and cut it out while my kids were that age. It is much more fun now that they are 3 and 4.

You love the fact that you can squeeze him into a small space and trap him until dinner's over? How about a gerbil cage?

I got a great portable booster and kept it in my car at all times. Kind of like this one.

http://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-Healthy-Deluxe-Booster-Green/dp/B0000DEW8N/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1337726066&sr=8-2-fkmr0

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:2.5 is old enough to understand simple restaurant manners such as remaining seated. If your child is not yet capable of staying in his seat because he's supposed to, rather than because he's strapped in, then he's not ready for restaurants other than fast food. I'm not judging; it's pretty normal for a child that age to lack the attention span for a restaurant meal. I am fortunate to have a child who does well at restaurants (she loves food!), but she becomes restless after a while and one of us goes outside with her. Leisurely, relaxing restaurant meals are not really possible with most toddlers.

OP here. My child is not mature enough to understand simple restaurant manners. He has just transitioned from a nanny to a full time program outside the home and he's still adjusting to life outside of our home. That includes manners, socializing, etc. We are a family that likes to eat out, so eventually he'll give in and figure out what needs to happen or my husband/I will give in and eat at home more. Either way, it's going to be a struggle.

If you like to eat out, how is he just now adjusting to life outside of home? Hasn't he been eating out for 2.5 years? I suggest a booth and a booster seat, bring a couple of small toys while waiting for food, make expectations clear, choose restaurants that bring bread or chips right away or have fast service, and take him for a walk if needed. Also, take him to wash his hands after ordering-- it kills some time.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:2.5 is old enough to understand simple restaurant manners such as remaining seated. If your child is not yet capable of staying in his seat because he's supposed to, rather than because he's strapped in, then he's not ready for restaurants other than fast food. I'm not judging; it's pretty normal for a child that age to lack the attention span for a restaurant meal. I am fortunate to have a child who does well at restaurants (she loves food!), but she becomes restless after a while and one of us goes outside with her. Leisurely, relaxing restaurant meals are not really possible with most toddlers.

OP here. My child is not mature enough to understand simple restaurant manners. He has just transitioned from a nanny to a full time program outside the home and he's still adjusting to life outside of our home. That includes manners, socializing, etc. We are a family that likes to eat out, so eventually he'll give in and figure out what needs to happen or my husband/I will give in and eat at home more. Either way, it's going to be a struggle.

There's nothing wrong with this. It is developmentally appropriate. But if that is the case, please bring a portable booster with straps and use this until your child matures a bit more and can stay in the restaurant-provided boosters that don't have straps.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:2.5 is old enough to understand simple restaurant manners such as remaining seated. If your child is not yet capable of staying in his seat because he's supposed to, rather than because he's strapped in, then he's not ready for restaurants other than fast food. I'm not judging; it's pretty normal for a child that age to lack the attention span for a restaurant meal. I am fortunate to have a child who does well at restaurants (she loves food!), but she becomes restless after a while and one of us goes outside with her. Leisurely, relaxing restaurant meals are not really possible with most toddlers.

OP here. My child is not mature enough to understand simple restaurant manners. He has just transitioned from a nanny to a full time program outside the home and he's still adjusting to life outside of our home. That includes manners, socializing, etc. We are a family that likes to eat out, so eventually he'll give in and figure out what needs to happen or my husband/I will give in and eat at home more. Either way, it's going to be a struggle.

PP again. Does he use a booster seat at home? If so, can you start teaching him that it's inappropriate to leave the table before the meal is over? It sounds like he is used to being well-behaved while staying seated in a high chair, so the transition might not be too difficult. And there's always the option of bringing small toys (e.g., a coloring book and crayons) to keep him occupied. If he really needs the straps, you can also buy a portable booster seat that has straps and bring it with you.

Anonymous wrote:2.5 is old enough to understand simple restaurant manners such as remaining seated. If your child is not yet capable of staying in his seat because he's supposed to, rather than because he's strapped in, then he's not ready for restaurants other than fast food. I'm not judging; it's pretty normal for a child that age to lack the attention span for a restaurant meal. I am fortunate to have a child who does well at restaurants (she loves food!), but she becomes restless after a while and one of us goes outside with her. Leisurely, relaxing restaurant meals are not really possible with most toddlers.

OP here. My child is not mature enough to understand simple restaurant manners. He has just transitioned from a nanny to a full time program outside the home and he's still adjusting to life outside of our home. That includes manners, socializing, etc. We are a family that likes to eat out, so eventually he'll give in and figure out what needs to happen or my husband/I will give in and eat at home more. Either way, it's going to be a struggle.

2.5 is old enough to understand simple restaurant manners such as remaining seated. If your child is not yet capable of staying in his seat because he's supposed to, rather than because he's strapped in, then he's not ready for restaurants other than fast food. I'm not judging; it's pretty normal for a child that age to lack the attention span for a restaurant meal. I am fortunate to have a child who does well at restaurants (she loves food!), but she becomes restless after a while and one of us goes outside with her. Leisurely, relaxing restaurant meals are not really possible with most toddlers.

My 2.5 year old hasn't sat in high chairs or boosters at restaurants for at least a year. What we do is we ask for a booth. She walks to it, climbs in herself, and sits next to me for her meal. She has space to move around, and if she wants, we let her duck under the table so she can go sit on the other side with her dad if she wants. He and I take the outside of the booth, so aside from being able to go right under the table to the other side, she's trapped. We of course do not let her stand up in the booth or peek over at other people to see what they're doing, and this works pretty well for us. She can sit in a chair at a table of course, but then you have the wanting to get up and run around the restaurant issue, so we will wait longer for a booth if we need to.

You know what people's answers are going to be, right?

At that age, we went out to eat for lunch and real casual places. Nowhere fancy where we'd be there a long time. Bring crayons and things the kid likes. Work your way up to longer meals, and the kid will do fine when the time comes.

I have a 2.5 YO who is getting too big for restaurant high chairs. I love the fact that we can still squeeze him in and he's trapped until dinner is over. But I realize that high chairs cannot last forever. How do you keep your toddler in a restaurant booster seat for the duration of the meal? I fear we will be the people with a little one running around the restaurant.