I need to get down on carry out food

[Goldy1]

I have a happy lovely 8 month old son. Good and bad thing is he is so active I can't take him to any restaurant. I don't miss it much. However, I get tempted to get carryout even with food in the house. I am a woman who knows how to cook too. I keep lots of food int he house.
I am going to try to stop as much as I do even though I use coupons. Our income plumetted the past year so I have to be frugal(I always was by the way, but never a miser)

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by Goldy1

I have a happy lovely 8 month old son. Good and bad thing is he is so active I can't take him to any restaurant.

Why can't you take an 8-month old to a restaurant? He isn't walking yet, right? And even if he were, you could still strap him into a high chair.

[Goldy1]

He's a perfectly healthy and happy 8 month old, but doesn't take kindly to being strapped down in a high chair very long. I took him to a family retaurant and he got fussy after 20 minutes so we had to take turns eating while one of us held him and played with a toy with him. (kichen staff was short so food took a long time to arrive) I also took him for a walk around the place. So it' s possilbe just not relaxing when you have to entertain him.
No, he only crawls and pulls up on furniture.
lol

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by Goldy1

He's a perfectly healthy and happy 8 month old, but doesn't take kindly to being strapped down in a high chair very long. I took him to a family retaurant and he got fussy after 20 minutes so we had to take turns eating while one of us held him and played with a toy with him. I also took him for a walk around the place.

Yep. That sounds quite normal for a kid that age. That's exactly what we did when our daughter was a baby. It didn't stop us from dining out. I'm sure if you look around in any family restaurant you'll see plenty of other kids and parents doing exactly the same thing.

[Radiance]

lol!

We took turns, one would eat while the other would walk him around the restaurant with the baby!

It got better for a whlile where he was very much into the eating "procedures" and sat on high chair like a little gentleman.

Now he is almost two, I am back to walking around the restaurant after 20-30 minutes, lol. I eat faster lately. :-)

[zetta]

It gets better when the child gets older. Dining out with DS was a chore from 18 - 30 months. Once he turned 3 it was great again!

[MonkeyMama]

Reminds me, one day I was at a restaurant with my 2yo and baby, and some elderly lady came by to tell me I had the most marvelously behaved children, blah blah blah. I was like, "uh, thanks?" LOL. The 2yo had been quite loud, and the baby was, well, a baby. I think it's hard to take credit for a well behaved 3-month-old. & even toddlers. Some just don't mind sitting still, while others can't. {& regardless, I am sure we were voted worst parents in the world, other nights, in other eating establishments. A certain birthday dinner at the Spaghetti factory comes to mind, around the same timeframe}.

I never much liked eating out much with small kids anyway. So much stuff to pack and scenarios to plan for! Once potty trained and all that, well, then it's easy.

[sgfinancialfreedom]

It can be a real hassle to prepare food while looking after the little one.

Eating out is also very troublesome if not trying...

Try eating cereal? It is fast food in a certain sense =)
Works for me

[cschin4]

What is wrong with getting carry out? We often get carry out and it can be a reasonable cost. If your income has plummetted than you probably do just need to stay in and eat. But, cooking at home can be expensive if you tend to shop and buy too many groceries or buy things you think you will use but never do.
If you want to eat out, then hire a babysitter and go out for dinner if that is something you enjoy. Or, take the baby with you but make sure the baby has been fed, had a nap, and so forth so it isn't cranky time. And, keep in mind that you cannot sit and linger the way you would without the baby. But, at that age I wouldn't take the baby out for fine dining. Maybe a trip to Eat n Park. Otherwise, get the sitter.

[PrincessPerky]

we try to get a booth, then the kid can crawl/toddle back and forth while everyone else eats. Though it helps to brings toys/aim for quiet time.

it only sortof gets easier when they are older. With 4 from 1yr-7yr I think you just trade problems.

I haven't found a restaurant meal relaxing in years! (about 7 of them)
...don't shoot the straw paper, catch the spoon when it falls off your nose, no fork sculptures, no we are not ordering oysters if you don't like them, neither does anyone else, if you are going to eat all of daddy's salmon then next time order it yourself, please stop banging on the table, stop stealing your brothers food (to the one year old)

The secret to a peaceful (ish) meal is to direct the conversation before you start the tirade of 'No'. (what colors are in the lights? Tell me about that art on the wall? What shapes can you find on the table? can you find a right angle?

[sgfinancialfreedom]

Good suggestion on starting the conversation with ur kids before they get all fussy..

Another way is to bring some finger food along for them. It helps them settle down. They just can't seem to keep still especially if they see you eating and they have nothing to eat.

[LuxLiving]

I often times find myself spending too much on carryout.

Try setting up LIMITED menus. Meaning you only buy to cook a certain number of set meals. This thinking for me came about after running a restaraunt. Those restaraunts that are generally successful have a limited menu. Meaning they don't have to have ham around to make a ham omelet if no other item on the menu calls for ham. What if you have to have ham around all week just in case someone orders a ham omelet and no one does? Wasted ham.

If they offer omelets, HBs, tacos, shrimp and PB sandwiches? Likely something will go to waste that week.

"Waste = resource out of place." (thanks Coors for this quote!)

Two weeks worth of menus can provide enough variety, but you don't overspend on ingredients. Too many varietal recipes equals out to possibly waste of ingredients & too much money spent.

Work a rotation of food: One rotation we often use is - 1 week Mexican food, 1 week Italian food. The premise is that most of the ingredients needed for tacos are also necessary to make a taco salad, and to make a burrito, and to make a mexican style casserole, and to make nachos, and all that can equal one night of leftovers, and a plan for one night of carryout a week. Limited ingredients bought can equal out to dollars saved.

Good luck.

[disneysteve]

Another idea is to incorporate some favorite take-out items into a partially homemade meal. Instead of going to McDonald's for your meal, make your own burgers at home and swing by McD just to pick up some fries. Or maybe there is a restaurant that has a family favorite dessert item. Cook your meal at home but serve the take-out dessert.

[cicy33]

At the restaurant I work at we have a couple that come in with their little boy, he is about 2. after a little bit he tends to wander around. he never bothers anyone and they try to sit somewhere he can wander without bothering people. he is so cute. my granddaughter is the same. she cannot sit still for more than 15 minutes or so. Frankly I thought that was fairly normal for small children. Enjoy your baby and think of all the memories you will create by eating out and having him wander around or being adorable. I am betting those dinners with kids that sit perfectly still are not memorable.

[Saving_spree]

Take him out this one time & see how it works.

If it goes well then good for you. If it doesn't them that means you need to give him a little more time.

[cschin4]

Enjoy your baby and think of all the memories you will create by eating out and having him wander around or being adorable. I am betting those dinners with kids that sit perfectly still are not memorable.

Yes, let's enjoy our children for being children. Obviously, you shouldn't take your child out to dinner if he/she is tired, not feeling well, etc. And, you also need to take into account your child's age, tolerance of new experiences, etc. So, then you just relax and go about living your life. There are times we have eaten out and the kids were in the "saltine crackers and pepsi" phase which means that was the only thing they would eat when we went out. After awhile, we just accepted that, they happily ate their crackers and we had a nice meal and I fed them at home. If they squeak or giggle or squeal a bit, so what? Enjoy? Of course, if they are crying and having an all out tantrum, then you may need to just go home.
I recall going to Perkins when my son was little, as soon as we got in there he started pitching a fit, the waitress brought crayons and he threw them across the room. So, we just got up and left and never even ordered because he just wasn't up for it and neither were we! But, we have also had some nice meals with him sitting so cutely in his high chair, etc.