How We Keep Our Kids Entertained at Restaurants (Without Losing Our Minds)
Taking toddlers and young children out to eat can feel like a test of patience… and honestly, that’s okay! Kids under five aren’t wired to sit still and wait quietly through the whole meal experience. So, over time, we’ve learned a few tricks that help keep our little ones entertained and make dining out more enjoyable for everyone.
1. Bring Ample Snacks
Before we even arrive, we pack plenty of snacks. Sometimes food at the restaurant takes a while, and having a familiar snack on hand keeps the hangry meltdown at bay. Our go-tos are goldfish, Pirate’s Booty, yogurt melts, fruit strips and granola bars!
2. Go Early
We aim to eat earlier than peak dinner hours. The restaurant is quieter, the staff isn’t rushed, and our kids tend to be less tired and more cooperative. Plus, early dining often means quicker service! My kids are pretty much ravenous by 5pm anyway, so it works to control the hanger.
3. Keep Expectations Low
We remind ourselves that it’s totally normal for young children to wiggle, make noise, or get impatient. It’s developmentally unrealistic to expect them to sit perfectly still and wait patiently for a drink order, then food, then more waiting. So we go in with low expectations and a lot of grace. If the people you’re dining with have a problem with kids being kids, my unsolicited advice is to find new dining companions (okay, or suggest getting takeout!)
4. Bring Easy, Low-Mess Activities
Keeping kids busy with simple, low-mess activities is a game changer. Here are our go-to favorites:
Magnet block/dice popper game: You can call it whatever you want (because my 4 year old somehow named it Toot the Turtle and I don’t think anyone else is going to make that name stick!) All you need is a dice popper like this one and magnet blocks like these. The way we play is:
Place all the blocks in the middle of the table.
Everyone takes turns popping the dice. Whatever number you get is the number of blocks you put in your own pile.
Keep going til all the blocks are gone from the middle!
Then, each person uses their pile and builds something. But SHH!! Keep it a surprise! (Ideas to inspire: flower, tower, castle, apple tree, fish, and anything you can imagine!)
Once you’re done building, everyone takes turns guessing each other’s creation.
This game is a HIT with my 4 year old, and it’s so fun to play when we bring people like grandparents, friends, etc. Adults can play, too, so the kids don’t feel left out of the conversation AND us parents can have a tiny second to breathe and socialize with the adults too!
The bonus of this game is even my 1 year old can “play”! He doesn’t really build much, but he gets a turn to pop the dice and play with blocks. A win win!
Dry erase markers and laminated sheets: My bestie introduced me to this one and we LOVE going out to eat with them because her daughter always brings them for fun! Use these reusable pocket sleeves OR just a large Ziploc baggy and use dry erase markers to color and recolor! Here are some free coloring pages I made that are so fun! Easy to pack, reusable, and mess-free.
Small fidgets like Squigz: These little suction toys are quiet, tactile, and fun without creating a mess.
Classic coloring pages: Big shoutout to restaurants that provide coloring sheets and crayons—it’s a simple way to keep kids occupied.
Sticker Books or Sticker Scenes: Kids can peel and stick on reusable sticker books or on coloring page menus. Stickers are fun and quiet, plus no crayons to clean up.
Playdough in a Travel Container: Bring a small amount of playdough in a sealed container. It’s tactile and quiet, though you might want to use this only at tables with easy-to-clean surfaces.
I Spy or “Find It” Game: Turn waiting into a game: “Can you find something red?” or “Who can spot a dog outside the window?” This keeps kids looking and thinking all while subtly working on language and vocabulary!
Interactive Books: The key here is to bring books that are loaded with entertainment like I Spy books, the Leap Frog First 100 Words book, Poke a Dot books and more!
5. Be Kind to Staff & Clean Up
We always try to clean up our area before we leave and tip generously. Restaurant staff work hard to serve families, and a little extra kindness and respect goes a long way.
Pro Tip: Use stick-on placemats on the table! They help speed clean-up and prevent crayon marks or spills on restaurant tables.
6. Screentime does not make you a bad parent!!
I know that society has convinced us that “iPad kids” at restaurants are the worst thing to happen to childhood, but I think we could all benefit from a little reality check. It’s not age appropriate to ask young children to sit at a table waiting for an hour. If these tips and tricks above don’t work (because they don’t always for my kids!! Kids are allowed to have bad days, and we can’t always know when that bad day will come. For the nights we can’t avoid it, we let our children watch a little TV show on our phones. We keep the volume low and only use it as a last resort.) It’s about making the experience manageable for everyone, not perfection.
7. Movement Is Allowed
Kids need to move! If they get up and wander quietly nearby without disturbing other guests, that’s totally okay. It’s part of how they manage their feelings and energy.
Final Thoughts
Dining out with toddlers doesn’t have to be stressful. It’s about adjusting expectations, planning ahead, and creating a space where kids can be themselves. With snacks, activities, and a bit of patience, we have raised restaurant kids who LOVE going out to eat! For a full list of all my restaurant hack products, click here! (Please note: All links in this blog are affiliate links through Amazon. I may receive a small commission for qualifying purchases).
