Help to find toddler toys for restaurant

chazsucks

We got a purse for about 50p on sale at somewhere like claires accessories. Yeh it's pink and sparkly and he's a little boy, who cares he loves it. We filled it will fake credit cards - like old store cards / gift cards etc. a couple of mini pencils, some post its.

This usually keeps him entertained for a while.

Some of these are also fun to make and great to pop in your bag http://therigneys.wordpress.com/2011/08/26/toddler-busy-bag-swap/

BitterAndTwisted

ClareEmily wrote: »

They are going through the phase of everything gets chucked on the floor, books, cars, keys, rubber ducks, have tried most things.

Knicker elastic. Then you can secure anything you want them to play with to the high-chairs. And you're not going to give yourself back-strain picking things up every 30 seconds.

[Deleted User]

wish you told me that 4 years ago B&T

longhotbath

Hi ClareEmily, think you are in my home town. The only non toddler friendly resurants I can think of are a couple of posh ones in East Street - and an older style cafe near the big ball by mcdonalds. Everything else is fine - I know - 3 children, and we have always taken them out!! Children can behave well! We have taken loads of pencils ( less messy than crayons), paper, little cars, plasic animals. There is an nct sale in March which will have loads of cheap toys, and hopefully toddler ties which popper onto the pushchair or high table.
Other suggestions would be the small aquadraw pads - i even got a rollable blackboard from an etsy shop in the states which was so fab, all my friends children got them too. As they get older, you could even try a small doll, and the children could pretend feed it, or for now, small books - especially with mirrors in, and water pat mats, or 'find it' pockets.

there is a lovely cafe near the big ball, oposite a pub with a nearly identical name, which still does a toddler taster plate I think, the theatre is fine for lunch, and plenty of room for little ones to move about in, and isnt too busy. At the cafe in the park you can sit outside and let them play on the bandstand.

They key, in my experience, is to avoid the actively marketed childrens places. If there are badly bahaved children, yours may copy them. If there are no children, they will copy you and your friends, and your good example.

The resurants also love it when small children are adventurous with food - my eldest still loves olives and calamari and taramastolata. And they loved the attention when they were adventurous.

Good luck, and have lots of fun. ( oh and costa today was like a creche - my youngest is now 6, but it was really nice to see all the littlies in there with their mums) xx

[Deleted User]

Fab post long hot bath. thanks

longhotbath

( Ive been lurking for too long now - it feels good to post)

Tiddlywinks

longhotbath wrote: »

( oh and costa today was like a creche - my youngest is now 6, but it was really nice to see all the littlies in there with their mums) xx

Have to say this is my idea of hell! It gets on my nerves when I go in my local starbucks and you can't move for buggies the size of small cars and kids running around squealing whilst their mums are ignoring them and either talking on their phones or too busy gossiping... wish one of the chains would declare themselves child free zones...

BitterAndTwisted

Deleted_User wrote: »

wish you told me that 4 years ago B&T

Necessity is the mother of invention. And I'm not even a mother myself.

longhotbath

Tiddlywinks wrote: »

Have to say this is my idea of hell! It gets on my nerves when I go in my local starbucks and you can't move for buggies the size of small cars and kids running around squealing whilst their mums are ignoring them and either talking on their phones or too busy gossiping... wish one of the chains would declare themselves child free zones...

But, in the town that I live, Starbucks has an upstairs where those who are child free tend to go, Costa has lovely adulty feel at the front, but opens out at the back with space for buggies - lots of buggies - very deliberately to encourage the buggy wielding parents that drink coffee and eat their pastries. We have M&S and two independent cafes where the older generation tend to go, and they can be just as loud - one is even a mobile phone free zone.
We have places that are quicker where the office workers go at lunch, and resturants where the ladies who lunch come in from the villages and do just that.
There is an incredible amount of choice.

Costa and one of the independents run friday night coffee bars as drink / drug free places for older teenagers to congregate rather than the pubs and bars, and they are very popular.

I often meet up with friends whose children have severe disabilities - all of whom are non verbal, but can be loud! Starbucks have welcomed us, done sponsored events for a child who needed specialist equipment, and give us the space and go ahead to move tables and chairs to accomodate very large wheelchairs, oxygen tanks, feeding tube equipment etc.

The op has asked for advice on keeping her son and his friends entertained and sounds very responsible. Children should be encouraged and guided, not shut away.

For the record, there wasnt a single child running around and squealing in Costa yesterday. One 3ish month old cried for about 2 mins before it went off for a nappy change, and the other 10 or so were happily interacting with their parents / grandparents / friends / eating, playing or napping.

bylromarha

We used to take a selection of books when they were strapped in the highchair. Lots of pictures and lots of talk. Can you find me a....... (cram a few mouthfuls in while they find it)....where is the...... (few more) you get the idea.

I accepted there was no such thing as a long leisurely chat with mates over lunch when DS was 15 months old. I realised that nap time was after lunch time, so if I gave baby my full attention at lunch time and made it a fun time for him, I had the 2 hours nap time coming as a reward where I could chat to my mates to my hearts content.