Important Tips For Taking Young Relatives To Family Restaurants

Posted on: 24 April 2015

Are you the aunt or uncle of a small child? Are you considering taking your niece or nephew to a local family restaurant like Plaza Tapatia as a treat? If you don't have any children of your own, you may be at a loss as to how to have a successful and stress free meal with your younger relatives. Here are some tips to get through the meal with as few headaches as possible: 

Visit the restroom after ordering: Even if everyone's hands are clean, visit the restroom after you order. Your niece or nephew may not actually need to do anything in the restroom, but this is still a good opportunity for young children to stretch their legs. It's also a way to occupy the kid, so that they don't start getting antsy and fussy while waiting for the food to arrive. 

No drinks until the meal arrives: Tell the waiter or waitress at your favorite family restaurants not to bring the drinks until after you have your food. Small children can easily fill up on beverages, instead of the food that they ordered. By having the food and drinks served at the same time, your niece or nephew will have more of a chance to eat his or her meal. If you are taking them somewhere else later, such as to a movie or a museum, eating more of their food will prevent them from complaining about being hungry later.

Use patience if the child's meal is adventurous: Your young relative may use the occasion to order something they've never tried before. If they regret their choice when it's brought to the table, try to be understanding about their feelings. Forcing them to eat what they ordered will only give them negative feelings and make them balky the next time you want to take them to any family restaurants. Instead, remember a time when you changed your mind about something you ordered and approach the situation from that angle. Perhaps the child could share your meal. Or maybe the child could swap the meal with someone else at your table. 

Don't use the food as a reward/punishment: Your niece or nephew may have planned on eating every bite when they ordered their meal, but the excitement of the family restaurant's new surroundings caused them to lose their appetite. If they're too excited to eat, encourage them gently a few times, then let it go. You can ask the waitstaff to package the meal up and take it home for them to finish later.

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